What is Oily Skin, How to Treat It, and How NOT to Treat It

We have often seen celebrities endorsing products of giant companies including clear skin products. Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, and Puff Daddy are good examples of stars advertising for products for treatment of oily skin. A very natural question arises. Do they really use the same products they endorse for? Or is the advertised product that much effective, or it’s just an exaggeration?

The majority of endorsed products contain Benzoyl peroxide or Salicylic (less than two per cent) Benzoyl peroxide irritates the skin, and is not much effective. Salicylic acid should be used more than ten per cent, but in reality, very little amount is being used. Bacteria get activated on oily skin. So, it is important to kill the bacteria which eventually give threshold to acne.

When some established dermatologists were asked about the causes and solutions, they unanimously declined to prefer these endorsed products. Their recommendations were:

(a) TCA Skin peels: A TCA, trichloroacetic acid, skin peel is the most cost effective external treatment and is easily accessible to the consumers. It creates conditions unfavorable to the bacteria growth and existence by altering the pH level of the skin. It removes excess of oil from skin, helps in exfoliation and new skin production. This also helps in removing acne scars. The best thing is it does not have any side affects.

(b) Tetracycline: It kills bacteria. It will function till you keep applying. It does not help in avoiding oily skin. As a side effect, teeth become yellow. Doxycyline antibiotic have the same results as tetracycline.

(c) Accutane: It is a heavy prescription. It is given for mild to severe acne. Serious side effects have been seen after its use. It stops oil production and almost halts the very function of sebaceous glands. Many lawsuits have been registered against its use.

(d) Laser treatment: It’s expensive, and hence, it’s out of reach of common man. Laser treatments, too, do not act against the oily skin, and fail in terminating the excess production of sebum. It’s effective on acne scarce.

The above discussions clears that TCA skin peels is a wise option. Be a little wise while opting for the acne treatments. Most importantly, do not be misled by the various endorsements.