Does Oily Skin Need a Moisturizer?
This passed week, a childhood friend of my daughters posted on her Facebook that she stopped using makeup and is using baby lotion on her skin. She claimed using the lotion on her skin in so many words "made it possible for her not to have an uneven complexion". But after she "visited" with me, her Oily Skin wasn't so Oily after all!! And here is why...
Like this young lady, those with oily skin fight a constant battle of reducing the appearance of shine and oil. For those of you who think Oily is your skin type, I know many of you shudder at the thought of putting anything "moisturizing" on your face for fear of increasing oil and the slick look they are trying to tone down!!
So What Makes My Skin Oily Anyway?
True "Oily skin" is characterized by having an excess of Sebum, the technical word for oil that the body produces. The purpose of Sebum is to basically prevent moisture loss from the skin. This Sebum also helps the skin with the process called "exfoliation" or as many of you have probably heard me say "skin's turn-over". It doesn’t provide moisture to the cells – it just helps lock it in. But too much Sebum can cause dead skin cells and environmental debris to become encased in the pores, which could lead to congestions and breakouts. However, if you over-cleanse or are using a cleanser that is much too harsh for your skin, the skin can become dehydrated. Which causes a vicious cycle which stimulates MORE oil-production and cause dead skin cells to stick together on the surface and block the oil from coming through causing "sebaceous cysts" underneath. In addition, for those concerned with Age Management, surface lines and wrinkles dehydrated skin is a cause to visible can manifest in fine lines and flakiness. So yes, Oily skin DOES need to be moisturized!
Balanced Skin = Oil control + Proper Hydration
The key to achieving a proper moisture balance is understanding the ingredients and products you are using. And if possible eating local, avoiding sugars and kitschy or trendy products that cause the Sebum to be drawn from the depths of your dermis. If you have an oily skin type, you are likely using products with alkaline surfactants ( soapy or foamy products) that are drying out your skin, such as sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate. These drying products can alter the "acid mantle" ( the acidity and alkalinity of your body) that protects your skin as well, making it more susceptible to dirt and bacteria.
In other words, read your labels closely. Plus many chemicals really don't do anything beneficial for the skin anyhow!
This would include gel cleansers ( cleansers you can see through), and cleansers such as Cetaphil and CeraVe, etc. ( just to give examples) If you are using these cleansers more than once a day, you are stripping your natural oils...so your body is always trying to play catch up so you remain hydrated. Also, products such as masques with clay and charcoal should be avoided until your are balanced. In my practice, I recommend products that are from Skin Script RX . They are a local company that uses natural ingredients to accommodate success!
To stop the over drying of your skin all together, you need a skincare collection for oily problem skin that has "hydrophyllic" ingredients – or ingredients that have an affinity to draw in water, rather than repel it. A moisturizer for oily problem skin made with Zinc Oxide helps reduce the appearance of oil, will help find the right balance and leave skin soft matte. This is where I LOVE to use my own Skin Coach Vitamin C Day Cream with SPF 30...it is Great Smelling and provides a sun BLOCK as well as Vitamin C to assist with antioxidant support!
******************************** Thank you, Sabrina, for having your conversation with me and my Darling, You are not Alone in your qualms to achieve beautiful balanced skin!
See you all next month and thank you all for your continue support and love these past two BUSY years at The Skin Coach! ^j^ Angel
