Help for Oily Skin

I have really bad oily skin––the kind where you could ice skate on my
face about half way through the day every day. No acne, although I
still use some medications just to be proactive, but I hate wiping down
my face 5 times a day and having that greasy feeling.
I use Dermalogica Special Cleansing gel to wash my face in the morning
and then repeat at night. Before bedtime, I recently began wiping my
face with an Oxy Daily Cleansing pad. I bought the kind for "normal
skin" with a 0.5% solution of salicyclic acid. I didn't want to go
with the higher solution b/c I didn't want the kind of drying effect
that makes my face red and flakey. However, I don't think this
strength is strong enough, either, b/c the oily skin is still bad.
Basically I'm looking for a product that's not an acne medication,
that's not some sort of solution or astrigent that's going to make my
face crack if I so much as move my mouth, etc. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
Joy

Joy, I don't know how old you are, but the only thing I found to
control my oily skin is a low dosage of Accutane. It has been
fantastic. You have to jump through hoops to get it, but ask your
dermatologist.
Lynne

jbrune...@yahoo.com wrote:
There's this product I use by 'Neostrata' that's really good. Wiped my
skin *clean* in a coupla days. They seem to have excellent (oily)
skin–care products.
Jane, owner of oily skin

(1) Milk of Magnesia mask each morning helps to slow down oil outbreak:
Pour plain––not flavored––MoM into its bottle cap and dab that onto
clean face with a cotton ball. Let dry while you do other things,
about ten minutes. Rinse with cool water and pat dry.
(2) Carry blot papers wherever you go. Clean & Clear are cheap,
effective, readily available.
I don't think there are any products that truly prevent oiliness, and
I've probably tried most of them.

I've used Sea Breeze (or cheaper equivalents) morning and night for over
20 years, and my skin hasn't cracked yet! I think it's the only
practical way to get the oil down to a dull sheen.
jbrune...@yahoo.com wrote:

jbrune...@yahoo.com wrote:
I have the T–zone kind of oily skin that is mostly manageable, but from
time to time in my life, I've gone through periods – for months– where
my face suddenly seems to be covered all over in grease, even the
normally normal parts, and it's just awful! So I feel your pain. :–)
I don't know if this perspective helps you, but through trial and error
and sleuthing I found a few interesting connections.
The first was the pill. Are you on the pill? Certain brands of pill
made my face extremely oily for some reason. Switching to a different
brand solved one mysterious greasy period in my life. When I finally
went off the pill, I went through a period where I had the skin from
hell as my body re–adjusted, but now it's back under control.
Also, you might try a test: for a week, don't use anything on your face
at all, except water. It could be that your skin simply doesn't like
all the products you're using on it now. Too much touching, too much
fussing, or some sort of reaction to different foundations,
moisturizers, astringents, soaps, etc. Less is always more, IMO.
Or, it could be that your skin is reacting to one product in
particular.
I once did this and then slowly added back in my usual products, one at
a time. Turns out it was the foundation I was using at the time that
was causing too much oil production. The weird thing is that it was a
brand I'd used for years and years with no problems. At first I thought
maybe the foundation had gone bad, or they'd switched the formula on
me, but that wasn't the case. My skin has somehow developed a
sensitivity to this brand, and I can no longer use it.
I've also discovered that I can't use Cetaphil at all. I find it
strange that this product is often advertised for those with skin
problems. It's supposed to be mild, etc. But every time I use it, a
grease skid develops within a week. My skin just hates it.
Likewise it seems my skin can't stand most facial cleansers, no matter
how frou–frou – actually, the more expensive the brand, and especially
the more perfumed, the worse it is for me. And, oddly, it doesn't like
Dove soap either.
I have learned to keep my routine extremely simple. I have found a mild
soap from Trader Joe's that my skin seems to like. I alternate that
with Lever antibacterial soap (a bit harsh, but if I don't, I'll get
breakouts). I do use Oil of Olay day and night. That and Clinique are
the only types of moisturizer my face can tolerate – they aren't overly
heavy and they have few perfumes, etc to irritate skin.
I am very gentle when I cleanse, using my fingertips and no wash cloth.
Then I leave my face alone the rest of the day – no touching or
fiddling!
Be careful with the prescription acne meds. My DF used them when he was
younger, and now the good news is that he doesn't have oily skin. The
bad news is, he seems to have destroyed his oil glands permanently; his
skin has gone from extremely oily, to extremely dry!!
jen

In article <1122294754.654313.85...@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
"shinypenny" <shinypenny0...@yahoo.com> wrote:
I am very lucky b/c considering just *how* oily my face is, it should be
covered in acne. But I manage to keep that under control. What I can't
stand is blotting my face and my makeup away several times a day only to
still have a layer of grease there. I do go through dry periods, but
generally like I said, you could hold the skating finals on my face.
Nope not on the pill. Actually made me break out when I was in late
teens/early 20's, so it didn't help with skincare at all the way it does
in some people. Quite the opposite.
I was on vacation for three weeks last month and didn't wear any makeup
the entire time. I did my usual Cleocin–T and Cetaphil moisturizer w/
SPF 15 application in the morning and then followed up with a dab of
Brevoxyl at night and the oil was still there. This was washing with my
normal cleanser (Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel) both times.
So I don't think it's the base (Clinique Stay–True). I use Clinique
blush and that's about all I'll put on my face. I'm reluctant to try
other makeups/products b/c my skin is *that* sensitive, but you have a
point that something I'm using might be causing the oiliness.
Yep, I use this, but have always stuck with it b/c it's the only sun
protection I get. When I was younger I didn't use moisturizer at all
b/c I thought I didn't need it, but like my dermatologist would explain
to me, your skin needs a little bit of both: oil & moisture. Just wish
the oil wasn't in gobs.
Again I've stuck with the Dermalogica b/c it seems to not hurt my skin.
Sometimes that's how I've learned to settle––it might not help, but at
least it doesn't make my skin freak and break out.
For instance, I was using those Oxy Daily Cleansing pads that I
originally wrote about, and I figured they were probably the cause of
these tiny little pimples I was getting on my chin. I was also testing
the product on a part of my chest an inch or two from my collar bone to
confirm and there were the same pimples. That product went in the trash
yesterday and now I'm trying the Clean & Clear pads with 1% salicyclic
acid. They're also perfumed and if these also cause problems, I'm done
with the cleansing pad form of treatment! I like the way they take off
excess dirt, but they don't seem to be made for sensitive skin types
from what I can tell.
That's one of my fears––completely stripping my skin of oil, which I
know will help me to look younger when I'm in my 40's and 50's. A
middle ground is what I'd love to find. :)
Thanks for all of the helpful suggestions. I'll rotate products as you
suggest and see if I don't come home with my face glowing one of these
days.
Joy