Should you worry about Oily Skin?

Oily skin is one of the most common issues that many of us face on a daily basis. The question that we always have in mind is that does it really matter and how will it affect us? Fortunately for you loyal Luxers, exclusively on Lux On Demand, we aim to provide you with the best knowledge and education you deserve.

Firstly, to start the discussion on oily skincare, it’s imperative to first fully understand the cause behind oily skin. To keep a long story short, oily skin is a result of excessive production of sebum. You might ask, what is sebum? Hold on let me explain. Sebum is an oily substance that is naturally produced by the skin. As is known to everyone, excess of anything is bad hence excessive sebum is bad too. What it does is basically it leads to clogging of skin pores, resulting in the accumulation of dead cells and hence causing a formation of pimples and acne. Moreover, oily skin makes you look really bad too. So, ‘oily skincare’ is as important as the ‘skincare’ for other types of skin.

On a side note, many of you have been asking what's combination skin? As you might have heard it whilst purchasing your skincare products in the store etc. Well, combination skin is when you have oily skin as well as dry skin. Hence the term for it.

The basic aim of ‘oily skin care’ is the removal of excessive sebum or oil from the skin. However, oily skin care procedures should not lead to the complete removal of oil. ‘Oily skin care’ starts with the use of a cleanser. Unfortunately, not all cleansers will work. You will need a cleanser that contains salicylic acid i.e. a beta-hydroxy acid that retards the rate of sebum production. Cleansing should be done twice a day usually in the morning when you wake up and at night before you go to bed. (and even more in hot and humid conditions).

Most of the oily skincare products are oil-free. However, it is always good to check the ingredients of the product, before making the purchase. This is especially important if a product is marked as ‘suitable for all skin types’, instead of ‘oily skin care product’. ‘Oily skin care’ is also dependent on the degree of oiliness, if you aren’t too oily, so some of these ‘suitable for all’- type of products might work for you too. For extremely oily skin, only oily skincare products are suitable. Your oily skincare routine can include an alcohol-based toner (for extremely oily skin). This can be the second step in your oily skincare routine i.e. just after cleansing. Do note that excessive toning can harm your skin instead, so becareful with it.

The next step in your oily skincare routine can be a mild moisturizer. Again, the degree of oiliness of your skin will determine whether you need to include this in your oily skincare routine. If you do decide to include a moisturizer, be sure to use one that is oil-free, wax-free and lipid-free.
You could also use a clay mask (say once a week) as an oily skin care measure.

As far as the oily skincare products go, you might need to try out a few before you arrive at the one that is really suitable for your skin.

In case these measures don’t give you the desired result, consult a good and well-known dermatologist for advice. He could prescribe stronger oily skincare products like vitamin A creams, retinoids, sulphur creams etc, which can help counter and even solve the problems of oily skin. With that being said, we wish you the best of luck in overcoming your oily skin issues.