A change in skincare routine up to your mid-20s is mostly season-based. Come summer, we opt for more gel and water-based products while winters usually call for thicker cream-based solutions. Additionally, as we grow older, the number of products added to the previously simple, CTM routine increases. Retinols to ceramides and peptides, our skin’s requirements are always evolving based on its type.
But, can our skin type change with time too? The thought occurred when I went about my bi-weekly head massage with my trusted coconut oil – a product I’d been using for as long as I could remember. Only recently had I begun to notice a higher amount of hair fall than I was used to, after my champi session. My hair was also thinning at the roots and extremely dry and frizzy at the ends, post every shampoo session. On a whim, I experimented with Almond oil only to notice that after a couple of applications, my hair was back to how I remembered – smooth, tangle-free, and barely any frizz!
This made me step back and wonder – has my hair type changed? Come to think of it, my skin wasn’t reacting well to the trusted products I used to swear by either. I roped in two experts to figure out what on earth was happening, and if it is normal for a skin type or hair type to change. Their explanations surprised me!
Can Skin Type Change Over Time?
Dr Jamuna Pai, the founder of SkinLab, says yes and lists out some of the factors that could lead to it. “Youthful skin full of collagen and elastin starts to get lax and sags over time due to a decrease in the rate of collagenases (build-up of new collagen). Also, the natural moisture of the skin begins to reduce and the skin looks dry and dull. Hormonal imbalances in women, like PCOS or pre-menopause, can also lead to changes in the skin,” Dr Pai tells us.
In addition, external factors can also hamper the skin, eventually changing its type, Dr Pratisha of Clinikally believes. “Over-exfoliating your skin or hair can cause excessive oiliness in the long run. This can often be correlated with a change in the user’s skin type. Additionally, changes in routine, location, major changes in life, diet, and sleep cycle also request skin attention,” she says.
What about hair, we pester. Is the change in hair type normal as well? “The health and texture of hair also change with age and hormonal changes in the body. With time, hair starts to get thinner. Also, the moisture levels in the hair follicles reduce, making the hair very dry. The outermost protective coating of hair i.e. cuticle, open up and make the hair very frizzy. These changes are physiological, normal, and inevitable,” Dr Pai, enlightens us.
For hair texture type and scalp conditions also changes in temperature, humidity, intrinsic stress, predisposition for infections, dip in immunity, and hormonal or genetic factors that play a huge role in changing our hair or scalp type, apart from chemical-induced damage, believes Dr Pratisha.
To deal with the change, both experts recommend switching products to suit your skin or hair type accordingly, as and when skin shows changes. “For instance, in the adolescent age, one may have oily skin and would require gel-based or mattifying products. On the other hand, with time when the same skin gets less oily and drier, it is required to use a more emollient and thick moisturiser,” the SkinLab founder tells us while also stressing that one’s lifestyle also plays an important role here. “Lifestyle is yet another very significant factor that affects the health of skin. The health of your skin reflects the health from within. Getting enough sleep, and eating the right kind of food, further helps to maintain healthy skin.”
There you have it! Your skin and hair type really does change with age, so keep a tab and ensure you switch up your products to suit the ever-changing needs of your skin and hair.
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