Even today, some consumers are unaware of their skin type and apply unsuitable products. However, before even attempting to provide care for your skin, it is crucial to conduct a skin diagnosis to decode its needs and characteristics. The ultimate goal is to enable users to have a better understanding of their skin, its health, and thus select and adapt the treatments to use accordingly. What does a skin diagnosis entail? On what criteria is it developed? Let's decode.
The Interest, Utility, and Basis of Skin Diagnosis.
Summary
Published on August 7, 2024, by Stéphanie, PhD, Doctorate in Life and Health Sciences — 8 min of reading
Themes:
Skin Diagnosis: What is it and why should it be done?
A skin diagnosis is a personalised assessment at a given moment in time, designed to identify your skin's weaknesses and to consider a customised skincare routine to slow their progression, as well as to help you maintain your skin. Indeed, conducting a skin diagnosis aims to determine your skin type, and evaluate its characteristics and needs. Following the diagnosis, you will receive a comprehensive analysis of your skin and a product recommendation based on the results obtained to better target your needs and deliver the desired outcomes. The proposed treatments will thus be tailored to the specific needs of your skin to improve weak areas and rebalance its natural defences.
What does a skin diagnosis consist of?
The skin diagnosis by Typology is quite straightforward and only takes a few minutes. You are prompted to answer about fifteen questions to provide a comprehensive overview of your feelings, your observations, your lifestyle habits and your environment, thus raising many issues. At the end of this questionnaire, the system provides you with a detailed analysis of your skin, a personalised routine (one for the morning and one for the evening), as well as recommendations and information regarding your concerns, their origins and how to address them.
Throughout the questioning, various skin parameters, the most representative and essential, are addressed and analysed for a comprehensive and detailed diagnosis, such as hydration, the wrinkles and fine lines, the spots, the pigmentation marks, the visibility of pores, blackheads, skin reactivity (redness), shininess, the dark circles, the puffiness and the level of firmness. In addition, some quite basic questions are also asked, for example if you are pregnant, your relationship with the sun, if you live in a polluted environment, your level of tolerance towards cosmetic products, your skin tone, how often you wear makeup, or even if you smoke.
An assessment based on three primary and universal criteria.
skin diagnosis is based on a literature review of numerous scientific studies, and relies on three main and universal criteria:
Oxidation Factors: This criterion assesses the impact of UV rays, atmospheric pollution, and tobacco consumption on the health of the skin. These elements share a common origin in oxidative stress, a physiological process that can have a lasting impact on your skin. Indeed, the presence of an excessively high quantity of free radicals can lead to premature skin ageing (appearance of wrinkles and fine lines prematurely, a complexion that dulls more quickly, a loss of firmness from the thirties onwards). All components of the epidermis find themselves under attack from free radicals (lipids, proteins, DNA) and suffer damage.
Sebum Production : The activity of the sebaceous glands and, consequently, the integrity of the oily film that protects the skin are evaluated. Sebum is a complex mixture of lipids that contributes to hydration, the skin's barrier function, and its protection against external aggressions. However, any disruption in its production can have consequences: an excess of sebum (hyperseborrhoea) can lead to shiny areas on the face and the formation of skin imperfections (dilated pores, spots, blackheads...); conversely, a secretion that is too low can result in dry skin due to insufficient hydrolipidic film, thus exposing the skin to environmental factors, promoting the appearance of redness, tightness...
Skin Ageing : This approach analyses the elasticity of the skin, the presence of wrinkles, as well as the uniformity of its pigmentation, regardless of age. It is a natural process linked to a deterioration of the cell repair or maintenance mechanisms. Over time, a slowdown in the renewal of skin cells is observed, resulting in a thickening of the horny layer, skin dryness and a greyish complexion caused by an accumulation of dead cells on the surface of the epidermis. Wrinkles deepen, and a loss of firmness, volume and density become visible. The first signs of ageing can appear around the age of 25 - 30 years.
Result: Various skin type classifications established.
The collection of all the responses you have provided allows the creation of a score, defined by the Typology team, which corresponds to the typology of your skin. Thus, according to this scientific methodology, 24 skin typologies have been determined, based on the three criteria defined above.
| Skin ageing (A, D, V, P) | Oxidation Factors (E, P) | Sebum Production (-, ., +) |
|---|---|---|
| (A)absent: No fine lines, neither at the corners of the lips nor eyes. The skin is of uniform colour. | (E)xposed: Insufficient sun protection habits in relation to phototype and exposure rhythm. | (F)ragile: The skin texture is fine. Deficient in sebum, the skin tends to dehydrate. It feels tight. |
| (D)beginner: At rest, the skin is smooth. In motion, fine lines begin to appear at the corners of the mouth and then at the corners of the eyes. The nasolabial folds (between the nose and mouth) subtly start to form. A few light brown spots may also become visible. | (P)rotected: Sufficient sun protection habits in relation to phototypes and exposure rate. | (B)alanced: Comfortable and balanced, the skin's appearance is matte and its texture is regular. However, it is still susceptible to external aggressions (pollution, sun, wind). |
| (V)isible: Fine lines are present at the corners of the mouth and eyes, both in motion and at rest. The skin colour is not uniform, with varying amounts of brown spots on the forehead and in the creases of the nose. | (E)levated: The skin texture is uneven, pores are visible and the skin is more or less shiny. It is prone to blemishes. | |
| (P)ronounced: Wrinkles are present across the entire face. Spots are present on the face, the décolletage, and the back of the hands. |
How often should one carry out their skin diagnosis?
Every skin is unique and has its own characteristics that are subject to change. Indeed, the skin evolves in response to daily aggressions, the changing seasons, our environment, our hormonal cycle, the passage of time, and our lifestyle. Therefore, we suggest that you renew your skin diagnosis every 6 months on average, particularly to adapt your skincare routine to climatic variations. Indeed, your skin will not have the same needs depending on the seasons. Heat or cold, humidity or dry weather, the sun, the wind, heating or air conditioning, all these factors have an impact on your skin.
The skin will not always have the same issues. For instance, it will react differently to a hormonal change (pregnancy, menopause, stopping/starting/changing hormonal contraception...), to an environmental change (moving to a big city, countryside, mountains or coast), to a new pathology, or even if you start a new dermatological treatment. Similarly, as you age, the needs expressed by your skin will also evolve. With ageing, the skin becomes more fragile and it produces less and less collagen and elastin, thus lacking elasticity and firmness. Therefore, consider renewing it at the slightest change in your life.
