What is and what is the purpose of a serum for combination skin

Although it is known that the skin deserves special care, through the use of products that, thanks to their properties and active ingredients, unique to each of their components, not all dermis can be cared for in the same way, since this organ has certain characteristics that make it worthy of being classified into different types. Since the same substances cannot be applied to each of the classes, it is important to know which one our skin belongs to.

It can be said that there are four natural dermal models, the oily, dry, normal (also known as neutral), as well as the complicated combination type, known for the difficulty it presents in its care. This is due to its unique characteristics, which combine in a specific way all classes in the same tissue, so to understand it correctly, we have to know each of them individually.

However, the options offered by the beauty and skin care industry, thanks to the incredible advances in cosmetic medicine, are quite extensive, with products like serum, indispensable for any facial routine today. This differs from many other aesthetic range products, not only for the benefits it offers, but for the way it can be used, even if it is a product specifically designed for combination skin.

If you are concerned about moisturization but don’t know which product to choose, we invite you to read Can serum replace moisturizer?

Difference between combination skin and other types

As mentioned at the beginning, this type of skin has the property of having a combined identity, which takes characteristics from the rest of the classification, although not in a disorderly manner, at least in the case of the face. Even so, many times there is the case of the predominance of one type over the other, so there can be a great difference between people who, despite having combination dermis, do not possess identical qualities.

In principle, this combination can be understood structurally, since the dry areas are generally differentiated from the oily ones, though not in equal portions. For example, it is most common for the areas of the forehead and the span of the nose (from the tip to the glabella), known as the T-zone of the face, to have characteristics of the oily type; while the rest, cheeks, cheekbones, eye contour and its exterior, as well as the chin and the lip contour, belong to the dry class.

Even so, after recognizing which specific parts can be classified according to the types, within the same face of combination skin, it is not enough if we do not know the characteristics of each of them, to differentiate the classes and the care each one deserves. Therefore, we talk about the difference between combination, oily, and dry dermis, leaving aside the normal or neutral one, since it is almost never present in this combined structure that is so difficult to care for.

To distinguish each one, we will say that dry skins or areas are characterized by a lack of moisture, which usually causes dryness that leads to roughness of the tissue. As it is clear, it must be cared for by increasing hydration, as this class is the most vulnerable to the appearance of imperfections such as wrinkles, expression lines, flaccidity, and different age marks, due to the lack of tone, firmness, nutrition, and elasticity of the tissue.

Being the other side of the coin, oily skins or areas are those that, due to excess moisture, either because of a failure in the skin’s ability to absorb and retain condensation fluids, or on the contrary, an uncontrolled absorption of these elements, tend to be susceptible to the formation of fat or sebum on their surface, resulting in an oily sensation to the touch, as well as an unsightly shine when reflecting light.

This greasy layer is formed by two factors, the release of liquid residues from the lower dermal layers, especially the hypodermis (responsible for retaining moisture), as well as the addition to this of dead tissue cells and different environmental impurities, such as dust, dirt, make-up remnants, and pollution. Since you cannot remove the moisture, it must be cared for by performing daily facial cleansings and daily exfoliations, to remove the sebum and impurities, in order to prevent them from clogging the skin’s pores.

This is where the difficulty of caring for the combination type arises, since the dry areas should not be cleaned too harshly, as this would cause damage to the tissue (despite the need to clean the oily areas deeply). On the other hand, the latter, which already have a high level of moisture, cannot be hydrated as often, as this saturates the skin and causes damage to the cells, (although deep hydration of their dry counterpart is necessary).

Function of this specific serum

Unlike the most popular creams and ointments of today, the serum is much less thick, which creates the relationship of the substance with its name, which would be a Latin translation of the word Serum. It is an essential element for current facial routines, although it was originally designed only as a supporting ingredient for more conventional treatments, such as the use of anti-wrinkles, anti-aging creams, and others of this style.

Very similar in texture to tonics, but even more liquid, to a level that our eyes cannot notice the difference, the serum is a substance whose molecular density has been reduced thanks to the unique processes of its elaboration, such as hydrolysis or condensation. This causes the volume of active ingredients and properties of its components, with respect to the liquid that contains them, to be greater, so their benefits increase considerably.

A simple way to explain it would be to highlight that the concentration of active ingredients per drop of product is higher than in any other beauty and facial care item, which causes its mode of use and application to be different from those we usually simply spread and spread over the skin. For this reason, it is usually bottled in smaller glass containers, with low-quantity dispensers, such as droppers, atomizers, or sprays.

It is a moisturizing product that, although it fulfills this task perfectly, its low-density characteristics allow it to house a greater number of components, so they usually include other properties, such as antioxidants and cellular nutrients, anti-aging, depigmenting, and more. This makes it perfect for all skin types, although the qualities of each are different, so you can find different presentations, for dry, oily, and combination skin.

In the case of the latter, the specialized formula for that classification works wonderfully, so it is one of the most recommended for its care. This is due to the characteristics of its texture, as mentioned before, since its low density allows it to be absorbed by the pores immediately, also increasing the depth that can be covered, with respect to the dermal tissue and the different layers that make it up.

In other words, the serum does not work on the surface of the skin, where the differences between the dry and oily class that combine in combination skins are more noticeable, so it doesn’t matter if you have this type of skin on your face, you can use the serum over its entire surface without fear. In this way, you will be hydrating directly in the deepest layers, without overloading the oily areas with moisture or causing roughness in the dry areas.

Nonetheless, its very function means that the serum cannot be used as the only moisturizing element in our routine, since although it adds deep moisture (even reaching directly to the cells, where its other properties are also utilized), while providing emollients that increase the retention of these fluids, it is insufficient for more superficial general care.

