Anybody else have oily skin like mine?
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Tue Oct 05, 2010 4:21 pm

Hello I am new here and I'm 33 years old and My skin is very oily and greasy, more typical of a teenager than a woman in her 30's. Left to it's own devices my skin is oily, dull, bumpy, open pores, rough, spotty just horrible. I use 2 or 3 prescription skin treatments per day; azelaic acid in the morning, Retin A at night and topical zinc and antibiotic lotion as needed. I wash my face with a glycolic acid or salicylic acid face wash twice a day with a clarisonic and once a day I use a clearasil deep pore cleansing pad. I also steam and use a mask on my face at least once a week but often twice. I also use the mario badescu drying mask but it does cause my skin to crust up and flake but it does help with stubborn whiteheads.

This all sounds like a lot and that my skin would be red raw but it's not this is the bear minimum I need to do to keep my skin soft and smooth. I feel like I need to constantly thin the upper layers of skin to stop the build up of dead skin and sebum with some really rather harsh products. Luckily my skin is very tough and can cope with this.
Actually if I do all of the above daily my skin can actually look really great, very smooth and flawless with no signs of aging at at all (of course I always wear spf) and I am nearly always taken for a lot younger than I am. So my skin is a bit of a double edged sword.

I do sometimes regret that I can't use the sophisticated products my friends do and if I don't keep on top of my skin care my face ends up like warty toad skin Confused

but perhaps I am actually lucky, I don't know.

I am going to try some supplements like beta carotene and zinc to help with my skin texture but for the time being I will stick to my teenage skin care!

Anyone else have skin like this and if so how do you keep it under control?

free skin care · Tue Oct 05, 2010 7:37 pm

Faustine - maybe you are overdoing it with all the acids, etc. You could do some things where you work with your skin VS against it. There are some alternatives out there that you might want to try.

I would check out the oil cleansing method (OCM). I know you are saying "EEK - I can't use oil on my already oily skin" but actually the oil in the cleansing method works to break down the oil on your face and the result is very nice. You could start with a blend of Jojoba and Castor oil.
I am oily skinned also and I use this method. I also use some wonderful oils designed to be put on oily skin (a few drops) after I put all my "stuff" on - (Baobob oil is a favorite) - I am 52 years old and I credit my annoying oily skin as the reason I have no lines on my face, my skin is supple. Oily skin can be somewhat of a blessing once you know how to work with it. It takes quite a bit of doing though!
A product that I LOVE is from Karin Herzog - VK2 - works well on skin like ours.

I agree with what you are trying to do but I'd try to cut back on the amount of acids and incorporate some more natural, healing type methods. In doing this you may actually cut back on your oil production. As it is you are fighting it and it tends to cause production of more oil as the skin fights to keep up.

free skin care · Wed Oct 06, 2010 5:36 am

Oh Faustine I can relate. I am 38 with very oily/acneic skin. When I was in my teens my dermatologist at the time said the good thing about getting older was that my acne/oily skin would get better..I'm still waiting!! lol

Anyway, I am on 50mg Spironolactone. Not sure where you are located but it is a diuretic that decreases oil production a bit and helps acne breakouts. I do notice a difference b/c when I tried to get off of it(going to the bathroom more can get annoying)...the oil slick came back..so I am on it for now because the benefits outway the side effects. You should be under a doctors care for this medicine b/c you have to have blood work every 6 months or so to monitor your potassium levels.

Oily skin can be a blessing b/c I have minimal wrinkles which is great!! Good luck~

Wed Oct 06, 2010 7:29 am

I have pretty poily skin too, but I have a routine of just washing very often and using a really light cream...

free skin care · Fri Oct 08, 2010 5:06 pm

Oily skinned person here wave

I have the worse oily skin ever. Oily skin, oily scalp its pretty bad. I want to say for me, it has a lot to do with hormones, I think I have a lot of male hormones such as androgens and testosterone. I have facial hair (hirtuism) small breasts (lack of estrogen) but no deep voice ha ha. Although this has not been medically confirmed by a doctor, I am pretty sure I have this based on the signs I have seen.

As skindeep38 suggested, Spironolactone is also anti-androgen that really helps acne and oily skin. It is frequently used on the acne boards to help control that. Natural alternatives are saw palmetto, pygeum, nettle. Although I do personally recommend using the natural ones, they have worked for me but since Spironolactone is a prescription drug, it might be a good choice and under doctor supervision is recommended.

I have been on accutane, and I think as far as stopping oil production, minimizing pores it did a great job. It didn't last long though, only a couple of years. But my skin was perfect on it.

I would also like to say diet for me is pretty accurate as far as oily skin for me. I know when I eat a lot of sugar, unhealthy carbs and saturated fat, my skin gets really oily and I breakout more. Apparently sugar stimulates the ovaries to produce more androgens, sorry I cant post a link to that finding. But I think thats right. Here is my regimen:

Diet: No sugar, okay I cheat sometiems lol healthy fat, lean protein, low Glycemic Index

Supplements: Omega 3's, Evening Primrose Oil, Vit B Complex, Zinc Gluconate, Multi-vitamin, Saw Palmetto, Vit D, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vit C ester, Emergenc c packets. AcneRelief homeopathic drops, Spearmint Tea 2x daily.

