Having skin can be such a hassle, can\’t it? There seems to be a tiny zone in which it is naturally perfect, straddled on either side by being too dry or too oily. When it comes to dryness, there is plenty we can do about it, from staying out of the sun and avoiding places with low humidity to engaging in a daily moisturising routine. But doing the opposite – getting sunburnt, getting all humidified and ignoring moisturisers – is not the answer to oily skin. In fact, heat and humidity can actually make it worse. And just to make matters even more complicated, most of us have combinations skin, oily in some places and dry in others. So how are we to combat oily skin?

For most of us, oily skin is a mildly annoying condition that we may or may not choose to do something about. This is not to say, however, that oily skin cannot lead to more serious problems, and when our body produces amounts of oil that go way beyond a minor cosmetic issue, it is likely to be caused by a hormonal problem and medical assistance should be sought. Overproduction of sebum, nature’s moisturiser, is one of the causes of acne and other skin-based bacterial infections which can be very painful.

Fortunately, most cases of oily skin do not reach such levels, and the worst we can expect is a shiny, glazed look on our skin and a slightly higher predisposition to blackheads. The visual problem, that typical oily sheen, can be dealt with simply by washing, although care must be taken with the method and the products used. Using very hot or very cold water can actually make matters worse; hot water will dry out your skin too much, and cold water can cause a mild temperature shock and cause your pores to close up, holding in more oils. As well as cleansing, a regular exfoliating regime will stop pores from becoming blocked, greatly lessening the appearance of blackheads and spots.

We also need to be careful to choose products specifically designed for oily skin care, as they will be formulated with the right balance of ingredients to make sure the problem does not get worse, and hopefully gets better. Some of the measures people take to combat oily skin are actually counter-intuitive. For example, assuming oiliness is the opposite of dryness, people might use products that dry out the skin; but all this does is stimulates the skin\’s natural response – producing even more oils and making the problem worse. So make sure your cleansers and exfoliators are balanced for your skin type. Good suppliers will even grade their products from mildly oily to very oily skin, so choose the one that fits your problem.

Although oily skin might not be as simple to manage as dry skin, it is certainly not just something you have to live with. Sensible measures will reduce the waxy appearance and keep spots and blackheads at bay, and like most health issues, keeping fit and having a good diet will probably have an effect, although these alone are unlikely to be the root causes. And if the problem is more than simply cosmetic, there are treatments available that tackle the hormonal conditions that lie at the heart of the problem, but these should only be attempted with professional medical help.

Author Bio: Tracey is an authority expert on caring for oily skin which can affect all kinds of people, young and old. She researches skin care and assists a number of skin care providers with the latest developments in the industry.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: