Types Of Skin
2. Oily Skin
This skin type usually has open pores and an oily surface, with a tendency towards pimples, blackheads and a sallow appearance. This is due to the over production of the oily substance called sebum by the oil glands in the lower layers of the skin. Unfortunately this skin type is one of the most prone to acne. Good news is that this oiliness will make your skin stay younger looking for longer. The main concern of an oily skin is to keep it oil free, clean and fresh in order to prevent acne.
Characteristics Of Oily Skin:
On average, the pores on the face of someone with oily skin produce around 2 grams of sebum a year. The thin layer of oil this creates on the skin leads to a shiny surface, open pores (which stretch as oil accumulates in them), blackheads (which occur when that oil is exposed to air and oxidizes) and whiteheads (which occur when dead skin cells stick in the oil and degrade). Sometimes the pres create acne too, but don’t assume that if you have oily skin, acne follows – research seems to show that the oil in acne-prone skin is thicker and more likely to clog pores than normal. There are various reasons for oily skin. It’s often hormonal, which is why teens are prone or why skin can become oilier before your period; it can also be triggered by high humidity. Finally, oily skin can actually be caused by poor skincare. If you strip your top layers of the skin of too much moisture, the lower levels produce more oil to counteract this. On skin which produces higher oil levels anyway, this leads to serious shine.
Causes Of An Oily Skin:
1.Hormonal Imbalance: When there is excess androgen production, the sebaceous glands become over active, producing extra sebum or oil. This happens during the teenage years, pregnancy, while using birth control pills, and in cases of polycystic ovaries.
2.Faulty Skin Care: Besides physiological reasons, even faulty skin care regimes can lead to excessive oiliness of the skin. Humidity and heat and sometimes unhealthy eating habits and erratic lifestyles aggravate the problem.
3.Inappropriate Cosmetics: These too, lead to oiliness and clogging of pores, giving rise to blackheads. If we are not diligent about unclogging pores, then even normal skin can become oily.
How To Care For Oily Skin:
Treating oily skin is therefore a matter of trying to reduce oil production and keeping the pores clean to prevent stretching and oxidation. To many people with oily skin this means a routine of harsh cleansers and facial scrubs, but these just create that panic response. Instead, use light foaming cleansers, which have enough power to break through the oil and grime on the skin without irritation. The added bonus of these is that the action of rubbing them onto the skin (particularly if you remove them with a flannel or soft cloth) removes dead skin cells that can block pores and lead to whiteheads. People with acne-prone skin can try medicated washes or those based on salicylic acid (a plant-based ingredient which fights bacteria on the skin and helps prevent pore blockage).
You may think that you should follow up with a toner. The hype says toners close the pores and lower oil production, but it is not true. Most toners actually irritate the skin, making it swell, which makes the pores look smaller, but the oil production stays the same. In fact, the time to tackle oil production is when you moisturize. Many people with oily skin feel they don’t need moisturizer, but that is also not true – you could still be lacking in water and by replenishing this you’ll make the skin look plumper and healthier. This is particularly true of the neck, chest and around the eyes – all areas that dry out easily. Gel-based moisturizers (preferably those that are marked oil-free or non-comedogenic) will therefore help your skin look its best. Many beauty companies are now adding ingredients such as Witch Hazel, Salicylic Acid and Talcum to moisturizers for oily skin. These soak up sebum on the skin’s surface and can keep you shine-free for up to eight hours. Look for products that claim to be “mattefying” or “shine controllers” and watch your skin thrive.
Solutions:
1.Drink, Drink and drink lots of water: Doctors and aestheticians can’t stop stressing on this point. You should drink at least 10 glasses of water a day. Water helps flush out toxins from our body. Mix the juice of four tomatoes with four peppercorns and a dash of honey. Drink this concoction first thing in the morning, before eating anything else. The anti-oxidants in the juice will cleanse you internally.
HOT TIP: Rub the left over tomato pulp over your face to tighten the pores and brighten your skin.
2. Eat Right: Experts emphasize the importance of good diet to fight seborrhoea. Eat fibrous vegetables (leafy stuff, cabbage, carrots, ridged gourd) daily to keep the system clean internally. To keep pimples at bay, go on a complete raw and boiled food diet for a week every month. detoxifies your skin well and helps it regain its pH balance.
3. Go For Active Ingredients That Control Oil Production: To manage oily skin you need to look out for skincare products that contain active ingredients such as glycolic acid and/or tretinoin (retinoic acid). These active ingredients are exfoliants and are effective in the treatment of enlarged pores and excessive sebum production. When buying your cleanser, look for ingredients like alpha hydroxy acids, salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide. These dry up an erupting blemish very fast. For the same reason look out for night creams and toners that contain tea tree and witch hazel extracts. Witch hazel not only dries up a pimple but also prevents scarring of the skin.
HOT TIP: Avoid toners or astringents with alcohol as it can strip your skin of oil completely and make it very dry and prone to wrinkling.
Beauty Regimen For Oily Skin:
1.Go For Regular Cleansing: Oily skin requires regular cleansing, at least three times a day with warm water. The aim is to remove excess oil without total removal of skin lipids. Severe de-greasing can lead to worsening of sebum secretion. You may feel like scrubbing it all out but that will lead to dehydrated and flaky skin. Therefore, avoid using harsh soaps and face washes.
2.Use Soap-Free Face Wash: If your condition is not aggravated, it is best to use a soap-free face wash rather than a creamy cleanser. If at all you need a cleanser or baby oil to remove make-up, then wash off the oily residue with a gentle face wash. Alternatively, you may apply a foaming (but soap-free) cleanser to your face, then, using a soft flannel, gently rub the whole face in circular motions. This will break down oil and grime on the skin’s surface, while the movement will exfoliate any dead cells.
