1. The mistake: Inconsistent use of acne medications.
   Acne medication isn’t as effective if you only apply it two or three times a week, offers Dr. Nacht. Alternately, trying to compensate by over-applying acne medication can irritate and damage the skin, resulting in redness and overdrying. Plus, pimples won’t heal any faster: Skin can only absorb or utilize a certain amount of the product’s active ingredients, regardless of how many times you apply it.

The solution: Since acne medication works for six to 12 hours, it should be applied consistently two or three times a day. Remember, you can’t cure acne– just control it.

2.The mistake: Not using moisturizer if your skin is oily.
If your skin is shiny or has an oily feel, it doesn’t mean you should avoid moisturizing. After washing, your skin’s relatively dry as a result of the cleansing process, explains Doughty. All cleansers, even water, take out some level of moisture. Using a moisturizer will replace this, protect your skin and prep it for makeup.

The solution: Go with a moisturizer that won’t add oil or a greasy feel.

3.The mistake: Smoking.
You already know that smoking is bad for you, but here’s another reason never to light up. “Nicotine constricts blood vessels, including those which feed your skin,” states Dr. Nacht. The complexion consequence? Your skin becomes deprived because it doesn’t receive proper nourishment from your blood.

The solution: Don’t smoke…ever. For clear skin as well as a dizzying host of other reasons!

4. The mistake: Drying out the skin on your body.

Being in water that’s too hot or staying in the bath or shower for too long won’t hydrate your skin and can cause skin to lose vital ingredients that help to hold moisture in the skin, explains Dr. Shapiro.

The solution: “Your bath or shower water should be warm enough to be comfortable, but not overly hot,” Dr. Shapiro. “All you need is a few minutes in the shower. In the bath, you don’t want to stay in the water long enough to get that ‘prune’ effect.” Set a time limit–around 15 minutes–max. Also, you should use a gentle cleanser, such as Neutrogena Rainbath Refreshing Shower and Body Gel.

5. The mistake: Drying out your skin in an attempt to control acne and oil.
   Using harsh soap can actually strip sebum from your skin, explains Dr. Brett Shulman, Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. “Sebum helps give skin its flexibility and pliability. Without this the skin can ‘crack’ and you can lose the skin’s barrier function. This increases the risk of irritation and infection.”

Finding the right anti-ageing products to use can be tough when your skin tends to err on the oilier side. It seems unfair that many products made to battle the signs of ageing can feel heavy and simultaneously clog your pores. So, what type of anti-ageing formulas should you look for when you have oily skin? We ask the experts.

Formulas that are easily absorbed and lightweight when applied on the skin are a must if you have oily skin, especially since most anti-ageing formulas on the market tend to be of a thicker consistency.

CREAMS AND EMULSIONS

Ageing can also accentuate changes in texture and pore size that are associated with oilier skin, so looking for products that both refine and hydrate the skin are a must. Depending on the ingredients, emulsions can be an excellent option for oily skin as they’re light weight in consistency and will hydrate without triggering acne or problematic skin.

Sam Allen,  Education Specialist, agrees, adding, “Creams and emulsions can be an effective method to support a weakened skin barrier, limit water loss and improve skin texture. The ratio and balance of nourishing and hydrating ingredients in a cream or emulsion will determine suitability.”

“Lightweight moisturisers that contain anti-ageing peptides and protective anti-oxidants are also a great alternative, as they address the signs of ageing while remaining comfortable on the skin.”

OCCLUSIVES ARE A NO GO

Occlusive formulas on the other hand have no major benefit for an oily skin type and when used will leave it feeling heavy, sticky and greasy. However, Sam says they can be used for a short term period while the skin is impaired, “Which may be the case after a professional treatment like a chemical peel, or if you suffer with skin conditions such as dermatitis,” he explains.

Here are the most common skincare mistakes when caring for acne-prone skin — and what to do instead.

We all want to have glow-y, clear, zit-free skin,but you may not realize that some seemingly harmless habits could actually be sabotaging your skin and making you break out. Here are the most common skincare mistakes when caring for acne-prone skin — and what to do instead.

1.The mistake: Roughly cleansing acne-prone skin.
Using harsh, abrasive products or tools (such as a loofah) can actually cause you to breakout more! According to Dr. Warren Shapiro, Senior Vice President of Research and Development at Neutrogena, overscrubbing and using harsh scrubs can irritate your skin and make it harder for acne to clear and heal.

The solution: Stay away from abrasive cleansers and scrubbing tools. Use a gentle exfoliator a few times a week, and if you’re afraid of being too rough with your hands, try an exfoliating brush, which works to clean pores without irritating your skin.

2.The mistake: Dabbing acne medication only on pimples.
Acne medications not only speed the healing of existing pimples, explains Sergio Nacht, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Science and Technology for Advanced Polymer Systems, they also help prevent new pimples.

