Hi folks,

Long-time lurker, but just registered to make my first-ever post. I'm hoping to benefit a bit from the board's collective wisdom:

Background: I'm a mid-30s male with mild adult acne. I tend to have 8-10 closed comedones and 1-3 very small papules or pustules at any given time. The vast majority of my comedones are the middle third of my forehead. I also get the occasional larger bump or cyst, but that's rare enough that I don't worry about it much.

My Routine: I recently started a new routine with two goals: (1) help control the comedones on my forehead; and (2) protect my face with SPF during the day. I had pretty much ignored #2 for most of my life, but I understand now how crucial it is.

Night:I wash with CeraVe Foaming Cleanser, then use Paula's Choice CLEAR BHA (leave-on liquid 2% salicylic), then 2.5% BP, then CeraVe PM moisturizer.

Morning: Idon't use any cleanser or anti-acne products in the morning. I just shower and then moisturize with an SPF moisturizer (right now I'm using Paula's Choice CLEAR Ultra-Light Daily Hydrating Fluid SPF 30+, though I'm open to suggestions--see below).

The Problem: This new routine definitely appears to be helping with the comedones. But it's come with a side effect I find fairly unacceptable: my forehead and nose are both really shiny and oily throughout the day now. I can't tell whether it's my natural skin oil, residual moisturizer, or a mixture of both. If I blot it, that helps temporarily, but it comes back.

I'd welcome any suggestions how to to reduce the oil/shine, other than simply blotting my face throughout the day, which isn't really an option. I'd also like input on whether this problem suggests that my skin is toodry(and thus overproducing oil), or if it's actually too moisturized. Maybe there's no way to tell?