Help I'm soooo greasy!!

[DeepOceanOfSecrets]

Ever since I was a teenager I have had problems with my skin. I am a sufferer of adult acne (the joys) which I am currently controlling with antibiotics.

However - my skin is so SO greasy. The only thing for it is to reapply powder HOURLY or I look like I've just dipped my head in a deep fat fryer :(

Please tell me there are other chronically oily people out there and that there is some secret I don't know about?! I have tried mostly every face wash but currently wash my face with natural soaps. I wear foundation every day but because my skin is so bad I feel I can't live without it! Vicious circle I suppose :(

Any ideas?

I use sudocrem as facial moisturiser - all over. I always use a tinted moisturiser on top which has witch hazel in. It comes in a silver tube from boots. I cover that with translucent loose powder.

That seems to work for me. My skin is mostly clear now, except for a few black heads I rarely have breakouts.

At school my nicknames included pizza-face and Freddie Kruger.

It seems stupid, because it feels so thick and 'greasy', but Lush's Ultrabland is brilliant. You put a big lump of it your skin and rub it in all over. Then you clean it off with cotton wool/muslins soaked with hot water. It takes all your excess oils away. I have stopped using anything else - except the glycolic(?) acid stuff you all raved about and a little olive oil afterwards so my face doesn't fall off.

Very impressed with all you ladies who take the time to cleanse with hot cloths! I'm a bit of a lazy b*tch and just tend to use a fragrance free makeup wipe and then wash thoroughly with Jobajoba oil soap (cleanses nicely but face is greasy again within a few hours).

Also thanks for all the tips! Thought I'd tried everything - obviously not!!

It's not the best as they discontinued my prolumiere so I use the perfection lumiere now i dont love it so I'm looking at others have tried double wear (just like a mask that no shades suit) and many many Clinique foundations. And the Dior forever.
Everything seems to be moisturising anti ageing and illuminating/glowing!

Have a look at Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown and even amazing Tom Ford counters, is all about the moisture!

Last thing I want!
But as I'm getting older I'm kinda embracing the glow
But still don't want moisturising!
And my kids are teenagers (with acne)

Shit

But I can force them to GP's

And I'm still quite young looking

And please please don't sudocreme your face!

I am 35 and have also been plagued by spotty oily skin since my early teens. However, my skin has improved since I started using mineral powder foundation, you use a round brush to buff it on so you can vary the amount you have. I hate to have a thick mask of foundation on so this is fab as is does a really good job of covering up spots and evening out skin tone and keeps oil at bay for quite a long time. It also doesn't clog pores so it is not a major problem if I forget (or can't be arsed) to take it off at night. I use the bare minerals one by bare escentuals.

I have also been using the Ren brand of face wash and moisturiser although I mix and match the type, ie I use an exfoliant used for combination skin and a clay cleanser for oly skin together. I use moisturiser for combination skin as I find that the one for oily skin is too drying and makes my skin oiler. In fact I have found over the years that lots of stuff designed for oily skin is too harsh and makes everything worse. I actually think oily skin needs to be quite well moisturised otherwise it goes into overdrive and ends up producing more oil!

The hot cloth thing is easy peasy and doesn't take any more time than using facial wash.

Literally: apply cleanser to face
Run cloth under hand hot water
Take off cleanser
Apply cold water/ cloth in cold water

Takes no time at all.

Tell me about it lipgloss! Last thing I want is a foundation to make my skin shinier!!

Is mineral foundation actually good for oily skin then usedtobe? I have heard mixed reviews.

What's wrong with sudocreming your face? I do it twice a day. Is there some hidden danger I didn't know about?

I think with mineral foundation it is a little bit hit and miss, I used a L'oreal one first and it made my skin worse but then I read that it was because it wasn't a pure one, instead it was mixed with other things like talc. A friend then recommended the bare minerals one and I have been really pleased with it and used it for nearly 2 years now.

The one thing I have learned that it is all trial and error when trying to find a regime, what works for one doesn't for another. I tried the hot cloth and polish but it didn't work for me but a friend had great results!

I have also started to have microdermabrasion facials every few months which also seem to be working.

I also can really sympathize with you. I am now 35 & have had oily problematic skin as long as I can remember. I did use to get more flare ups with bad cystic acne for a while but like yourself was prescribed antibiotics (minocin) which cleared that up. I then kept seeing my dermatologist for a while for glycolic peels, which I stopped in the end as I wasnt convinced. So then it was just the ongoing horrible oily skin prone to breakouts. I really am so pleased to have recently discovered the Dermalogica range, I dont even dare say it out loud but (whispers)... my skin has been looking great ever since. They really tailor products to you, for example I have the special cleansing gel which is great but also have a cleanser with salycylic acid from their new teenage range for those times during the month when my skin gets more oily and spot prone. I know its tempting but we shouldnt use these slightly harsher products all the time as it will end up aggravating the problem. I also have a great oil free moisturizer and the most amazing product the overnight clearing gel for spot emergencies, this little product takes on all spots and wins everytime!! If you can, go and visit a Dermatologist skin bar for a consultation and face mapping, Im so glad I did, its so nice to not be worried about oily skin and breakouts so much anymore. Good Luck.