The solution: To keep skin in the clear, apply a thin layer of acne medication (one containing benzoyl peroxide will help kill the bacteria) over the entire area where pimples tend to occur.

3. The mistake: Squeezing pimples.
   Picking at pimples can spread infection, making skin worse–not better. And, according to Dr. Nacht, the result can be scarring.

Use Oil-Free and Water-Based Products

Obviously, you don’t want to put any more oil onto your skin than is already there. Look for “oil-free” on the label, especially for those leave-on products like moisturizers, sunscreen, and makeup.

You may also want to use products labeled noncomedogenic. This means they are less likely to cause pore blockages (comedones), and less likely to trigger acne breakouts.

Water-based products are another great option for oily skin types. Water-based products use a gel base and don’t leave any heavy residue on the skin. They feel virtually weightless on the skin.

You can find water-based moisturizing gels, sunscreens, and makeup foundation. Check the label; many of these are marketed to people with oily and breakout-prone skin.

Your topical acne medications have water-based options too. Differin, Retin-A, Onexon, and more all come in a gel form. If your current acne medication feels too heavy or greasy for your liking, ask your dermatologist if there is a gel option.

Don’t Scrub at Your Skin

Those of us with oily skin seem especially conditioned to scrubbing away, and it can be a hard habit to break. After all, won’t scrubbing at the skin help deep-clean the pores, clear acne and reduce oiliness?

Surprisingly, no. Rubbing the skin with abrasive scrubs, pads, or washcloths won’t make your skin less oily and won’t improve acne. It will irritate the skin, though. Oily or not, be kind to your skin and treat it gently.

Exfoliate and Use Acne Treatments

Acne treatments and exfoliating products reduce excess oil, and can also improve the look of large pores. Oily skin and large pores often go hand in hand and can be just as frustrating as acne itself. While you can’t permanently shrink your pore size, you can make them look smaller.

Many acne medications pull double-duty and reduce enlarged pores while clearing breakouts. Topical retinoids, in particular, are good at minimizing large pores. Over-the-counter salicylic acid is another option.

With oily skin and acne, you’re probably not always in love with your skin. But oily skin isn’t all bad. One bonus—your oily skin is less prone to wrinkling than dry skin types.

Still, oily skin, and the acne breakouts that often come with it, can be frustrating. With the right care, you can tame oily shine, improve acne, and learn to embrace your skin type.

Cleanse Face at Least Twice a Day

A simple way to keep oily skin in check is to cleanse your face regularly. Wash your face twice a day, both morning and night.

Use a foaming soap or facial cleanser over cream-based or lotion cleansers. Foaming cleansers do a much better job cleansing away excess oil and leave your skin feeling fresh and clean.

Use an Astringent

An astringent is another good way to control oil. Astringents are like toners, except they are made especially for oily skin types. Astringents help remove excess oil from the skin and tighten the pores (temporarily, at least).

To use, apply to a cotton ball or cotton pad and wipe over the entire face and neck area. Do this after cleansing but before applying your moisturizer or topical acne medications.

Astringents are also great to use between washings to clean away excess oil and get rid of oily shine that appears during the day. Some astringents contain ingredients, like glycolic acid or salicylic acid that can help clear breakouts, too.

• In fact, every person’s skin type is unique to the person, just like fingerprints. It has no equal. However, it is possible to make a certain grouping by looking at the general characteristics of the skin such as oil condition, moisture content and thinness. With such classifications, it may be easier to know the general features of your skin and understand its needs.

DRY SKIN

• Dry skin means skin with reduced moisture content. Dry skin type is often structural, but it can also occur as a result of using inappropriate washing products such as soap. Dryness manifests itself in the form of scaling, tightness, roughness and itching on the skin. In addition, dry skin wrinkles prematurely and lines due to aging are more pronounced in the dry skin.

OILY SKIN

• It is the skin type that most bothers the person in daily life and where skin problems such as acne occur most frequently. Although you wash your skin and go to bed at night, if you touch your skin as soon as you wake up in the morning, if you get oil almost everywhere, you have oily skin. Although oily skin is most common in adolescents, many factors such as various hormonal changes, environmental factors, and diet can cause oily skin.

MIXED SKIN

• Combination skin is when some part of the face is dry and some part is oily. Generally, while the cheeks are dry, excessive fat is seen in the forehead, nose and chin area called ‘T’ zone. It requires a much richer care as it shows the characteristics of two different skin types. The important point in the care of this skin type is to remove excess oil and not dry the skin.

SENSITIVE SKIN

• As the name suggests, this skin type, which is very sensitive, causes a lot of trouble to the person and requires careful care like baby skin. Dry, oily or combination skin can also be sensitive. Because sensitivity is not related to the oil or moisture balance of the skin. Sensitive skin type most often complains of rash. All kinds of environmental factors such as heat, cold, sun, stress, weather changes can cause sudden rashes on the skin.