What treatments can I get to cut down on oily skin? I had an Aquagold treatment last week and it didn’t help much

Question

I’m in my early 30’s. My face has been ridiculously oily since I was in junior high. Dermatologists kept telling me it would go away in my 20s, but nope. I have some acne but it’s not terrible, I use EpiDuo gel for any large breakouts. No matter what mattifying products I use, I still need blotting paper by mid afternoon, and I can’t wear makeup because it will just slide off my face.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

I suggest seeing a cosmetic dermatologist to get you on a long term plan with microneedling/prp, Viva, Cosmelan, J Plasma, peels, sculptra, facials and skin care. Best, Dr. Emer.

Steven F. Weiner, MD · Answer

You must be on a retin A daily. Also, lasers such as the Aerolase or other 1064 will shrink the sebaceous glands and decrease the sebum (oil). Infini has also been shown to decrease the oil glands. Botox/Dysport is only good for dereasing the sweating, not for oil production.

Daniel Straka, MD · Answer

There are a number of different treatments for oily skin available. the most effective medical treatment is isotretinoin (Accutane). This medication can shut down some of the oil producing glands in the skin. If you have had acne for a long time you are likely fmailiar with this drug. Many patients actually complain of dry skin after using this medication. The downside to this medication is the side effect and you should only see someone with experience prescrivbing this medicine. I do not prescribe this in my practice and when I believe people are a good candidate I refer them to my great local dermatologists. I should also mention that accutane is known to cause severe birth defect if you become pregnant while on the medication.
Some options I have found helpful in patients are Botox injections.  Botox can be very effective in treatting oily skin, especially along the forehead and glabellar area.  I have had success carefully injecting it other places on the face to treat sweating as well and would definitely recommend looking into this. The downside is it is a temporary fix and the injections can be a little uncomfortable but most people tolerate them quie well.  
For maintenence, I always recommend topical skin regimens as well including tretinoin (Retin-a) as this helps treat oily skin.  Finally, there are speficic facial cleansers and lotions better for people with oily skin. Many people believe that because skin is oily they should avoid moisterizers. This is false because if the skin dries out too much it will stimulate the oil producing cells to secrete more and more oil. Therefore, a good facial moisterizer is important. A good facial cleanser is also very important. For patients ith oily skin, a foaming cleanser is ideal becuase they remove excess sebum. Sometime, salicylic acid is added to cleansers and this gives added benefits for oily skin because it gently exfoliates to prevent clogging of the oil secreting pores.
Hope this helps!

Amy Miller, MD · Answer

Oily skin is a pain but the one good thing is it generally means you will get less wrinkly as you age.  The dermis needs more support for all those sebaceous glands so it takes longer for wrinkles to show up.  Having said that, too much oil production leads to its own issues--like make up sliding off and shiny skin. There are several options for treatment so do not despair!
I often start with medications like low dose oral or topical spironolactone.  This helps block the hormonal stimulation of the oil glands and can decrease oil production (if there is a hormonal cause). There are drying agents like tretinoin or higher dose BPO that are often prescribed as well.
Ablative lasers like the CO2 or Erbium laser can "stun" the oil glands and decrease oil production temporarily.  In my practice I have several patients come in once or twice a year for a laser treatment, whenever they start to feel oily.  Additionally, there are other benefits like smoothing and tightening with these lasers that make them a popular treatment.
The ultimate is photodynamic therapy.  This much more aggressive form of laser treatment that is traditionally used to kill pre-cancer and cancer skin cells.  There is a lot of downtime and discomfort which is ok if you are killing cancer cells but it may be overkill for oily skin.  One of the side effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT for short) is killing off of the overactive oil glands.  It tends to leave the normal glands alone so you won't be all dried up when you are 82, you will still have "normal" oil production.  Use of PDT for oily skin and/or acne is considered an 'off label' use so it is something that should be used only when other methods have not worked.
Hope this makes some sort of sense!  Best regards,
Dr. Amy

Davin Lim, MBBS, FACD - Account Suspended · Answer

Hands down, if you want PROPER medical treatments, its very low dose Isotretinoin. Yes, we all know the studies on micro Botox and oil glands, however for reliable treatments, use isotretinoin. See a medical, not procedural dermatologist to discuss. All the best, Dr Davin S. Lim. Brisbane. Australia.

What treatments can I get to cut down on oily skin? I had an Aquagold treatment last week and it didn’t help much

Answers (5)

Answer: Oily skin

Answer: Oily skin

Answer: Isotretinoin -low dose.

Answer: Isotretinoin -low dose.

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Microneedling

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.

What treatments can I get to cut down on oily skin? I had an Aquagold treatment last week and it didn’t help much

Answers (5)

Answer: Oily skin

Answer: Oily skin

Answer: Isotretinoin -low dose.

Answer: Isotretinoin -low dose.

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Microneedling

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.