It is really a misnomer to say that a person has either “dry skin” or “oily skin,” as everyone has a combination of both. There are many internal and external factors that cause our skin to fluctuate between feeling dry or feeling oily. Simply put, dry skin is caused by a lack of moisture and oily skin is caused by excessive secretion by oil glands. Various environmental agents dry out the skin. Some of the agents that dry out skin may include: hot water, soaps, excessive bathing, low humidity, air conditioning or heat, pollution and other chemicals, and even friction from clothing. Also, as the skin ages, it has a tendency to become drier.
Dry skin treatments: Best advice is to first avoid the factors that dry out the skin, for example, bathing no more than once daily and using water that is at a comfortable temperature, neither hot nor cold, in order to help prevent dry skin. Also, I recommend bathing with a “non-soap” cleanser that is fragrance-free to avoid drying of the skin. To repair dry skin, use a moisturizing cream, as opposed to a lotion. Creams tend to hydrate the skin and will repair the skin barrier a little better than lotions.
Oily skin treatments: If one is acne-prone, then I recommend a light-weight moisturizing lotion that is fragrance-free and oil-free. Also, topical retinoids can help with those who have oily facial skin. A non-soap cleanser for washing the face combined with a low-strength topical retinoid can be a wonderful way of achieving a good balance between dry and oily skin. I would strongly favor topical retinoids that are obtained by prescription-only, since research has established that they work better than over-the-counter retinoids. In sum, finding a balance between dry and oily skin is sometimes difficult to achieve and consultation with a dermatologist can help tremendously.
