Oily skin

Hello,
I'm a 33 year old man, who has suffered from oily skin on my face since my teen years.  I've tried many different cleansers.  None of which seem to help.  The more harsh cleansers obviously irritate my skin causing more redness and oil production.  And the gentle cleansers such as cetaphil don't seem to improve anything.  I was prescribed Atralin gel a few months ago.  But this does not seem to improve my oil production.  My skin tone and pore size may be improved, but my oil production has not changed and has maybe gotten worse.  Right now I'm using the oil absorbing blotting papers . . . but this really isn't a good solution to me.  As I need to use so many a day, and I seem to get oily almost immediately afterwards.  I'm looking for some solutions to this persistant problem.  Thanks for your help.

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
In oily skin, the oil producing sebaceous glands are overactive and produce more oil than is needed. The oil oozes and gives the skin a greasy shine. It can be caused by heredity, diet, hormone levels, pregnancy, birth control pills and hot and humid weather. Oily skin needs special cleansing with plenty of hot water and soap to prevent the pores from being clogged. Avoid harsh products that strip your skin of oil and encourage flakiness. They can cause a reaction known as reactive seborrhoea, where the oil glands work overtime to compensate for the loss of natural oils.

Avoid skincare products that leave your skin feeling taut and dehydrated. You can use cetaphil and make sure that the rest of the times you wash your face with fresh water. Avoid heavy greasy moisturizers and take a diet rich in proteins but restricted in sugar, fluids and salt. Drink plenty of quality water to keep the skin hydrated and flush out toxins.

It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.

[Designery]

Thank you for the information.  I've been using cetaphil for quite some time.  And really that doesn't seem to work so well.  And like I said I've been using atralin get every other night.  Could you recommend any other cleansers, or products that I might want to try?