Hello, everyone,
So, what the title says, no moisturizer works for me! They all make me greasy and more oily no matter how "matte" or for "oily skin" they are, they just make me shine and greasy for the rest of the day. I'm starting to giving up. Some work better, obviously, but they all make me greasy at the end of the day.
Before getting acne and before I started to use all of these products for my acne, my face never had problems with dryness or oiliness, so the only way to go back to normal (that has worked for me) is to stop using everything, and after a few weeks, my skin gets back to normal, but I break out horribly!
I was hoping someone could help me figure out what's wrong. I always try switching moisturizers, but it doesn't work 
. I'm really sad. I'm either really dry because I never use moisturizers or super oily because I use them. I just want to look normal! Does anybody have any recommendations? Is it maybe my regimen? Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks!
What are you using on your skin? If you're using acne products...then you're right --- you'll want to use a moisturizer. The one my derm recommended and the only one that works for my super oily (but also irritated flakey skin) is DML lotion. It is sold online and in most drugstores like Walgreens. It was developed specifically for acne prone sensitive skin...dries quickly and stops flaking --- very soothing.
I also recommend that you might consider some dietary changes to help stop oiliness...and consequently you may be able to use less acne meds. The thing that made a huge difference for me is avoiding all dairy and especially all processed oils or added oils such as in salad dressings, cooking oils, margarines, butter, mayo, etc. I eat foods that naturally have fat such as avocado or salmon...just not any processed oils. These oils are very concentrated and can cause inflammation in the body that results in more oily skin. This is hard to do at first but you'll see a difference within a couple of weeks. Your skin will be less oily and inflamed.
Hello, everyone,
So, what the title says, no moisturizer works for me! They all make me greasy and more oily no matter how "matte" or for "oily skin" they are, they just make me shine and greasy for the rest of the day. I'm starting to giving up. Some work better, obviously, but they all make me greasy at the end of the day.
Yep, so stop using them.
What are you using on your skin? If you're using acne products...then you're right --- you'll want to use a moisturizer. The one my derm recommended and the only one that works for my super oily (but also irritated flakey skin) is DML lotion. It is sold online and in most drugstores like Walgreens. It was developed specifically for acne prone sensitive skin...dries quickly and stops flaking --- very soothing.
I also recommend that you might consider some dietary changes to help stop oiliness...and consequently you may be able to use less acne meds. The thing that made a huge difference for me is avoiding all dairy and especially all processed oils or added oils such as in salad dressings, cooking oils, margarines, butter, mayo, etc. I eat foods that naturally have fat such as avocado or salmon...just not any processed oils. These oils are very concentrated and can cause inflammation in the body that results in more oily skin. This is hard to do at first but you'll see a difference within a couple of weeks. Your skin will be less oily and inflamed.
Thanks for your response.
I use tretinoin at night, wait 30-40 minutes, then add moisturizer. I was also prescribed Minocycline two times a day. Then I was my face in the morning, wait 10-20 minutes, and then put moisturizer.
I stopped drinking milk and reduced my intake of dairy products (which sucks, 'cause I love cheese) a month ago, but I haven't noticed any changes. Or maybe I have, but I stopped when I started taking the Minocycline and applying the tretinoin, so I'm not sure what is working and what not. I also stopped eating mayo.
Is it okay if I skip the moisturizer in the morning? Would that be bad for my skin? 'Cause I'm tired of looking like a pool of oil when I go out in public .
I'll definitely check that DML lotion.
Thanks for your advice. I really appreciate it!
Hello, everyone,
So, what the title says, no moisturizer works for me! They all make me greasy and more oily no matter how "matte" or for "oily skin" they are, they just make me shine and greasy for the rest of the day. I'm starting to giving up. Some work better, obviously, but they all make me greasy at the end of the day.
Yep, so stop using them.
Would that be good or healthy for my skin if I stop using moisturizers? Is using moisturizer after tretinoin a must or just a preference?
1) Body Shop Aloe serum. In fact, only use serums, ever, if you really need a moisturizer at all.
2) Hyaluronic Acid mixed with water in a travel spray bottle works as a moisturizer and makeup freshener. Make it clean daily or every other day. Add Apple Cider Vinegar and use it as a toner on your oily days.
If you are using tretinoin then yes you need to use lotion because tretinoin is so irritating. Lotion helps skin heal and is a protective barrier. Acne products like tretinoin strip that barrier and cause skin to shed more (flakey skin). Try the DML lotion. DML is the only lotion I have tried that does not make my skin oily. Avoiding processed oils and dairy is essential to having less oily skin. It takes awhile for avoiding dairy to kick in because dairy is a hormone issue and that takes time for the body to show a difference. Avoiding processed oils is quicker in my experience...but you have to be diligent. That means no added oils, margarine, butter, salad dressings, fried foods...basically anything in oil.
In my own experience I was doing everything right with diet and acne treatment and my skin was looking better but it was still very oily and breaking out. The one thing I had not changed was avoiding processed oils. It was after reading about the diets of cultures that don't get acne and reading everything Dr McDougall had to say about the acne-diet connection that I finally realized that all the oils I was consuming (margarine, olive oil, salad dressings, french fries) was causing the oily skin and continuing to plug my pores. Within weeks of avoiding those things my skin got normal...and finally clear. Amazing. I keep sharing this info with everyone and meet with a lot of skepticism I think because people remember the "low-fat" diets of years ago. But those diets substituted oil with lots of meats and high sugar processed "low-fat" foods that are also not good for acne prone skin. The diet I do is whole fresh foods, no added oil, dairy or sugars. So I get my fat from whole foods like avocado and salmon. I get my sugars from berries and peaches. I get my calcium from eating tons of dark green vegies. I have never felt better in my life. Just completed a marathon last weekend and I'm in my 60's!
Google "Dr McDougall acne" and articles will come up that go into the science behind avoiding processed oils and why it helps oily skin and acne. Cut and paste the following...
https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/videos/mcdougalls-moments/acne/
If you have oily skin your water barrier is probably not working properly so you get dry skin. I'm not sure if the oily skin is a cause of TEWL or a symptom of some other problem which also causes TEWL?
My dermatologist told me that Tretinoin - which I see you have also used - causes dry skin.
If you're very oily then reducing the oil will probably improve the quality of your skin. Topical tretinoin won't reduce oil. If you're female you could try some anti androgens (check other threads). If you're male you might try large doses of vitamin A (check other threads). I'm not a fan of megadosing on vitamins but that's a personal thing!
I'm currently using BP. This is the only thing I put on my skin. The BP I use - which I get from my local chemist - contains a moisturiser in addition to an oil absorber. My skin is reasonably good quality while I use it. Unfortunately it doesn't help with oil production . I tried Dan's BP but my skin didn't like it!
I'm about to try chlorophyll PDT at home to address the oil production. If I have success I'll come back here and talk all about it!
I used to decline to use moisturizer as they make my skin very oily. Trust me, I used to have super duper oily skin and my face would have this shiny greasy look in mid-day. Then, I realized that my skin was flaky and scaly after I started some antibiotics cream so I decided to moisturize. I have tried lots of moisturizer and it just gives me this thick greasy look at the end of the day. Imagine skin looking greasy and scaly at the same time. Then, I use the product called Papulex oil-free cream which is recommended by my dermatologist. Out of all the moisturizer I use this one works the best for me!! Ive been using for two weeks now I could see the difference already as my skin is so so much less oilier. I think it works very well at controlling sebum production probably because it contains Zinc PCA. Less sebum/oil = less acne. Well there you have it hope this helps!
