By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
Founder of Skin Foundation, Africa, Dr. Kofi Ansah Brifo has called on Ghanaians as we embrace the harmattan weather to know our skin types in order to moisturize accordingly.
According to him, going dry after bathing is not healthy and must be stopped immediately.
“Now those who don’t put on anything, they don’t smear any cream, they just go dry after bath, let me debunk this.
Some also say because they have an oily face, they don’t need any moisturiser, they don’t need any creams, that’s not entirely true because their skin has what we call trans-epidermal water loss where they are constantly losing water and getting dehydrated”, he said.
Speaking on GTV breakfast show on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, Dr. Brifo debunked the myth that having oily skin is a reason to avoid moisturizing.
He stressed on the importance of knowing one’s skin type recounting a survey where about 70 to 80 percent of Ghanaians did not know their skin types citing that the struggle with acne amongst most women was as a result of bad skincare habits.
He further demonstrated that, once the face still looks normal after an hour of taking one’s bath, then it is a normal skin.
Once you notice your face especially the forehead, the cheeks and the chin are shining, then that is an oily skin.
He added that, if it is the forehead and nose only that shines, then it is a combination skin.
If the face is flaky, then it is a dry skin. If redness or burning sensation is noticed, then one has sensitive skin.
Dr. Brifo also gave recommendations for products in accordance with each skin type. According to him, people with dry skin should look out for products that contain ceramide.
For those with oily faces and other parts of their bodies dry, he recommended shea butter, almond and oat milk.
For those with sensitive skins, Dr. Brifo advised moving away from scented products.
Concluding, he advised that all skin types restrain from bathing very hot water so as not to damage the skin barrier which according to him serves as the “brick and mortar” for the skin.
