5 Problems All People with Oily Skin Can Relate To
Do you have oily skin?
Do you wash your face so many times in a day, and even then, the oil still builds up and makes your face shine like you’ve applied highlighters on your skin?
Oily skin is a very common problem. Many people have dry skin, some have sensitive skin, and there are also many people with oily skin.
Which is why just last week, Dr Peter shared extensively on this particular topic, and gave his advice on how we can get about treating our oily skin. Check it out here: Patient Mailbox: My 24 Hour Oily Face and Shiny Forehead
If you have oily skin, you’d surely be familiar with these problems!
1. Your face shines with oil all the time
The main factor of our oily skin is due to the sebaceous glands under our skin, which are like the oil factories under our skin. These glands are the ones that produce the oil, or sebum, that appear on our face and make it look shiny.
But it is indeed frustrating. No matter how much we wash, wipe, and blot the oil away from our skin, the oil keeps coming back.
We look like we are sweaty and dirty all the time.
We look like we just finished a marathon even though we’re in heels and a suit.
And we hate camera flashlights.
A lot.
2. You have large pores
And to make things worse, many of them are blocked!
This is because sebum, or oil, is trapped in our pores. And when the oil gets oxidised along with the pores, they become blackpores, and if not, they turn into white pores. Recurrent black and white pores also cause enlarged pores on our skin.
We go to skincare shops and get asked if we want products for pore care or oily skin.
Um, both please?
Tip: Did you know that treating oily skin starts from cleansing and caring for your skin at home? For cleansing oily skin, choose facial cleanser products that contains salicylic acid. This is because salicylic acid is lipophilic, which means that it is attracted to oil. So during the cleaning process, the your clansing can help to clean and reduce the oil on your skin.
3. As if oil wasn't enough, acne comes along too!
If we thought that acne was just a problem for teenagers going through puberty, we’d be wrong – because when we have oily skin, there’s seemingly no escaping acne!
When there’s acne, it means that there’s bacteria. And where are these bacteria found? *cue drum rolls* large pores on our skin that are blocked by sebum and oil!
This is why treatments for oily skin usually also means treatments for acne.
For example, laser treatments are effective in treating acne caused by oily skin by using laser to heat up and kill the bacteria. This bacteria is found in the oil gland, so by heating up and killing the bacteria, you can also reduce the oiliness of your gland, and subsequently shrink the size of the gland.
4. Oil smudges get here, there, everywhere
We have seen it a thousand times, but the amount of oil smudge that gets on the screen of our phones every time after we finish a call still manages to surprise us: “did my face really just did that?”
And so we wipe our face and we clean our phone before taking the next phone call. And at the end of it, the same thing happens.
How is that even humanly possible?
5. You're confused by skincare information online
One says to moisturize your skin so that it stops producing oil. Another says to dry out your skin because that’s the logical thing to do. And you get all frustrated when you find out that these websites are actually just trying to sell their products.
Fortunately, we always have the safe choice of getting a dermatologist or skin specialist’s advice on what’s best for our skin, and how we can safely and effectively treat oily skin.
Treatments for oily skin include proper cleansing, oral treatment, or physical treatments like microdermabrasion and laser treatments.
Dr Peter shared extensively on these treatments here last week, so check it out if you’re interested! Patient Mailbox: My 24 Hour Oily Face and Shiny Forehead
Remember – oily skin is annoying, and can be long lasting. But does it need to last forever? With the right treatment, it doesn’t have to.
We’ll be going back to the Patient Mailbox series next week with Dr Loo, so stay tuned!
As an esteemed dermatologist and skin specialist, Dr Peter is a renowned doctor in treating various skin conditions. He also prides himself in being able to treat acne patients of all types, with a 100% acne treatment success record. If you’d like to ask more about your skin condition or have a discussion with Dr Peter, call us at +6011-22882299, WhatsApp us here, or book an appointment with Dr Peter here!
If you’d like to ask more about your skin condition or have a discussion with Dr Peter, you can contact us at +6011-22882299, Whatsapp us, or book an appointment with Dr Peter here!
Treatments mentioned in this article :
Laser Treatments for Acne and Acne Scars
Laser treatments can reduce inflammation, as the laser light is absorbed by the haemoglobin (our red blood cells), and is useful for treating inflammatory acne.
Chemical Peel
Chemical peels are acids that are applied on the skin to cause the skin to peel. This process stimulates the skin cells to regenerate faster and thus fastening the process of skin healing.