Dry Skin
• What It's Like: Dry skin cracks easily, making you more prone to infection and premature wrinkling.
• Treating It Right: Don't let it get dehydrated — avoid alcohol-heavy skin products, and use a moisturizer. Make it an oil-free brand if you're worried that overkill will make your skin greasy.

Normal Skin
• What It's Like: The label speaks for itself: the skin isn't dry or greasy but in-between.
• Treating It Right: Do what feels right. Treat it "normally" — use whatever non-soap cleanser and other products that feel right and don't disturb the healthy balance. Moisturizing is a maybe step — feel free if your skin feels dry.

Oily Skin
• What It's Like: Oily skin is the curse of a pimple-plagued teen, but this greasy, sometimes shiny skin type can become a blessing as you age because it keeps you younger-looking than your dry-skinned contemporaries.
• Treating It Right: Wash it more than once a day — as many times as you feel the need. Skin care products with alcohol will make the skin less oily.

Combination Skin
• What It's Like: Some areas are oily — often the forehead, nose and chin — while others, such as your cheeks, are normal to dry.
• Treating It Right: Wash the oily areas, the so-called T-zone, at least twice a day with a non-drying cleanser.

Soothing Super-Stressed Skin
By Tamar Nordenberg / health.discovery.com

Stressed-out skin probably got that way for a reason. "If someone wants to look 10 years older than their chronological age, smoke and go out in the sun," says Walnut Creek, Calif., dermatologic surgeon Min-Wei Christine Lee, M.D. If your skin's seen better days — whether from years of photo-damage or other types of long- or shorter-term abuse — there are skin solutions that can get back its brilliance.
What to do if your skin lacks luster?

These are dermatologists' top-of-the-list dos and don'ts.

Do: Buy products made for sensitive skin.
The products should be specifically tailored to provide TLC — try Aveeno, Eucerin and other low-priced products first and they might just do the trick. For others, the higher-priced brands like Jan Marini and Prescriptives might prove to be better.

Do: Wash in the evening only, with a gentle cleanser. If your skin isn't oily, a once-a-day wash will suffice. "Your face doesn't have to squeak to be clean," assures Lisa Donofrio, M.D., assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale University School of Medicine.

Do: Exfoliate to remove the dead skin layer that dulls. Your body will naturally exfoliate every 28 days, but why wait four weeks? You can exfoliate with a facecloth and your favorite cleanser, or buy an alpha hydroxy acid exfoliator to clear up your complexion.

Do: Consider getting a chemical peel, microdermabrasion or laser or other skin-saving procedure to undo damage. Ask a dermatologist to help you decide on the easiest route for right-away rejuvenation, or a deeper-reaching procedure that requires more down time.

Do: Make lifestyle changes to save your skin, and in some cases your life.

Don't skimp when applying the sunscreen. Quit smoking — besides causing lung cancer, it causes lines to be etched on your face. Get regular sleep. Avoid excessive alcohol and caffeine. Load up on nutritious foods, such as vitamin-rich leafy vegetables, and take a multivitamin if you don't always eat quite right.

Don't: Use toners, alcohol-based astringents or scouring products that make your skin sting or itch. These products, as well as those with high fragrance content, can further irritate sensitive skin.

Don't: Assume that spending big bucks will buy you better skin. When choosing from the overwhelming array of skin products that are available, don't think that a pricey product will necessarily work better for you. The $150-per-ounce French face cream could cause your skin to break out when the much cheaper drug-store brands wouldn't bother you a bit.