Oily Skin Basics

Oily Skin Basics

Many people associate oily skin with the pimples of their teen years, but the reality is if your skin type is inherently oily, excess shine and breakouts will be key challenges you’ll want to keep at bay well into your adults years. The good news is that with much more advanced skincare technology (and stay-put makeup!), having oily skin as a grown-up is a lot more manageable.

What’s the Cause of Oily Skin and What Does It Look Like?

The hallmark characteristics of oily skin are of course, breakouts and excessive oil or shine due to overactive oil (sebum) glands. Oily skin also tend to have larger, more noticeable pores, particularly on the forehead, nose and cheeks, and some redness.

If you’re wondering if your skin is oily or combination, check where you tend to get shiny or greasy. If it’s all over (or the amount of oil seems like a lot), you probably have oily skin. If your cheeks stay normal but only your T-zone gets oily, you could have combination skin.

How to Take Care of Oily Skin

First and foremost, avoid harsh products! It’s wildly tempting (though understandably so) to scrub away the oils with aggressive, lathering ingredients that make your skin feel squeaky clean or to slough away those pesky pimples, but aggressive treatment of skin only exacerbates the oiliness. For example, let’s say you use a serum with benzoyl peroxide because you know it will kill bacteria and get rid of blemishes—but what you don’t see happening is the natural moisture also being stripped away, which tells your skin to produce even more oil to compensate. This triggers a never-ending cycle—so no matter how enticing it is, don’t go there!

Second, use skincare products that are specifically meant for oily skin—but also formulated to optimize and maintain the health of your skin barrier. Remember: the best results are only possible with a happy skin barrier. Without it, all fixes are only temporary!

We recommend Epionce Lytic Gel Cleanser, which helps remove dirt, oil, makeup, and dead skin cells without causing irritation or disrupting pH. For additional help in controlling excess oil (sebum) and reducing breakouts, add the Purifying Toner.

To truly target the oiliness and minimize the appearance of breakouts, follow with Lytic Sport Tx or Lytic Plus Tx to help promotes turnover of fresh, healthy cells, remove gunk from pores and help reduce the look of surface oils.

You can then follow with the Renewal Lite Facial Lotion, which provides the right amount of emolliency to hydrate oily skin without clogging the pores, and top off with the Ultra Shield Lotion SPF 50 to protect skin from UV rays.