Glam Glossary: T-Zone

Posted by Allison Giuffre on March 6th, 2010

Not THIS T zone (the subway in Boston)

There are so many beauty terms that it can make your head spin. Confused as to what it all means? Our Glam Glossary will help you sort it all out. Follow Allison each week in her quest to decode popular beauty terms, from Alpha Hydroxy Acids to Zinc Oxide.

T-Zone

Where it is: Your T-Zone is the facial skin that includes your forehead, nose and chin. Like the name so subtly suggests, you can locate your T-Zone by imagining drawing the letter’s “crossbar” from left to right on your mid forehead and continuing the “base” down your nose, all the way to your chin.

This is the T zone that can cause trouble

What it is: Has this particular area been raising any red flags (or perhaps just red patches) for you? Of course it has — they don’t just assign uppercase letters to reflect regions of your facial skin for nothing, you know. (And if they did, “Z” would be a weird one.) The T-Zone encompasses the areas of your skin with the most oil glands. Oil glands = oil production. Oil production = oil overproduction. You don’t need to be a math whiz to know where this deduction is going for oily and combination skin types. Bacteria can also hide more easily in the contours (because crevices is too ugly a word) of your nose and eyes. The T-Zone is therefore an area where we are typically most prone to blackheads, clogged or enlarged pores, whiteheads, redness, sensitivity and irritation.

How you deal with it:

Stop pouting. No, literally. Putting your hands on your face, as we so often do when we’re depressed, is a surefire way of transferring bacteria, oil and dirt from the big bad world of the environment (and literally anything you’ve ever touched) directly to your weak spot.

Pat dry. Rubbing your face after you’ve just spent all that time, effort and product washing it is counterproductive! It removes your skin’s natural moisture, can irritate sensitive areas and will spread any bacteria that hasn’t been removed by washing.

Blot a lot. Blotting is so not just for your excess lip color. Use clean pads to pat off any excess oil that might be bothering you — but remember, don’t wipe or rub. Common ingredients that absorb oil include rice powder and corn starch.