What do I do about oily skin?

Oily skin is caused by overactive oil glands in the skin that produce sebum that keeps our skin lubricated. If you look in the mirror and see a greasy shiny face looking back you most likely have an overproduction of oil. Sometimes people with excessively oily skin have large pores and the skin can look quite heavy in texture and blemishes occur more frequently. Women may find that makeup doesn’t stay in place and begins to slide. If you are still unsure, wash and gently cleanse your face and leave to dry for 30 mins. Place a clean tissue on the face and pat down gently. If you look at the tissue and see areas of oil on the tissue, you have oily skin.

What do I do?

Oily skin needs to be treated gently. Often people with oily skin will try to scrub the skin with hot water, harsh soaps and exfoliators to try and remove all the excess oil. This often has the reverse effect and can cause the skin to produce even more oil to try and compensate for the oil being removed. We do want some oil on our skin as this is what causes the skin to be lubricated and comfortable and helps to prevent wrinkles forming. Oily skin needs to be gently cleansed and a minimum of moisturiser applied, making sure it is one that is comodegenic, that is, it won’t block the pores and cause blemishes to form.

Following some of these suggestions below should help ease oily skin conditions:

• Cleanse the skin thoroughly but gently, using a cleanser with no harsh soaps or detergents.
• Cleanse the skin morning and night to keep the skin free of built up oil and grime.
• Use lukewarm water and pat dry to avoid stimulating oil production.
• Do not use alcohol based toners and astringents as they can over dry the skin.
• Use a moisturiser that is formulated not to block your pores.
• Use a tissue to blot excess oil during the day rather than over wash your face.
• Avoid fatty foods with a high fat and oil content.
• Use non oil based sunscreens.
• Use non oil based cosmetics.
• Consider visiting a skin specialist or your doctor if these measures don’t help as there may be underlying physical causes.

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