Understanding Your Skin Care Needs

There are four basic skin types:

• Dry
• Normal
• Combination and oily

Each skin type has its own characteristics.

Dry skin is characterized by small pores and a matte (dull) finish with little or no superficial oil or shine. Expression lines are quick to form on dry skin, especially around the eyes and mouth. Dry skin is more common in women over 50 and in those who live in low-humidity climates. Dry skin can develop among women who don’t protect their skin.

You need a product that soften, lubricate and restore needed moisture and make lines less noticeable and help reduce flakiness.


Normal skin is healthy-looking skin with a smooth texture. It contains a balance of oil and moisture and has infrequent blemishes or clogged pores. When properly cared for, lines and wrinkles seldom form on this type of skin until late in life.

The product needs to maintain moisture balance for a healthy, radiant glow and refine the skin’s texture and leave it clean and refreshed.

Skin Combination skin is healthy-looking skin with a smooth texture and some oiliness in the T-zone areas (the area forming a "T" across the forehead and down the nose and chin) with some signs of dryness on the cheeks and outer edges of the face. When properly cared for, lines and wrinkles seldom form on this type of skin until late in life.

The product must help to control excess oil in the T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) and make pores appear smaller and hydrate dry areas. Oily Skin Oily skin results when the sebaceous glands produce too much oil, giving skin a shiny appearance. Sometimes a greasy or sticky feel remains for several hours after cleansing. It is also characterized by larger pores than other skin types and is more prone to breakouts, clogged pores and blemishes. Oily skin may tend to wrinkle less readily than drier skin types. The large amount of oil on the skin’s surface helps the upper layers retain water and protects the skin from environmental causes of dryness.

So, to maintain a balance for oily skin the products needs to help control surface oiliness, leaving skin feeling smooth and looking radiant and deep clean pore openings of impurities and oily buildup. This also helps makeup stay fresher longer.

For more information go to www.marykay.com/mgamble

Mary Kay Skin Care Terms

This list of common Mary Kay skin care terms that can help you understand the basics of skin care.

• Acne — A skin condition consisting of blemishes (blackheads, whiteheads, pimples or cysts) which is probably a result of a buildup of keratin proteins, bacteria and oils in some hair follicles.
• Adipose Tissue — A type of connective tissue that contains stored cellular fat providing cushion support and energy storage for the body.
• Antioxidants — Known to be defenders against free radicals.
• Cellulite — A dimpled or orange-peel appearance of skin in the hips, thighs and buttocks. As the connective tissues beneath the dermis stiffen, either as an effect of aging or due to swollen cellulite-causing cells, they pull down where they connect to the dermis, resulting in “dimples” on the skin’s surface. These “dimples” are often referred to as orange peel, or commonly, cellulite.
• Collagen — Fibrous protein in the dermis that gives skin its firmness and resiliency.
• Comedogenic — Causes blackheads, whiteheads or other blemishes.
• Dermis — Layer of cells beneath the epidermis.
• Elastin — A protein similar to collagen found in skin which provides skin the ability to stretch and return to its original shape.
• Emollient — An ingredient or product that “locks in” the moisture already in the skin, retarding its evaporation and making the skin feel softer.
• Epidermis — The outermost layer of skin that constantly regenerates itself. The top level of cells is dead skin cells, and underneath are living cells that push their way up to the surface, then die and flake off.
• Exfoliant — An ingredient or product (a grainy scrub cream, for example) used to remove dead skin cells from the surface of the epidermis.
• Free Radicals — Unstable, reactive molecules that are produced by normal chemical reactions in the body and are thought to attack cell structures, potentially affecting skin elasticity and firmness.
• Humectant — An ingredient that helps skin retain moisture.Hydrate — To restore the normal level of moisture to the skin.
• Hypoallergenic Cosmetics — Used to describe products that do not contain ingredients known as common allergens (allergy-causing substances) — like fragrance. Now that stringent allergy testing has become an industry standard, many products fit this description.
• Keratin — A tough, fibrous protein that is part of the outer layer of the skin’s epidermis and of the hair and nails.Melanin — The dark brown or black pigment that helps give skin its color.
• Non-comedogenic — Indicates a product has been shown through clinical testing not to clog pores.
• Over-the-Counter (OTC) Drugs — Drugs that can be purchased without a doctor’s prescription like sunscreen and acne products. Always carefully read and observe all warnings, indications and directions for use on the labels of a products.
• pH — A measurement of acidity or alkalinity. High (alkaline) or low (acidic) pH products can be harsh.
• Photoaging — Fine lines, wrinkles and pigmented areas caused by overexposure to the sun, which are not related to chronological aging.
• Rosacea — A chronic and often progressive skin disease characterized by redness and acne-like lesions over the cheekbones and nose.
• Over-the-counter acne medications are not suitable for treating rosacea. This medical condition should be treated by a physician.
• Sebum — The natural oil substance produced by the sebaceous glands which is the skin’s natural moisturizer.
• Shelf life — The length of time during which a product should be used before it expires.

Mary Kay cosmetic skin care products meet the highest quality standards, and you can be confident that the products are thoroughly tested to deliver the results indicated. In addition, Mary Kay products production does not conduct animal testing for its products.

And, unless otherwise noted, all Mary Kay skin care products are:

• Suitable for sensitive skin.

• Non-comedogenic and clinically tested for skin irritancy and allergy.

• Fragrance-free.

• Oil-free.

Products designed for the eye area are also ophthalmologist-tested and suitable for contact lens wearers.

For more information go to www.marykay.com/mgamble