Skinimal.com

Oily skin

If you have skin that constantly shines, and is thick and dull in color, you have oily skin. If your skin is very oily, you could also have coarse pores and pimples, besides other blemishes such as blackheads. Here, the sebaceous glands that produce oil are overactive and keep oozing oil that give your skin a greasy look. Your pores are large and the skin feels coarse to touch.

Causes: You have oily skin perhaps due to heredity, faulty diet, hormone levels, pregnancy, birth control pills and choice of cosmetics. Due to a hormonal shift in your teen years leads to oily skin and pimples among teenagers.

However, with increasing age, the skin becomes drier with the sebum flow decreasing. If you are pregnant or menopausal, you might find your face oilier than usual. This is because of the hormonal imbalances that increase the activity of sebaceous glands.

Skin care: You’re lucky to have oily skin as this ages much slower than other skin types. This skin type needs more specific cleansing with a lot of hot water and soap so that your pores don’t get clogged.

To keep your skin moist, don’t use harsh products in case they strip your skin of its natural oil and cause flakiness. It may also lead to a condition called reactive seborrhoea, where the oil glands ooze out much more oil to make up for lost natural oil.

If your skin care products make your skin feel taut and dehydrated, drop them because they could cause the upper layers of the skin to shrink. Not only does this restrict the flow of oil through the pores that cause blockages but also causes breakouts.

Clean your skin with oil-based products as they dissolve sebum thoroughly. Choose oil-free moisturizers for a shine-free complexion. Maintain a clean skin and don’t wash your face more than two or three times a day or your skin will produce more oil.

Don’t use a heavy cleansing cream that contain alcohol and keep away from harsh soaps or cleansers. Instead, use soap without any artificial additives. If you use an antibacterial cleansing lotion or a lightly medicated soap, do it in combination with mineral-rich water rather than tap water. Use an oil-free moisturizer after cleansing for supple skin. Massage your face with your fingertips, following an upward and outward direction and take care not to rub soap into the skin as this can clog your pores.

Always wash your face in hot water since it dissolves your skin oil better than cold or tepid water. For scaly skin, use a deep-cleansing exfoliator three nights a week and follow it up with a thin layer of moisturizer.

So much for oily skin. Now, you’ve got enough information to get the shine off your face and a young and peppy look. Go on, get it. What are you waiting for?