Oily Skin or secret undercover dry skin??

 

When looking at her skin I noticed fine lines around her eyes, on her cheeks, and across her forehead. She had bumpy skin all around, as well has some hyper-pigmentation (“Sunblock please!” That’s her skin screaming). There were also enlarged pores on her nose, chin, and cheeks. 

What’s happening, such as in the case of my client, is that her dry skin needs extra moisture and the sebaceous glands are becoming overactive in an attempt to restore the moisture layer to the skin. (Just a quick note, oily skinned people should also use moisturizer, since it contains different properties geared towards the composition of that skin type, but that’s another post for another day.)

 

So what I’m finding is that people are using face washes that are really drying. They are choosing these face washes that either combat oil or are just cheap. And since they think their skin is greasy they may be skipping moisturizer altogether. Bam! Perfect storm for overactive sebaceous glands, acne, and fine lines. 

In the case of my client, she definitely has combination skin (large pores with fine lines/dry patches is a big hint for combo-skinned people). She does need moisture, but she also needs something to combat the oil, right? Wrong. She needs moisture. Without getting really technical or turning this into a lecture (although it might be a little late for that), oil production will slow for a combo/dry-skinned person if they are giving their skin what it needs. When the oil production slows, so will the acne (unless you are a hormonal mess! Better get that under control).

So let’s all go to a mirror with our fresh faces and take a good look at our skin. And I mean a really good look.

1. Are there few large pores? None?
2. Are there fine lines?
3. Are there dry patches?

If you answered yes to those questions there’s a good chance your skin is on the dryer side. Switch to professional grade products, use a moisturizer, and for the love of Pete use a sunblock! (whoever that is). Also drink water. Lots and lots of water.

​The first question I always ask is: what is your skin care routine? 

 

She tells me that she has really oily skin, so she just uses a basic cheap face wash and no lotion. Ah-ha. There we have it. 

This situation seems to be quite common, and a great opportunity to shed some light on the matter. It’s true that people with truly oily skin will have enlarged pores, some degree of acne, thicker skin (typically), but definitely not fine lines all throughout the face. Of course there are some exceptions (age, environmental factors, etc.), but more often than not, people are treating their dry/combination skin as oily. Ow, poor skin!