Introduction

If you are stuck with oily skin you have many more challenges than people with dry or normal skin. One of the biggest challenges with oily skin is dealing with the periodic outbreaks of acne.

Oily Skin Defined

People who have oily skin have excess sebum on their skin. This is caused by excess secretion of sebum by the sebaceous glands that produces this oil.

Your outer layer of skin is made up of skin cells and is connected by lipids or fats. Oily skin is primarily dependent on the condition of the outer layer of your skin that generates the sebum or oil. Your hormones, diet, stress and your genes, all affect the amount of oil you produce.

Because of the excess production of oil, your skin will appear shiny.

You will also have large pores and your skin will appear course. Because of these large pores, this skin condition will tend to have a large number of blackheads, pimples or acne.

Causes Of Acne

There are three factors that lead to the development of acne:

Over production of sebum
Dead skin
Bacteria.

The basic understanding of what causes acne is the secretion of oil from your pores is blocked by your dead skin. This blockage traps the oil and bacteria in the skins pores.

As more oil is developed, the skins pores will swell and the bodies defenses, white blood cells, will attack the trapped bacteria.

This process will result in you developing a pimple (acne).

Caring For Acne And Oily Skin

To care for your oily skin, ensure you do not use products with an oily base, because you have enough oil already. Here is what you need to do to minimize and even eliminate acne.

Cleanse- You should cleanse your face at least twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night, this will remove excess oils and more important bacteria. Pick a cleanser that is designed specifically for oily skin and stay away from regular soap, and especially those that contain alcohol.
Moisturize- After you cleanse, moisturize your skin to keep it hydrated.
Exfoliate- To help in removing dead skin, you should exfoliate your skin once or twice a week.

By doing one additional step you will not only minimize acne, but will keep a youthful face as you slowly age. This last step is to wear a sunscreen everyday. This will prevent damage to your skin from UV light which causes wrinkles.

Conclusion

To keep acne at bay for those of us with oily skin, you should remove bacteria, the dead skin and reduce the sebum your skin secretes by cleansing, moisturizing and exfoliating.