You may be eager to learn just how to treat oily skin, but to really understand what works and why, you need find out why your skin becomes oily in the first place. There is a lot of information out there, but most of it is actually misguided. I am sure that you have heard some people talk about how chocolate, soda and lots of other types of food can lead to oily skin and acne.  But the truth is, there is plenty of scientific proof that shows that your diet has nothing to do with it.  In reality, your skin gets oily when too much of a compound, known as sebum, starts to collect on your skin.

You are probably very familiar with Sebum and not even know it.  It is most commonly found on the nose, chin, cheeks, and forehead, and it may feel more like a waxy substance than anything else. The sebum, itself, is actually beneficial.  In the right quantity, it works to effectively lock in moisture and keep your skin looking and feeling healthy.  The problem is when the sebum builds to unnecessary levels and can begin to clog your pores.  So when you decide that it is time to start an oily skin treatment, special attention should be given to make sure that some of the sebum is left on the skin to prevent it from drying out, leading to red, flaky skin that can sometimes be quite painful.

When you officially begin an oily skin treatment, the first thing you will need to look for is a cleanser that will work well with you skin type.  Currently, if you walk into any department store, drug store, or grocery store you will most likely notice that there are probably hundreds of different skin cleansers to choose from.  And each one could potentially affect you skin differently. You will find that some will work while some won’t, some could go too far and dry out your skin while others will appear to completely useless.  The key is to try any number of the different cleansers and find out to what degree will each one work for you.  A good place to start it to choose a cleanser that uses salicylic acid (aka beta-hydroxy acid) as the main ingredient.  Salicylic acid has been proven to effectively control the production of sebum, and is works best if it used twice a day.  You may find that you will need to increase this on hot days, where sweat and sebum productions increase naturally.

If you are not careful when it comes choosing a product to help with treating your oily skin, you might end up with something that does the complete opposite. Some skin products are alcohol based and may completely strip your skin of all moisture (with the oil).  Your skin’s natural defense to this will be to produce even more oil than there was before.  So be sure to always check the label of any product you decide to try, because you need to be sure exactly what it contains and that it works specifically on oily skin.  Aside from the salicylic acid, you may want to look for a cleanser that has some oil in it.  This may sound odd, but it can be very effective.  It works by combining with the oil already on your skin, and because of oil’s natural resistance to water, it can then be simply washed away with warm water.

Once you have found a product that works for you, it is time to develop a routine to treat your oily skin.  You have to be very diligent, and make your that you stick to your routine every day. As was mentioned earlier, a good place to start is to wash every inch of your face twice a day.  This should be in addition to a regular shower where should take the time to make sure that all skin in cleansed thoroughly.  If you find that this is not enough, then add an additional cleaning to help keep the oil under control.  But remember to not over do it, as it can be quite easy to wash away all the sebum on your face leading to dry, painful skin.

Touching on something that we have already talked about, it is often believed that there are certain types of food that can increase you problem with acne. There have been all kinds of studies done on all kinds of food items, and none have shown to improve your chances of getting break outs and/or increasing the amount of sebum on your skin.  So go ahead and eat that chocolate, but as always, everything is better in moderation.

If your daily routine and cleansing product does not seem to be making much of a difference, then it may be time to visit a dermatologist (a skin doctor).  Dermatologists are experts in the field of acne and skin care, and have a lot more tools at their disposal to help treat oily skin and acne.  They may recommend something as simple as an over-the-counter cream that contains vitamin A or they may want to start you on something that requires a prescription.  If it comes to this make sure you take the time talk thing over with the doctor, even certain prescription medicines may not work for you and/or cause your skin to become extremely dry, itchy, and painful.

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