Determining Your Skin Type

Determining your skin type can be daunting, but it’s essential to choosing the right skincare for your skin. Each skin type has different cleansing and hydration needs, as well as requiring treatments that address the concerns unique to each skin type. Get to know your skin type so you can treat it accordingly. With the right skincare and treatment, you’ll be left with the even, radiant, youthful-looking skin you want.

Know Your Skin Type

Understanding your skin type begins with paying attention to how your skin reacts after cleansing. Wash your face as you regularly do, but leave your skin alone for 1 hour after cleansing and see how it feels. Does it feel tight? Do you begin to see/feel oil anywhere? Looking at the categories below, clarify where your skin fits to help you customize your skincare for the best results for your skin.

• Dry Skin: Feels tight or itchy without enough moisture. Becomes rough and flaky, accompanied by small pores. Rarely breaks out. 1 in 32 people (or 3.10% of the population) in the US have dry skin.

• Oily Skin: Becomes shiny, with visible oil on tissue when skin is blotted. Enlarged pores and breakouts are common. Studies show between 40-55% of adults from age 20-40 have diagnosed low grade, persistent acne and oily skin.

• Combination Skin: Enlarged pores and oil across forehead, nose, and chin. Parts of the face are normal or dry, and breakouts are not uncommon. The most common skin type. 80% of people from age 11-30 have acne outbreaks at some point.

• Normal Skin: Fairly uniform without excess oil or flakiness. Breakouts are rare. This is the rarest skin type.

• Sensitive Skin: Skin stings after washing or applying other skincare. Skin is often red or rashy. 62% of women say they have reactive, sensitive, or irritable skin.

You may appear to have one type of skin, or your skin can appear to have a combination of skin types—for example, oily and sensitive—depending on outside influences, your health, and hormone levels. Most people experience varying skin conditions over the course of a month, which is perfectly normal, although frustrating!

Know Your History

Even if your skin seems to fit neatly in one category, you might be surprised to learn that your skin reacts in unexpected ways due to your heritage. Understanding your ancestry can help you understand your skin—your visible pigmentation isn’t necessarily reflective of how your skin will behave. In addition to the way your skin looks, the way your skin heals is also determined by genetics.

So how can you learn more about how your ancestry affects your skin? By studying the Lancer Ancestry Scale (LAS), which accounts for five different skin types based on geography and heredity. Each skin type has its own challenges and benefits, and should be treated accordingly. Bonus: You’ll have the chance to learn more about your ancestral background and your skin type all at the same time.

LAS I is extremely fair skin that burns quickly and tends toward sensitivity. Your ancestors are:

• Celtic

• Nordic

• Northern European

LAS II is fair skin that does not burn quickly, but still wrinkles, sags, and can scar easily. Your ancestors are:

• Central, Eastern, or Northern European

LAS III is golden skin, possibly with olive undertones, that can scar easily or become easily inflamed. Your ancestors are:

• European Jews

• Native American and Inuit

• Southern European and Mediterranean

LAS IV is olive or brown skin that can become easily inflamed and can tend toward acne. Your ancestors are:

• Sephardic Jews

• Central and South American Indian

• Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, and Vietnamese

• Filipino and Polynesian

• Southern European and Mediterranean

LAS V is black skin that can react to irritation with discoloration or texture changes. Your ancestors are:

• Central, East, and West African

• Eritrean and Ethiopian

• North African and Middle East Arabic

To find your own LAS skin type, add up the four LAS numbers that correspond to your grandparents’ ethnicities on your maternal and paternal sides. Divide that total number by four to find your LAS score.

Though there is always risk with any treatment that requires healing, a higher LAS score means a higher risk of adverse reactions to treatments, particularly resurfacing treatments. Communicate your ancestral history with your dermatologist so they’re better able to anticipate how skincare or treatments may affect your skin. Researching your family history reveals more about your skin than you’d think!

Know the Right Skincare for Your Skin Type

Whether your skin is oily, dry, combination, or sensitive, everyone’s skin benefits from The Lancer Method. However, remember that each LAS skin type may also require different skincare treatments to treat unique concerns and achieve the best results. Understanding your LAS skin type helps you choose the right products for your skin. For example, both LAS I and LAS V skin types are susceptible to being sensitive and reactive. People with these skin type should slowly introduce Polish, as well as any anti-aging products, into their skincare routine to avoid irritating their skin and causing further reactions.

Regardless of your skin type, look for products like Radiance Awakening Mask Intense, which includes brightening and hydrating ingredients like antioxidant complex LES-10, silver vine extract, licorice extract, and red algae extract. These active agents help protect your skin while promoting a more balanced and even-looking complexion for radiant-looking skin. This mask is ideal for all skin types, ethnicities, and ancestral backgrounds, so it’s an excellent place to start for skincare that guards and improves the appearance of your skin’s tone.

Once you’ve determined your skin type based on your ancestry and how your skin behaves, you’ll be able to choose the right skincare for you. Knowing which skincare products best treat your skin’s distinctive concerns is the best way for you to achieve healthy, beautiful skin.