If your skin feels oily before the day is over, you can say you are an oily skin type. Oily skin can be problematic, but there are also benefits to having oily skin!
You are less likely to wrinkle as fast as those that have dry skin, so you can look younger, for longer. Although at times you may hate the oiliness, be thankful too.
Oily skin doesn’t necessarily mean acne problems, but if you do experience breakouts, you can usually develop a skin care routine that works for you so that breakouts and acne occur less, and make less of an impact.
Keeping your skin clean from excess oils and trapped impurities is essential.
Unlike dry skin, oily skin seldom has a sensitive reaction to skin products and has more natural protective agents to shield you from the harmful rays of the sun. Unfortunately, an oily skin type is more prone to breakouts of acne, than other types.
Acne occurs when the hair follicles become clogged with dead skin cells along with oil from your skin. You’ll see whiteheads, blackheads and pimples and after they have gone, scarring may occur on the face, back and chest.
Hormonal changes may trigger acne during puberty, and genetics will likely also play a big role in who gets acne and who doesn’t. Although often thought that cleanliness plays a role in acne, research doesn’t validate those findings.
Heat and humidity may also be factors in acne and pimple breakouts and stress can also be a cause.
It still isn’t known for sure if cigarette smoking plays a part in acne, but bacterium — always on the skin — is a definite factor. Certainly, cigarette smoking causes a disruption in oxygen flow, which isn’t good when the health and proper function of all your cells, including skin cells, are reliant on good, clean oxygen.
Oily Skin Care Regime
A good maintenance routine for oily skin and one that frequently breaks out in acne is:
- Cleanse – Cleanse your skin with a gentle cleanser. You should apply the cleanser each morning and evening, rub gently with your fingertips for about 30 seconds and then rinse. Choose products that are made from natural ingredients.
- Use medicated, alcohol-free salicylic acid – Medicated salicylic acid cleansers can be applied to the oily sections of your skin two or three times per week.
- Retinol – You can use retinol to lessen oil production. Retinol also reduces the appearance of large pores and can be an anti-aging product for those who have oily skin.
- Use an oil-free moisturizer – Many who have oily skin don’t feel they need to moisturize, but if you have oily skin, you still need to do this important step! Use an SPF30 type of oil-free moisturizer. Your skin may be less subject to skin damage than other types, but you still need protection.
- Don’t squeeze – Never squeeze pimples or it will take longer for them to heal – and always look for a cosmetic or skin care product with the ingredient, “noncomedogenic” on the label. These products won’t clog your pores like others.