I’ve had oily skin since I was a pre-teen. Luckily, I had a sister who was 10 years older than me, so she gave me great advice when I really needed it. She had already suffered through a terrible acne stage that required numerous dermatology appointments, benzoyl peroxide prescriptions, and the use of a sun lamp. Yep, back in the 1970s, you needed a prescription for standard OTC acne products, and doctors were prescribing sun lamps!!
One of the best things you can do for your skin, no matter what skin type you have, is to exfoliate. As we age, our skin cell turnover slows, and we get dull skin and clogged pores, leading to our skin showing its age. You can exfoliate with a cleanser, moisturizer and/or an overnight treatment. How often you exfoliate, depends on what your skin can handle. You’ll know if your skin is irritated or overly dry, then you can cut back on your exfoliation.
The Best Face Products for Oily Skin
Everyone needs a good SPF. Many products, such as moisturizers and makeup include SPF, but not at a level that is truly beneficial. Many SPF products caused my skin to appear very shiny and greasy. SPF comes either as a chemical sunscreen or a mineral sunscreen. Both are blocking the damaging, harmful rays. After trial and error, I found SPFs that are 100% mineral sunscreen are the best for oily skin. No more oil slick, and some even help mattify.
With oily skin, you want to find a good moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid and control oil production with salicylic acid.
The product line that was recommended then and is still at the forefront of skin care today is Neutrogena. Specifically the Healthy Skin Line for mature skin still struggling with acne and oil.
The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Line is a great option for those with normal to oily skin. This line contains hyaluronic acid which helps to keep skin hydrated and locks moisture in.
Paula’s Choice is another great option. Both their Resist line and Clear Line offer many options for normal to oily skin.
CeraVe and Cetaphil are two other great drugstore lines that have upped their game in the past few years.
Last, but maybe the most important to mature skin is a retinol/retinoid product. These are derived from vitamin A with retinol being the lesser strength and found in many OTC skin care products. These will help with cell turnover and are used overnight. Retin-A (tretinoin) has been the one touted for many years as a near fountain of youth. It was originally for treating acne and other skin conditions, but doctors and patients found that it also seemed to be reversing the signs of aging. Retin-A (tretinoin) available in many strengths, but all require a prescription. Differin (adapalene) recently became OTC and it is very similar to Retin-A (tretinoin) in what if offers, but I found it to be less irritating to my skin. You start slowly, use Differin 1-2 times a week to start and increase as your skin begins to tolerate it.
