Oily Skin Type

Your skin looks shiny after few hour of washing your face, you tend to wash your face several times or wipe away that oil off your face. If you are in your teens, pimples and blackheads are your best friends \\and your face appears shiny in photographs. If you do not take steps to reduce oil secretions, your skin will get thick with large open pores and black heads giving a look similar to an orange peels. Oil secretion usually reduces with age, however some you tend to get big red pimples especially around your mouth even at later age. You are always confused whether you should apply moisturiser or not and sunscreens make you look more greasy. You are lucky enough that your pigmentation tendency is not high and most of products suit you without irritation.

Most of my patients with acne ask about role of diet in oily skin. Now, studies have come up that support the role of food with high glycemic index (that is with high sugar content) can increase acne. Similarly, whole fat milk has been implicated. Diet rich in fibre and low in saturated and trans-fats is good for your skin and heart too. So, increase intake of fruits, vegetables, toned milk, green tea, fish,  fish oils, sea-food versus fried and fast food.

Common Don’ts to reduce blackheads and open pores formation in oily skin:

·     Avoid oiling your scalp as the hair oil usually drips down on forehead.

·     Avoid frequent touching and rubbing of face.

·     Ward off habit (if you have) of supporting your face on hands while sitting. 

·     Change your fashion statements of wearing high necks, scarfs and bands that rub against your face.

·     Avoid massage of face as done in parlours.

Ongoing skin care for your skin type rotates around oil control ….so let us have a look at my “Five Basic Steps of Skin Care” for your oily skin.

Step 1 is Face wash: 

Transparent face wash meant for oily skin are usually effective in removing extra oils giving fresh look to your skin. Frequency should not be more than three times a day because excessive washing may lead to oil rebound. Steps to be followed:

• Wash your hands first.
• Splash tepid (not hot or cold water) generously on face.
• Massage cleanser on face gently including areas around eye, nose and mouth.
• Rinse well with tepid water.
• Always pat dry (rather than rubbing) your face with soft towel.

BRANDS RECOMMENDATION: 

·         Neutrogena- Deep clean

·         Vichy- Normaderm deep cleansing gel

·         Clean and clear-Deep action oil control face wash

·         Pears- Oil clearing face wash

·         Garnier-Pure face wash

·         Ponds no blackheads face wash

·         Loreal hydrafresh gel face wash

Step 2 is Day cream with sun protection:  

Sun exposure aggravates oil secretions and wrinkle formation, so sun protection as detailed in “summer skin care” blog is recommended. Sunscreens are usually oily and may increase chances of pimples on your oily skin, so you can use sunscreen in gel or lotion base that too only when you are going out in bright sun. To get matt finish after applying sunscreen dab face powder after 15 minutes. You might prefer skipping sunscreen; take other precautions as detailed in “summer skin care” blog.

 BRAND RECOMMENDATION

• Neutrogena- Oil free moisturiser SPF 15
• Ultrasheer dry touch sun block with SPF 50
• Vichy-CAPITAL SOLEIL Mattifying face Fluid Dry Touch SPF 50
• Olay natural white sunscreen with SPF 30
• Olay total 7 effect day cream with SPF 15
• Lakme sun expert gel or lotion

Toners: Acetone or alcohol based toners effectively de-grease skin but can be irritating. I would recommend witch hazel based Neutrogena or Vichy toner that contains salicylic acid that helps in reducing pores and blackheads.

Step 3 is Night moisturiser with anti-ageing ingredients: 

Retinol, the most effective anti-ageing ingredient will not only delay appearance of fine line but also reduce oil secretions and thus reduce blackheads, pimples and open pores also. I would suggest dermatologist advice about the type, concentration and formulation of retinol that will suit you. However, there is lot more than creams to prevent ageing, go through my blog “Wrinkles- can life style changes stop them.” in general you should avoid following ingredients as they increase pimples: mineral or other oils and petrolatum, isopropyl myristate, shea or cocoa butter. List of ingredients that will help in oil control are Salicylic acid, retinol, tea tree oil, benzoyl peroxide, azelaic acid, resorcinol. Prefer moisturiser in serum form in humid weather and lotions in dry weather.

BRAND RECOMMENDATION: 

• Neutrogena rapid wrinkle repair Serum with retinol
• Olay regenerist regenerating serum
• Olay total 7 effect serum

Step 4 is Exfoliation: 

Helps in removal of dead cells and unplugs the pores reducing oil secretions, blackheads and pimples too.

• Scrubs: Can be done once a week with micro-beads based non-nutshell scrubs. Scrub should be applied gently and messaged lightly for not more than a minute. Avoid scrubs if you have active pimples.

BRAND RECOMMENDATION

• Neutrogena-Deep clean gentle scrub
• Garnier-Pure active scrub
• Loreal- Pearl perfect scrub
• Vichy- Purete Termale Detoxifying Scrub
• Clean and clear- Blackhead scrub
•  Peels: Salicylic acid peels in dermatologist clinic can help in exfoliation, reduce oil section and pimples formation.

Step 5 is face pack: 

Facials are big NO for your kind of skin because over scrubbing and message can lead to acne breakout. Instead do two step home facial; use a mud based face pack meant for oily skin once a week after gentle scrubbing. for more detail read my Blog"Facials-do they really help "

BRAND RECOMMENDATION

·         Biotique Shine Booster And Rejuvenator Mud Pack

·         Himalya clarifying mud pack

·         Dabur uveda clarifying mask

·         Fab india haldi chandan Face pack

·         VLCC mud face pack

Morning and Mid-day	Night	Once a week
Wash your face with transparent cleanser meant for oily skin. Apply toner.  Apply sunscreen in gel or lotion base Dab face powder after 15 minutes.	Wash your face with transparent cleanser for oily skin. Apply serum or lotion that controls oil secretions and wrinkles.	Exfoliate gently with micro-beads based scrub followed by mud based face pack.
Dermatologist consultation required if you have acne or there marks and if above regime for a month does not help.

Disclaimer: The data shared in my blog is my personal opinion based on my knowledge and experience. The results expected with skin care products are not universally applicable as each individuals skin behaves differently. The author is not responsible for any adverse events that arise out of following suggestions in this blog; however such negative and positive feedback will help me improve. Kindly seek dermatologist advice for skin care, acne, redness, irritation, dark patches or any other skin problem. Kindly note for medico-legal reasons I have not listed prescribed skin care products which are specially formulated according to skin types and are cost effective too.  Also, the author does not have any monetary association with above listed brands; there are thousands of skin care products in the market I have chosen few of them to start with. 

Your invaluable comments, queries and Facebook likes will help me in my effort of Dermato-awareness- working towards healthy, radiant and flawless skin.

Dr Surbhi, MD (Skin)