Skincare: Neaclear Face Cleanser Salicilic acid, Avon Acne Clearing pads, Clarisonic nightly.

Makeup: Clinique acne solutions liquid makeup, I am trying to switch to something else, but this makeup really controls oil for me.

So this is what I do, I am 75% clear now and my skin is controlling oil well. I definately think its the diet that helped the most as far as oil is concerned.

Also, as sister sweets mentioned, you might be over doing it with the acids. I know when I wash too frequently or with harsh products, my skin gets oilier.

Hope you find something that works well for you!

free skin care · Fri Mar 31, 2017 12:17 pm

I have skin that is far too oily for my age, too. I feel your pain.

It helps me to exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate and use a very small amount of oil under my sunscreen so my skin doesn't want to product it's own.

free skin care · Mon Apr 03, 2017 7:30 pm

I too had hyper oily skin, very shiney with clogged pores and acne. I eventually grew out of it, 47 now or maybe it was Accutane for 2 years which also dried out my eyes. I have very few wrinkles, bonus with oily skin.

Tue Apr 04, 2017 6:05 am

I also have oily skin and it IS a blessing since it doesn't wrinkle as does dry skin.

I'm in my late 70s now, with almost no wrinkles, but my routine when younger, up to the 50s, was the Erno Laszlo regime for very oily skin; their Sea Mud soap, Conditioner etc. I don't know if they still make all of this.

I think, however, that you might be overdoing the acids and drying regime. Your skin might be reacting by producing even more oil!

My suggestion would be to find a less intrusive and harsh method. Certainly, washing three times a day is vital, and the Clarisonic once a day. I'd suggest the Biologique Recherche line, but this may be hard to find and expensive. Or, try the Erno Laszlo Sea Mud soap and conditioner twice a day, with another cleanser in the middle of the day - I still cleanse around 2;30 in the afternoon!

free skin care · Sun Feb 03, 2019 6:02 pm

I second your advice of not being abrasive or harsh to oily skin, which tends to fight back when you scrub or use acids. I often notice the skin gets even oilier with these treatments.

I used a serum containing essential oils of lemon verbena, rosemary, bergamot, sage and artemisia to calm overactive sebaceous glands.

CatIndigo wrote:

I also have oily skin and it IS a blessing since it doesn't wrinkle as does dry skin.

I'm in my late 70s now, with almost no wrinkles, but my routine when younger, up to the 50s, was the Erno Laszlo regime for very oily skin; their Sea Mud soap, Conditioner etc. I don't know if they still make all of this.

I think, however, that you might be overdoing the acids and drying regime. Your skin might be reacting by producing even more oil!

My suggestion would be to find a less intrusive and harsh method. Certainly, washing three times a day is vital, and the Clarisonic once a day. I'd suggest the Biologique Recherche line, but this may be hard to find and expensive. Or, try the Erno Laszlo Sea Mud soap and conditioner twice a day, with another cleanser in the middle of the day - I still cleanse around 2;30 in the afternoon!

free skin care · Wed Feb 06, 2019 7:04 pm

Worry, NOT artemisia stated below. I was meant to say verbena, rosemary, bergamot, sage and Palmarosa.

arielstar08 wrote:

I second your advice of not being abrasive or harsh to oily skin, which tends to fight back when you scrub or use acids. I often notice the skin gets even oilier with these treatments.

I used a serum containing essential oils of lemon verbena, rosemary, bergamot, sage and artemisia to calm overactive sebaceous glands.

CatIndigo wrote:

I also have oily skin and it IS a blessing since it doesn't wrinkle as does dry skin.

I'm in my late 70s now, with almost no wrinkles, but my routine when younger, up to the 50s, was the Erno Laszlo regime for very oily skin; their Sea Mud soap, Conditioner etc. I don't know if they still make all of this.

I think, however, that you might be overdoing the acids and drying regime. Your skin might be reacting by producing even more oil!

My suggestion would be to find a less intrusive and harsh method. Certainly, washing three times a day is vital, and the Clarisonic once a day. I'd suggest the Biologique Recherche line, but this may be hard to find and expensive. Or, try the Erno Laszlo Sea Mud soap and conditioner twice a day, with another cleanser in the middle of the day - I still cleanse around 2;30 in the afternoon!

Thu Feb 07, 2019 5:35 pm

Here, we give six ways in which a person can reduce the symptoms of oily skin if it is problematic for them.

Wash regularly. Washing with warm water and a gentle soap can reduce the amount of oil on the skin.
Use a toner.
Pat the face dry.
Use blotting papers and medicated pads.
Use a facial mask.
Apply moisturizers.

I just follow this step and so far it is effective.

free skin care · Thu Feb 21, 2019 10:38 pm

It is really important to have a healthy skin. It is recommended to use refreshing lotion and cream. Do not over remove the oil on the skin. It will damage the cuticle of the skin. As you get older, your skin will get drier and drier. In fact, oily skin is more anti-aging

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