Having an combination or oily skin does not make one to be immune to skin dehydration. Many of us incorrectly referring this type of skin as “oily but dry”. During the infamous Kelas Dandan FD, Darwyn the trainer, informed us that it is very common to have oily skin yet still dehydrated, and I believe the correct term coined was “oily but dehydrated”.
If you are certain your skin type is oily or combination, but experiencing peeling skin (unless you just underwent some sort of dermabrasion process, which peeling is obviously expected), then you need to pay attention to your cleansing, toning, moisturizing and other topical regimen.
Particularly for those with acne-prone skin, we are often to pick the harshest cleanser and facial scrub in the hope of clearing clogged pores. Your skin gets aggravated, your oil glands go overdrive by producing more oil than needed (making the likelihood of clogged pores even higher), and yet the surface is suffering from the harsh chemicals.
How to alleviate the scaly situation? Check your skin care product, and try to figure out which one that cause the overdrying and aggravation. First stop? Check your cleanser. Try to be more aware on how your skin feels after using these products. If the skin feels overly tight, then it’s probably time to re-consider if it is the right product for you. Next, check your toner. Toner with alcohol content sometimes dries out the skin. There are many toners available in the market that is alcohol-free (e.g., Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner). Don;t forget to check your moisturizer as well. You may need different moisturizer for different part of your face. Fussy yes. But snake skin ain’t good either. After the basics, go on with checking with your specialty treatments, such as masque and scrub. Using something that’s too drying or maybe too often? Gotta change that. Next, check your exposure to the sun. Asian women grow fear of the sun because they are afraid to be tanned, since fair and light skin is still preferred (just see how many skin-lightening cream ads out there!). However, the higher purpose of protecting your skin from the sun is to block cancer-causing rays and sunburn. And sunburnt skin flakes!
For those using topical acne medication, whether it is Salicylic acid, Benzoyl peroxide, Tea Tree oil, Sulphur, etc., then you need to use a light-but-hydrating moisturizer (like oil-free moisturizer) to counter the dryness caused by this product. I am under this acne treatment regimen, and my skin becomes very flaky if I don’t moisturize well (though I always feel that I have an equivalent of a tanker’s oil supply on my face). If you’re not too lazy and have access to essential oils, I am currently mixing a my oil-free moisturizer with 2-3 drops of Jojoba Oil, so that’s one trick you might want to try. Jojoba oil is actually not an oil, but a non-comedogenic wax, whose properties are very similar to the sebum naturally secreted by our face. In theory, applying jojoba to the skin can “trick” our skin into thinking it is producing enough oil, thus balancing oil production. Jojoba oil is available in health stores.
It is definitely a necessity to keep your skin well-hydrated, oily skin or not. While having an oily skin is probably inevitable by genetics, but having a flaky skin certainly can be avoided.
image credit goes to lotionsdreamsblog.com
