Q) I have tried all the supermarket brands but my skin is still very oily. I am 28 and still have acne too. Can someone please give me some advice?
– Stefanie, QLD
A) First, let me put you on the right track about oily skin.
Many products made for oily skin work on the principle of drying the skin and stripping away the oil. This can actually exacerbate the problem as the negative feedback mechanism of the body registers that your skin is dry and the sebaceous glands respond by producing more oil.
A better way to look at your skin condition is through the idea of Yin and Yang – to reach a real solution we need to rebalance the skin, bringing it into harmony and homoeostasis. So, for a long-term solution, rather than just a quick fix, establish an ongoing, balancing home routine:
Use a foaming cleanser that will effectively cleanse the skin of excess oil without any harsh stripping or drying. You may not need an acne-specific cleanser as this could be too drying.Use a water-based transdermal moisturiser designed to adjust your pH and, by doing so, regulate (slow down) your oil flow. Oily skin also tends to become a bit dull, so a moisturiser with skin-brightening ingredients, like lemon, orange pulp extract or vitamin C, is also a good idea.
[Note: Maintaining a slightly acid pH of around 5.5 is important for optimal skin health. The growth of acne bacteria is dependent on the skin's pH and therefore, by upholding a normal skin pH of 5.5 acne growth is kept at its minimum.]
It is very important to keep oily skin well hydrated. When oily skin lacks good free water levels, sebaceous glands will produce excess oil to try to make up for the lack of moisture. Also, because oil floats, good free water levels make sure sebum moves through and onto the surface of the skin properly instead of getting clogged in the ducts, which is what leads to blockages, blackheads and eruptions.
Use a non-greasy sun block every day.
Take two essential fatty acid supplements every day as these help to hydrate the skin, promote healthy free water levels and have a regulating effect on the hormones that influence oily, acne-prone skin.
Regular exfoliation keeps the skin free of the redundant skin cells that not only make the skin appear dull but can block the excretory glands and cause pimples and blackheads. Use an effective exfoliant, but avoid really abrasive, grainy scrubs as they over-stimulate the oil glands. And, because daily exfoliation can also be too stimulating, combine once or twice-weekly exfoliation with a weekly purifying mask. Mask ingredients like sulphur, bentonite clay, eucalyptus, aloe and allantoin are great for oily skin.
Remember, controlling oiliness is about working with the skin, not just acting on top of it.
– Debbie Dickson, Director and head of education at Danné Montague King