A constantly shiny face, prone to acne and blackheads, makeup easily separated, feeling very greasy and tempted to wash your face at any time, all these indicate that you are probably the type with oily skin.
Sebum or oil secreted by our skin’s sebaceous glands helps maintain our skin moisturized and skin healthy, but excess sebum production is the primary cause of oily skin with enlarged pores, dull complexion, and acne.
Are you bothered by these problems? Do you wonder why my skin is so oily? In this article, we will express the reasons cause skin with excess oil, living with genetic oily skin peacefully, and what you could do to get rid of the oily skin appearance.
The major reasons to cause oily skin
In fact, any skin type is possible to experience a shiny and oily face in life. As research, there are almost 75% said they occasionally or very often encounter an oily face unexpectedly. To learn how to get rid of excess oil, you first need to know what causes oily skin to happen. Overall, there are many causes for oily skin, but they usually can be classified into two types: External factors and Internal reasons.
External factors
The majority of External Factors point to the wrong skincare routine. The harsh skincare products, over-cleansing or exfoliating can trip and damage the skin's barrier, causing dehydrated skin and stimulating oil glands to produce more oil to fix and protect it.
Besides, hormone level fluctuation due to puberty, pregnancy, stress, medications; high fat and sugar diet, alcohol consumption, sun exposure, and humid climates all these factors can trigger and stimulate sebaceous glands for more production of oily sebum.
For oily skin caused by external factors, it is easy to be managed if following a correct skincare routine, or changing the lifestyle.
Internal Reasons
Unfortunately, most times oily skin is inherited, and to do with genetics, which is categorized as internal reasons(also hormone included). The level of oil gland activity is a genetic trait that is difficult to be completely changed, therefore there is not too much we can do, because we can't control or change our genes. So it's important to learn how to live with oily skin, but not to fight with it.
However, there are still some changes we could make to minimize the amount of oil and achieve a healthier & improved complexion.
Is oily skin type not good?
“When one door shuts, another opens”-Although excess skin oil causes different skin conditions, there are many benefits to it. Natural sebum plays an important role in maintaining skin barrier function, enhancing skin moisturization, and improving antioxidant capacity. Vitamin E in the oily substance is a powerful antioxidant that can fight skin aging.
So usually, the oil skin barrier function is better and stronger, not easy to be irritated redness, with a higher level of the water content of the stratum corneum, is not prone to wrinkles and flaky skin.
The ways to make the oily skin under control
Before learning how to get rid of oily skin, it's essential to set up an expectation. Firstly, you should understand that maybe it's not possible to completely get rid of oily skin, especially for the inherent type. Also, don't turn to the ”quick repair" products or any treatment, or it's probably making the situation even worse. However, with a correct skincare routine and a long-term good lifestyle habit, you can make things under control. The following points will help to manage oily skin.
Cleanse gently and thoroughly with warm water, twice a day
For oily type skin, the most important part is moderate cleaning. Oily skin has overactive sebaceous glands that produce excess sebum, which is the main feed source for Propionibacterium acnes(a pathogen that causes many skin conditions such as acne vulgaris)--if excess sebum is not removed, it can lead to acne, which is a disaster for oily skin.
However harsh products and hot water will dehydrate skin and trigger excess oil production, so it is crucial to pick a non-irritating and gentle facial cleanser with sufficient cleansing power, wash your face with warm water twice a day to keep a fresh and clean skin.
Exfoliate regularly
For oily skin, improving keratose metabolism is an equally important skin care step as cleansing, and abnormal keratose metabolism can trigger acne. A gentle chemical peels exfoliator that contains active ingredients such as salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, AHA, or Beta-Hydroxy Acids will be an option.
Exfoliating helps to unblock clogged pores and prevent breakouts. It also removes dead skin cells on the top layer of skin, which prevents further blockage of pores.
Choose a clay facial mask
Regular interval using a clay cleansing mask is also helpful for oily skin. In addition to absorbing excess oil, the clay mask can also draw out dirt or makeup residue from the pores.
Moisturize
Oily skin needs moisturizing too. Water-based skincare products are recommended, a oil-free moisturizer does not burden the skin, and gives the skin a breath. Opt for water texture skin hydrated serum which contains hyaluronic acid or Vitamin B5, best with added anti-inflammatory and soothing ingredients.
Use a non-greasy and non-irritating sunscreen
Sunscreen is essential for all skin types, but for oily skin, opt for a sunscreen that is non-greasy, non-comedogenic as well a light-weight skin feeling.
Avoid diets rich in fat and sugar
The diet affects oily skin very much, much more than it does for other skin types. A diet high in oil and sugar will make greasy skin doubly oily, and double the growth of acne. However, improper treatment will cause damage to the skin barrier, which forms a vicious circle.
So a healthy diet is vital to skin care, and no any skincare product can replace its role.
Consider dietary supplement
There are Vitamins and supplements that can affect sebaceous gland oil production.
Vitamin B6 & B2: Promotes saturated fatty acid metabolism and reduces excessive sebum production;
Vitamin A: Reduces overproduction of sebum and prevents over-keratinization of hair follicles;
Zinc: Balances hormones and inhibits sebaceous gland activity;
Selenium: Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant;
MSM(Methyl Sulfonyl Methane): Prevents over-keratinization of hair follicles, limits oil production, anti-inflammatory.
GLA(Gamma Linolenic Acid): Hormone balancing and anti-inflammatory.
Laser treatment is an option for heavy oily skin sufferers
If you are suffering from heavy oily skin, with severely larger pores or acne pits, seeing a dermatologist for laser treatment is an option. Besides, oily skin usually has a better skin natural barrier, also with a better laser tolerance than dry skin and sensitive skin, and will not be overly dry after the treatment.
To make oily skin under control requires patience and confidence. You can't expect an instant result of healthy skin, which probably will make the situation worse, be patient to build your own skincare routine, change your lifestyle and stick to it. In the meantime, be confident with your own unique skin. With age, as long as there is no acne and no acne pits, oily skin will be more beautiful and younger than dry skin.