I’ve worked in skincare for years, and I’ve trained in four countries. Somewhere along the way I also spent time in real estate, and one thing I learned there still sticks with me. Nobody buys a house without an inspection. You’d never hand over that kind of money without knowing whether the roof leaks or the foundation has a crack in it.
Yet people spend hundreds, sometimes thousands, on serums and treatments for their face without ever checking what’s going on underneath. So before you buy anything else, I want you to answer two questions.
1. How oily is your skin?
2. How hydrated is your skin?
And no, I’m not asking how your skin feels. I’m talking about actual numbers.
When I ask new clients these questions, I usually get a long pause, followed by a detailed description of their forehead at 3 p.m. That’s a bit like buying the house because you liked the paint color.
1) The guess we all make
It usually starts in front of the mirror. Your face feels tight after you wash it, so you decide you have dry skin. Or your forehead is shiny by lunchtime, so you decide you’re oily. Maybe you settle on “combination” and call it a day.
Here’s the problem with that. Oil and hydration are two completely different things. Your skin might feel dry and still have plenty of oil. It might look shiny and still be short on water. You can have oily skin that’s dehydrated, and you can have skin that makes very little oil but holds on to water just fine.
Once you see that, the whole “skin type” label starts to look a little thin. If you don’t understand the difference between the two, how would you know which cleanser, serum, or moisturizer your skin actually needs?
2) What your bathroom shelf is telling me
Think about your bathroom shelf for a second. I’d bet some of those products are there because a friend swore by them. Some promised glowing, youthful-looking skin. And a few are sitting there half-used because they didn’t deliver what you expected.
I see this all the time. People invest real money in skincare without knowing what their skin needs. They buy a rich cream because their face feels tight. They buy oil-control products because their forehead looks shiny. And when nothing changes, they assume they picked the wrong brand, when the real issue was the guess they started with.
You wouldn’t buy prescription glasses without checking your vision. I’ve never understood why we build an entire skincare routine without checking the skin first.
3) What happens when we actually measure
This is where my work begins. At my studio in Winter Park, every new client starts with an ImagePro skin analysis. It gives me numerical readings for oil and hydration, along with a closer look at your skin than you’ll ever get at home.
Those numbers are a starting point, and I treat them that way. Two readings don’t tell the whole story. So we talk. I want to know what you’re using, what you’ve already tried, what’s bothering you, and what you want your skin to look and feel like.
Then we figure out what makes sense. Sometimes your routine needs a few small adjustments. Sometimes you’re using products your skin doesn’t need at all. Sometimes it’s time for a professional treatment. And sometimes the best advice I can give is to leave a perfectly good product alone, because it’s already doing its job. Beautiful skin often means fewer products, and my goal is to help you make better decisions about your skin, so I’m never trying to fill your shelf.
I see all kinds of skin in my chair. Aging skin, fine lines, loss of firmness, dryness, excess oil, pigmentation, redness, and skin that’s simply become hard to manage. I also work with men and athletes, whose skin deals with sweat, sun, training schedules, and shaving, and who deserve a plan built around how they actually live. When clients come in with rosacea or eczema, I adapt their treatments carefully. Those conditions may need medical care, and my role is supportive skincare alongside a dermatologist, never in place of one.
I’ve put a lot into this studio, from the equipment and the products to the hygiene standards and years of training. But what matters most is knowing what your skin needs, why it needs it, and what we should do about it.
4) Is this you?
- Do you call your skin dry because it feels tight after cleansing?
- Do you call it oily because your forehead gets shiny halfway through the day?
- Are there half-used products on your shelf that didn’t deliver what you expected?
- Have you bought skincare because someone recommended it, without knowing what your skin needs?
- If I asked for your oil and hydration numbers today, could you tell me?
If a few of these sound familiar, your products may be fine. Your starting point might be the missing piece.
5) Frequently Asked Questions
Can oily skin be dehydrated?
Yes. Oil and hydration are different. Your skin can produce plenty of oil while still lacking water. That’s one reason choosing products based only on whether your face looks shiny can be misleading.
How is skin hydration measured?
Professional skin analysis devices can provide readings related to the water content of the skin’s outer layer. At my Winter Park studio, I use ImagePro technology to assess hydration and oil readings as part of a broader skin evaluation. I interpret the results alongside your skin history and current routine.
Do you work with men and athletes?
Yes. I work with men and athletes regularly. Training, sweat, sun exposure, and shaving all affect the skin, so I build their plans around their routines and how their skin actually behaves.
Where can I get professional skin analysis in Winter Park or Orlando?
Alisa G Skin Studio offers professional skin analysis in Winter Park, serving clients from Orlando and surrounding Central Florida communities. My approach combines skin imaging, a one-on-one consultation, and personalized recommendations to help you make informed decisions about skincare and facial treatments.
Final Thoughts
You already know your step count. Before you buy another serum, find out how oily your skin is and how hydrated it is, because once you know where you’re starting, deciding what belongs on your shelf gets a lot easier.
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