3.Use Anti-Bacterial Cleansers: On the other hand, if your skin is excessively oily, go for anti-bacterial cleansers for sensitive skin with a neutral pH, rather than soaps. You can use a deep-cleansing exfoliant at night in case your skin is flaking as well. Pick up Neutrogena face washes and scrubs with 1% and 2% salicylic acid or Neostrata Skinceutical products for cleansing and exfoliation. Try Cetaphil or VICHY cleansers; they are some of the best anti-blemish products in the market and help fight very serious conditions.
HOT TIP: For best results limit scrubbing to twice a week.
4.Steam Your Face: Boil some water and pour it into a large bowl. After the really hot steam has dispersed, lower your face over the bowl (keeping it at least 10 inches off the water). Put a towel over your head and stay put for up to 10 minutes.
5.Remove Blackheads: Use a blackhead extractor to wrap clean tissue around the tips of your fingers and gently apply pressure round the sides of the blackheads. Move the tissue regularly. When you’ve finished apply a little witch hazel or tea tree oil.
6.Apply Face Masks: Once a week deep cleansing with a mask is a must. Go for mud based masks or clay-based mask to open your pores tightened and deep cleanse your skin. If the mask makes your face sting then it’s too harsh for your skin; try the strawberry-based mask (given below) instead. If you have any blemishes, apply a spot treatment based on salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, then apply your moisturizer as normal.
Homemade Face Masks For Oily Skin:
A.Egg Mask: Whisk one egg white till it thickness, then whisk in 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of sunflower oil. Apply on the face for 20 minutes and wash off with warm water.
B.Easy Pack: Blend turmeric powder with milk and apply on the face. It removes the tan and helps to reduce the facial hair. Scrub it off with a good face scrub and then wash with cold water. You can also keep it overnight.
C.Orange Peel Scrub: Grind equal quantities of lentils, wheat and dried orange peel to a coarse powder. If your skin is sensitive also then grind the ingredients more finely. Mix all ingredients together and store in airtight containers. This scrub helps remove blackheads gently and leaves skin feeling smooth.
D.Honey Cleansing Mask: Mix 1 tbsp honey with 2 tbsp finely ground almonds and 1/2 tsp lemon juice. Rub gently onto face. Rinse off with warm water.
E.Fruit / Vegetable Pack: For a fruit pack choose lemon, pear, strawberries, tangerine and chop, grate or mash them into pulp in a non-metallic bowl. Strain off the excess juice for a healthy drink and add yoghurt to the pulp. Spread the mixture over your face and neck, avoiding the delicate skin around the eyes. Lie down for at least 10 minutes while it takes effect, then massage and rinse with cold water. In case of a vegetable pack use cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes.
F.Apple Face Pack: Mix 1/2 small apple (peeled and grated), 1 tbsp honey, 1 egg yolk, 1 tbsp cider or wine vinegar, and 3 tbsp jojoba oil. Apply and rinse after 15 minutes.
G.Cucumber Pack: Extract the juice of half a cucumber and add in a few mint leaves. Blend with a few drops of limejuice, a teaspoon of milk powder and a little egg white (optional) or Kaolin Powder if not using egg. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator before applying. This pack also helps whiten the skin apart from optimizing its oil balance.
H.Strawberry Mask: Strawberries have great astringent properties and will help cleanse oily skin without irritation. For an easy face mask blend together 1/2 tsp lemon juice with 1 egg white, 1 tsp honey and 1/2 cup strawberries. Apply on face and neck and leave the mask on cleansed skin for 10 minutes and rinse off.
5.Moisturise: Women with oily skin avoid moisturizers but on the contrary, you should in an oil free skin cream, as in the absence of any moisturizer even oily skin becomes flaky and dehydrated. You can also go for water based moisturizers. For the daytime, pick a gel-based sunscreen as they too, contain water.
HOT TIP: When shopping for creams/lotions avoid the ones that contain cocoa butter, shea butter, lanolin or any heavy oils in them.
Use The Right Make-Up (Oil-Free): 1. Start with a toner and a Mattefying face primer.
2. Then dab some foundation, for a completely oil free face. In case you have deep acne pits on your skin you can try VICHY Derma blend Corrective Foundation.
3. To hide an inflamed pimple just dab some concealer with a brush.
4. Then dust your face with an oil-control compact. It’s best not to use too much make-up on a blemish. If you must then use a light oil-free concealer. When choosing make-up, especially blush and shadow, buy oil-free products and powder-based versions as they absorb oil better and keep you looking fresh longer. Make sure they are non-comedogenic ( don’t cause pimples) and non-allergic. Invest in a good make up remover or deep pore cleanser to remove every trace of make-up from your face.
Top 5 Tips For Oily Skin: 1. Only cleanse twice a day. More often will trigger that panic response.
2. If shine still slips through, blotting paper is great for mopping up excess oil.
3. Ensure all your products – even your make up – are oil-free.
4. Cut down on fast food. No, grease doesn’t cause grease, but studies show that the iodine in fast food can contribute to spots on oily skin.
5. If you get painful red spots, a little lavender oil dabbed on the skin will help reduce inflammation in minutes. In emergencies, whiteheads can be dried out with toothpaste.
Get Pro Help: If your skin still becomes problematic, see a dermatologist. She can prescribe OTC drugs that can bring down inflammation and control painful conditions. In fact, before setting out a skin-care regime ask your dermatologist to recommend the right set of products.
Go For Dermat Procedures: Glycolic peels can slough off dead skin cells while removing debris from the pores. You need to go for at least six sittings to get the desired results. This works better if you have acne or black-heads. Peels don’t banish them but keep them under control.
