Skin Analysis and Skin Types
Analysis is the step where you decide what you can safely do. The exam tests a consistent method: history first, then observation and palpation, then a decision about type, condition, and contraindications.
Method
Ask about products, medications, allergies, pregnancy, recent peels or waxing, sun exposure, and home routine. Observe in good light: pore size, oiliness, flaking, redness, pigmentation, laxity, lesions. Palpate gently for texture and hydration. Compare the T-zone with the cheeks.
Type versus condition
Skin type is genetic and stable - normal, dry, oily, combination, sensitive. Condition is temporary and changeable - dehydration, acne, rosacea-like redness, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, sun damage. A client can have oily type and dehydrated condition at once; that pairing is a classic exam question.
Fitzpatrick phototype
Types I–VI estimate sun response. The scale predicts burn and pigmentation risk and guides exfoliation intensity, waxing heat, and aftercare advice. It is not a skin type and not a diagnosis.
Lesion vocabulary
Primary: macule, papule, pustule, vesicle, wheal, nodule. Secondary: scale, crust, fissure, excoriation, scar. Lesions that are undiagnosed, changing, or bleeding are referral triggers.
Worked example
A Fitzpatrick III client with a two-day-old sunburn requests an enzyme peel. Reasoning: the barrier is inflamed and compromised; exfoliation adds injury and risks post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Reschedule until the skin is comfortable and no longer pink.
Traps
Calling rosacea "acne"; assuming oily skin cannot be dehydrated; using Fitzpatrick as a skin type; treating a changing mole as a cosmetic concern; skipping the medication question because the client seems knowledgeable.