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.
September 12, 2018
Answer: Oily skin 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
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
September 12, 2018
Answer: Oily skin 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
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
Answer: Isotretinoin -low dose. 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.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful
Answer: Isotretinoin -low dose. 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.
Helpful 1 person found this helpful