Those of you who have had hormone levels checked and/or seen dermatologists - has this been done via a GP referral?

I use sudocrem on really nasty spots but when I have put it over a whole area it has left my skin even more greasy feeling than usual.

I feel so embarassed about my skin - sometimes I don't even want to leave the house.

Yep , sometimes dermatologica,Liz Earle,Clinique, or all the other brand names are brill for the surface of your face.
Sometimes though it's your skin's reaction to the hormones that your body is producing and nothing you put on your face will make a teeny tiny bit of a difference.
~voice of experience ~

Minttulip, I had face mapping once (I think - they put my head in a machine and it showed my skin as purple with orange dots!!) but the woman who did it seemed really salesy, which put me off a bit, and the package she was trying to sell me was well over a £100 with the special makeup. I thought if it didn't work I would have wasted a lot of money!

If only there was a mirical cure that worked for everyone! Really tempted to ask the GP about my hormone levels - but then again, if there is something wrong with them is the treatment fake hormones? I don't do well with extra hormones in my system, must have tried every hormonal birth control there is and they all made me a crying/shouting hormonal mess.

My hormone levels were checked because we'd decided to start trying for a baby and my periods were all over the place. Acne is a "classic" PCOS sign apparently.

I have v oily skin too.

Currently in between appointments with Dermatology at the hospital - so have to let my skin do it's thing.

I used to take Dianette - as it gave me beautiful skin. however I am too old really, and have had DVT so I shouldn't take it at all.

The last time I went cold turkey onthe Dianette I had horrendous skin (about 6 years ago) so was very worried about quitting. This time it hasn't been half as bad - so felt a bit of a fraud getting a referral to dermatology. However they are very helpful and I have an appt in July to see how it is all going.

What Ithink may havemade a difference though is that my diet is significantly better than it was a few years back - much healthier in general, I no longer smoke, still drink( not quite as much!). I also started taking Zinc and most recently Omega 3 supplements. So some or all of that could have made a difference.

Is the oiliness on your upperbody too? Or just your face? Mine is/was face, neck, chest and back - and shoulders. So face washes and lotions are all well and good, but who can be bothered treating all their upper body?

Maybe next time you get antibiotics from doc mention that you still aren't satisified and want to discuss treating the actual greasiness issue rather than the bacterial side of it, which the antibs are dealing with.

I have super oily skin, greasy hair and cystic acne to boot. Over the years I've tried dianette, I was on antibiotics for over two years, if the GP could prescribe it I've tried it and none of it worked. The next step was roaccutane but I didn't like the sound of the side effects.

In the last year I've found two products that help greatly. I wanted to try the acne.org approach so bought some Panoxyl 2.5 Aquagel. Made sod all difference to my acne, but I did notice it stopped my face from becoming so oily that my makeup would slide off. I now apply a very thin layer daily after moisturising and it works so much better than any primer I've ever tried. I can now go for 12 hours without powdering, blotting or needing to touch up my make up. If I miss a bit (if I don't blend it into my hairline properly for example) the difference between the treated and non treated areas are visible. I did get a bit of dryness/peeling after the first week of use but my skin soon adjusted so it's worth persevering.

For the acne side of things I do DIY combined salicylic and lactic acid peels. Amazing! I still get the occasional tiny pre menstrual pimple, but nothing that can't be covered with a tiny bit of foundation and isnt at all red or angry looking. Deep cyst wise I'll get perhaps one every couple of months, a dab of freederm and it disappears overnight with none of the skin stretching, splitting, weeping, scabbing and scarring cycle that I suffered with for years. My pores also appear tighter and I've never had so few blackheads.

Chronically oily lady here, skin and hair normal when pregnant and on the contraceptive pill Yasmin. Its all about hormones with me.

Yes, yasmin always worked for me too - it was lovely sigh...

I know! It was my silver bullet with regards to my skill and I'd been on roaccutane twice, no PMS anymore either - I felt it altogether balanced me out.

erm skin not skill

Shrimp, the greasiness is just on my face. I have a few pimples on my chest but nothing too much and definitely don't have oily skin on my chest. I have bought a few vitamins today (zinc and vits A&B) so will see f they make any difference.

L I will have a look into the Panoxyl aqua gel, 12 hours without blotting or powdering is my dream!! I have to say I'm not too sure about the peel though... have visions of it going horribly wrong.

HAve you tried Bare Minerals foundation? I agree about the hot cloth cleanser.

just tend to use a fragrance free makeup wipe and then wash thoroughly with Jobajoba oil soap (cleanses nicely but face is greasy again within a few hours).

This is your problem OP. A makeup wipe (which contains alcohol) and then soap will dry out your skin like nobody's business. Your skin will feel squeaky clean for a bit but in fact this means you have stripped off far too much of the natural oils. This then prompts your skin's oil production function to go into overdrive and pump out loads of oil. I used to do exactly the same and had the same problem.

Switch to a much less harsh cleanser (definitely one without soap in it, and ideally a creamy cleanser with muslin cloth), give it a week or so, and I promise you will be less greasy! Your skin will not feel as "clean" as with soap, because you won't have stripped off all the natural oils, but this is a Good Thing.