Celebrity Derm Talks Getting Even with Combination Skin
Hollywood’s favorite dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban, founder of the AVA MD medical practices and SKIN FIVE med-tech studios in Southern California puts the focus on combination skin.
According to dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban, combination skin poses a particular challenge for those who are applying foundation. “It’s like you’re dealing with two conflicting eco-systems,” she says.
“Let’s look at the stratum corneum (that is, the uppermost skin layer that is exposed to the outside) under the microscope,” Dr. Shamban continues, “On young, healthy, even skin, the cells lay down flat and smooth. It’s that tight smoothness that creates the reflective glow we love so much. On dry skin, those cells shrivel and peel off like paint. No glow there. And on greasy skin, what we see is a high density of oil glands giving the appearance of an oil slick.”
Mineral makeup to the rescue
Dr. Shamban says, “The best balancing skin care regimen for combination skin should include gentle but consistent exfoliation and products containing hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, ceramides and squalene. And of course, an SPF 30+ sunscreen every day.”
For combination skin foundation Dr. Shamban recommends formulas that contain
- Minerals like zinc oxide that balance the skin
- A superfine micronized formula that looks even even under the microscope
- Dry skin needs hydrating, true but as counterintuitive as it sounds, oily an still be rough and dehydrated too. They BOTH need moisturizers.
- Non comedogenic (that is, nothing that clogs the pores or triggers breakouts) primer. Professional makeup artists LOVE primers because they create a beautiful super-smooth surface but often they can be terrible for combination, oily or acne-prone complexions.
“No matter what your skin physiology,” concludes Dr. Shamban, “the right foundation can make you appear as if you have perfectly even skin. An even-looking complexion is simply physics, that is, a consistent reflection of light. On a smooth surface (imagine a piece of glass), light bounces back whereas on a rough one (think shingles on a rooftop) the light is absorbed. And if it looks even microscopically it’s going to look amazing IRL.”
As it happens, the Mineral Air airbrush system checks all of Dr. Shamban’s foundation wish list and more. The beauty of the modern age is that we can create the impressionof perfection without actually having to be perfect at all.
Looking for more tips for evening up the look of combination skin? Click here and we’ll take you right to it.
“No matter what your skin physiology, the right foundation can make you appear as if you have perfectly even skin.”
Dermatologist Ava Shamban, MD
Founder AVA MD and SKIN FIVE