Therefore, it is recommended to combine it with other products of a different nature, such as facial cleansers, especially in oily areas, where the need for complete and deep cleansing has already been reported. In addition to these, it is also possible to combine its use with those of low-range moisturizing creams, for example non-hydrolyzed or that do not contain active ions, to thus fulfill the superficial moisturization of the dry areas.

This does not mean that the use of serum is unnecessary, far from it, since depending on the formula we acquire, according to the needs of our skin, it can provide a series of incredible benefits, which we will talk about in more detail in a moment, especially in the case of combination dermis. We just feel the need that, under no circumstances, should we think that a facial routine is complete just by using this product individually.

If you identify more with the oily dermis type, you might be interested in reading How to make serum for oily skin at home

Care it offers for combination skins

Even knowing the fact that there are four different classes of dermis (known as topical classification), we should not think that we will only find 4 different presentations of serum, since this substance is so malleable, during its manufacturing process, that there are many components that can be used in its elaboration, thus resulting in a large number of combinations with incredible unique benefits.

For example, one of the most popular is the serum with Vitamin C, a nutrient that takes advantage of the natural absorption of this liquid, to reach the depth of the dermis and thus nourish the cells of the connective tissue, where it plays a very important role. It is this vitamin that is primarily responsible for stimulating the production of collagen for the skin, which in turn means more elastin providing its qualities.

Similarly, it is possible to find a product that directly contains hydrolyzed collagen, for those people who suffer from disorders that do not allow them to produce this protein on their own. Thus, we can take advantage of the serum’s hydration and the production or addition of elastin, which will provide the dermis with benefits such as greater firmness, elasticity, resistance, and tone.

Speaking of the latter quality, serum also usually comes with included antioxidants, usually combined with vitamin E and other components that, together, make up the best care in the Anti-aging branch. These are responsible for healing, protecting, and rejuvenating the cells of the superficial tissue, repairing and preventing damage, avoiding and eliminating oxidation, while adding youth and health to the skin in general.

In the case of combination skins, all these benefits combine with a simple fact, the ability to use a single product for the entire face, instead of having to resort to complicated routines where we combine one element for the dry areas and another different one for the oily areas. Although as we said before, this is different for more superficial care, serum is known for preparing the skin for the rest of the routine care.

Thus, after using it, applying it correctly to the face, we help to deeply moisturize, which expands the spaces between layers of skin, allowing it to receive and absorb other products properly. Likewise, the serum helps to decongest the pores, dilating them so that facial cleansers can do their job more easily, without the need for such a complex cleansing process.

This increases in the case of serums with micro-exfoliating properties, since even without being cleansers, they help greatly in eliminating the obstructions of the pores, caused by the retention of impurities and sebum. Therefore, this is the best way to deeply exfoliate a face with combination skin, since this way we avoid the use of superficial exfoliants in the dry areas, where they can cause damage to the more sensitive skin.

As can be seen, all these benefits help to ensure that the subsequent care we must take for each area, according to the topical class or skin type that corresponds, can be carried out with products and methods of lower concentration. This means that, by not having to use aggressive cleansers for impurities and sebum; as well as high-end moisturizers and emollients, the risk of altering the cutaneous surface of combination skins decreases considerably.

Application of this product

Many times those who have combination skin ignore the most appropriate methods for their care, spreading products for any type of skin over their entire surface, when these are for a specific class. Such action can cause damage to the cells and dermal structure, which results in imperfections that otherwise should not appear. This rule, however, does not apply to serum for combination dermis.

To summarize the previous explanation, as it is a substance that acts in very deep layers of the skin, it does not alter in any way the different areas of its surface, whether they are of normal, dry, or oily class. Therefore, those who think about the complications of caring for combination skins, should know that this product can be applied just like any other designed for another type of skin, that is, over the entire surface of the face.

However, due to its high concentration, you cannot simply take a good amount of serum and rub it on the skin for two reasons. First, using too much product is counterproductive, since although the pores absorb it, it will be wasted within the tissue; second, being absorbed immediately, if we put it on our fingers or some medium, such as a cotton ball or piece of fabric, the substance will be lost on those surfaces.

Therefore, we must place only a few drops directly on the area of the face we want to treat, in case the container presentation has a dropper. For example, three drops on the forehead (one in the center and two on each side, with some distance between them); one drop on each cheekbone, one on each cheek, one in the glabella, which can be allowed to run a little down the bridge of the nose and finally, one on the chin.

The best thing is to do this action in parts, first placing the forehead, without waiting too long for the absorption process to begin, before rubbing and spreading with the fingers or a medium of the aforementioned (cotton or fine fabric). After this, the same procedure is performed on the rest of the areas, preferably in an orderly fashion, from top to bottom and from left to right, or vice versa.

If we acquire a serum that instead of a dropper, has a small atomizer (also known as spray or sprayer, depending on different countries), the process should be exactly the same, only instead of letting drops fall, we will press the activator of the atomizer, very close to the skin so that it does not spread too much. We must be even more careful in this case, especially to avoid unintentionally throwing the substance on the eyes.

If you are interested in this product, you can see some homemade recipes for making it by reading How to make serum for combination skin at home

Finally, it is very important to keep in mind the right time to use the serum within a routine, in the case of combination skins, which should be right after a gentle cleansing, with a damp cloth or water and neutral soap, so that it is absorbed more easily. After applying it and letting it absorb, we can proceed with the rest of the action, using the facial cleanser, moisturizing creams, anti-aging products, and imperfection-fighting products.