Taking Care of Oily Skin: Where To Start continued...
"Oil production is nature's response to irritation – so the harsher the cleansing, the more likely the body is to respond by producing more oil, " says Schlessinger.
Instead, treat oily skin with thorough but gentle cleaning.
"A good cleanser is one designed to remove excess oil while leaving intact the barrier of fatty acids to help maintain function and protect our skin," says Barry Resnik, MD, dermatologist at Memorial Regional Hospital and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood, Florida.
And don't be surprised if you find yourself needing two different cleansers depending on the time of the year. In fall and winter when skin is naturally drier, you'll benefit most from a super gentle cleanser. In warmer months, when perspiration can combine with sweat to make skin harder to clean, you may need a more thorough, deep cleaning product.
But what about cleansers specifically made for oily skin? According to Schlessinger, they're okay, as long as they don't cause any irritation.
"It's best to use the gentlest product you can find I actually put together a formula that uses a very low pH, which is effective at removing oil, and an amino fruit acid, which causes very little irritation," he says.
The one thing you want to avoid is soap, since most types strip the skin of all natural oils.
"That squeaky clean feeling people get from using soaps is derived from stripping the fatty oils from your skin and is more harmful than good," Resnik cautions.
In addition, both experts say you should never over-wash oily skin, even if your cleanser is gentle. Indeed, unless you've been mining coal or digging in the dirt, twice a day is usually enough.
Clay or mud masques can also help. Although there are no medical studies to prove that they work, many beauty experts say that these treatments can temporarily pull oil from the pores and soak it up, leaving oily skin looking fresher for several hours afterwards.
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