Discover which of the five basic types your skin belongs to before considering which products and treatments to buy to keep it in good shape.
How well your skin ages depends more on type and genetics than on actual age alone.
The five basic types are

• Normal
• Dry
• Combination
• Oily
• Sensitive

Normal skin This type is simply healthy: fresh, smooth and even, neither too oily nor too dry, and with no visible problems.
It stays looking good all day and has no reaction to soap and water.
If you belong to this rare group, then lucky you.
But don't be lulled into a false sense of security: normal skin is still vulnerable to ageing, so always cleanse your skin at night to remove make up and dirt, and moisturize regularly using a lotion suitable for this skin type.
Dry skin If you have dry skin, it will be thin, rather translucent in appearance, and liable to chap and flake.
Dry skin produces low levels of sebum (the skin's natural moisturizer) and is noticeably flaky around the mouth, cheeks and forehead.
Using soap, water and toner causes problems for this skin type, because they leave your skin feeling tight and uncomfortable.
When dry skin is exposed to cold winds, central heating or air conditioning, it soon becomes taut.
When choosing care products for dry skin, opt for a creamy cleanser, followed by a mild alcohol-free toner to avoid drying out still further.
This type needs regular feeding with thick, creamy, hydrating moisturizers - morning and night - to keep it in good condition and to avoid the premature ageing to which dry skin is prone.
Combination skin This mixture of skin types is incredibly common.
It combines an oily, large-pored, smooth central skin area (forehead, nose and chin) with an outer, finer-skinned cheek area, which may have rough, dry patches.
Each area requires a different skin-care approach.
In the morning, treat the T-zone as oily skin: use a facial wash to cleanse and then rinse your whole face.
Follow with an alcohol-free toner used only on the T-zone and a mild freshener on drier areas.
Keep your skin in tip-top condition by cleansing your entire face with a cream cleanser at night.
Use this to remove excess grime with cotton wool balls, followed by a moisturizer applied all over.
After 5-10 minutes, remove any excess moisturizer from the oily T-zone with a tissue.