Treatments for Oily Skin Care
Friday, October 2nd, 2009Alot of skin care products offer alternative products depending on your skin type, however, very often there exists little difference between the formulas for combination or oily skin and their dry skin alterntives.
The hormonal changes that occur in our bodies as we reach puberty mean that it is very common to have an oily skin type at this age. Generally, for most of us, our skin tends to dry out as we get older as the production of sebum oil reaches a high during adolescence and slowly decreases with age, this may be an advantage for those of us who suffer with an oily skin type. Hormonal imbalances during the menopause and pregnancy means that some women may experience an increase in the level of sebum oil produced at this time.
Many people have skin that is oily in certain regions of the face, generally the facial area we refer to as the T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin), and dry or normal in others. This skin type is generally referred to as combination skin.
The main causes of an oily or combination skin type are generally: Hormone levels Cosmetics and skin care lotions Humidity and hot weather Pregnancy and birth control Heredity
Cleansing Oily Skin Although it may seem like a counter-productive measure to clean oily skin with oil-based products, they do actually prove to be quite effective in ridding the skin of excess sebum. You should avoid cleansing creams since these tend to be too harsh, instead choose a pure soap with no artificial additives, or try a lightly medicated soap or antibacterial cleansing lotion.
Cleanse oily skin carefully with warm water and, mentioned above, avoid harsh products that strip your skin of oil since this can cause a reaction known as reactive seborrhoea, where the sebaceous glands produce more oil in response to the loss of natural oils. Avoid alcohol-based products since these again strip too much oil and limit the number of times you wash each day since this can cause reactive seborrhoea. Products that leave oily skin feeling dry can be detrimental to oily skin strangely enough, since it sometimes causes the upper layers of the skin to shrink, restricting oil flow through the pores which can exacerbate pore blockage.
Treatment for oily skin When you are cleansing your face, massage with your fingertips, using an outward and upward motion, taking care not to rub soap into the skin since this can cause clogging. If your skin is also scaly, you may wish to try a deep-cleaning exfoliant every other day. Use a clarifying mask one or two times a week and a light antiseptic night cream from time to time if you wish. The latter should be used sparingly however. Choose a moisturizer for oily skin that is oil-free to help maintain a shine-free complexion.
Before you apply your foundation for oily skin, it is a good idea to use an antiseptic day cream with active ingredients that diminish sebaceous secretions. Benzyl peroxide is an effective agent for this so look out for oily skin care products that include this in their list of active ingredients.