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Oily Skin - Everything You Need To Know

Sure, if you suffer oily skin you will probably know about it and want to skip straight to the solution! But trust us, when you get your head around what oily skin actually is anyway, you’ll definitely be surprised and run for products that really work to treat and nourish your skin back to, well, shinefree fabulous!

What is oily skin?

Skin Therapist, Nicola, from Guinot HQ, first explains what your oily skin is up to “pores are generally small openings on the surface of the skin that allow light sebaceous glands (the glands responsible for your oil production) to show on the surface of skin.”

Pores cover your entire body, apart from the palms of your hands and the souls of your feet. Nicola highlights that pores are “needed for healthy and functional, moisturised skin,” they are also hair follicles. Everyone has pores covering their body.

Oil from your skin’s sebaceous glands is naturally excreted through pores, moisturising your skin and ridding it’s deeper layers of bacteria. However, if your skin is inherently oily, you may notice that your pores are large and highly pronounced instead of tight and clear.

Check with your other family members to see if they have large pores, as enlarged pores are genetic and they signal oily skin that is passed down through family members. Other signs of a truly oily skin include frequent breakouts, beyond your teenage years and your skin will be characterised by a shiny texture. After cleansing your skin, this shine will return after just a few hours and makeup may slide off the skin throughout your day.

Why is my skin oily?

Oily skin is caused by excess oil production within your skin’s layers. As you already know, oily skin is typically passed on through family members. Not only can large pores be hereditary, overactive or large “sebaceous” (oil-producing) glands are also genetic.

Genetics

“Sebaceous glands” are found in your dermis, which is your deepest skin layer. If you have large or overactive sebaceous glands, your skin will produce excessive amounts of skin oil, also known as “sebum.” Your skin only needs a small amount of sebum to be excreted through its pores in order to maintain natural moisture and a protective, healing barrier.

If oil-production is high, the skin’s pores will quickly clog and a shiny texture will cover its surface. Although there is nothing you can do to shrink your pores or your sebaceous glands, you can control oil production with professional products and Skin Therapist advice.

Hot Weather

Skin Therapist, Christine, says that hot weather can “increase your natural oil production,” due to pore-clogging SPF’s, which are used particularly in the summer season. Some SPF’s and debris can block your skin’s pores and prevent them from doing what they do best. Therefore, pores become clogged and sebaceous glands continue to work hard producing even more oil. The result is excessive breakouts and skin blemishes. Christine does preach great news for this oily skin problem and tells you, “Oily skin can tolerate cleansing up to 3 times a day!” Make sure you invest in a great cleanser as well as professional SPF products.

Hormonal Fluctuation

As well as genetics and weather, oily skin can simply be the result of hormonal fluctuation. As you get older, female hormone levels decline – but this decline can also occur with stress or naturally, on a monthly basis. When your female hormones, namely oestregon, drop then you will incur a higher level of male hormones that are present in every human body. These male hormones trigger oil production in your sebaceous glands and so you may gain an oily skin shine. Make sure you are nourishing your skin with oil-controlling products as you age and at specific times in your monthly cycle.

Treatment for Oily Skin

Now that you know why your skin is oily, you can begin to realize what you must do about it!

Moisturise

The truth is, even if you have oily skin, you should 100%, without a doubt: use a moisturiser! Skin Therapists note that moisturisers exist to hydrate the skin. Moisturisers do not top up your sebaceous oil glands with even more oil!

Your skin is super clever and it will not drink any more than it can handle, in fact, if you do not use a moisturiser skin can overcompensate for the lack of nutrients and go into overdrive producing excess oil! Simply put, in order to encourage cell renewal, which is the natural process in which your skin produces fresh, healthy cells, you will need a good moisturiser that puts nutrients back in your skin. Especially as you age, you cannot avoid using a moisturiser to increase elasticity and healthy cellular growth.

Dermalogica Active Moist

Jersey Skin Therapist Christine recommends using an oil free moisturiser such as Dermalogica’s Active Moist, especially in your 30’s-40’s when your female hormones decrease; oil production increases yet your skin’s ability to retain water drops.

Dermalogica’s Active Moist will deliver water to your skin where it needs it most without clogging your pores.

Active Moist MoisturiserLight, oil-free lotionSkin100ml: £72.00

Exfoliate

Skin Therapist Nicola from Guinot says, “Use an exfoliator and prevent clogging of the pores,” if you have oily skin.

Gommage BiologicGentle Exfoliating GelSkin50ml: £40.00

Guinot Gommage Biologique

Nicola recommends Guinot’s Gommage Biologique to lift debris and excess oil from the skins follicles so that breakouts are not triggered.

Top Tips for Oily Skin

Oily skin sufferers should definitely use a moisturiser! Moisturisers exist to hydrate the skin and keep it healthy. Without a moisturiser, skin will struggle to renew its healthy cells.
Make sure you double cleanse oily skin AM and PM in order to remove pore-clogging bacteria such as makeup and debris.
You can still use serums and face oils if you have oily skin. Serums and face oils penetrate into the skin’s dermis (your deepest skin layer) so these products will have no impact on your oil production, but they will hydrate intensely, giving you a beautiful, dewy glow.