True or false: If you have oily or acne-prone skin, you should avoid moisturizer.
False. The truth is that oily skin needs hydration just as much as any other skin type.
Dry Air Strips Moisture: In a low-humidity environment like Pahrump, the air acts like a sponge, actively pulling moisture from the skin through a process called transepidermal water loss (TEWL). This happens to all skin types, regardless of how oily they feel.
The skin’s natural defense against this moisture loss is to produce more oil (sebum) to create a protective barrier. When someone with already oily skin skips moisturizer, the dry climate rapidly dehydrates their skin’s water content. This triggers the skin’s oil glands to go into overdrive, producing even more oil in an attempt to protect itself from drying out.
This creates a frustrating and counterintuitive cycle:
- The skin feels oily on the surface due to excess sebum.
- At the same time, it is dehydrated underneath because it lacks sufficient water.
- This combination can make pores more congested and lead to more breakouts, as the oily surface traps dead skin cells more easily.
The Correct Solution: The solution is to break this cycle by giving the skin the hydration it’s desperate for. A lightweight, water-based moisturizer delivers that hydration without adding heavy oils. It signals to the skin that it doesn’t need to overproduce sebum for protection, helping to restore balance and prevent both dehydration and excessive oiliness.
I recommend:
- Circadia Moisture on Demand: A great lightweight hydrator.
- Hale & Hush Hush Hydrate Gel: Another excellent gel-based option.
- Circadia Daytime Control Lotion or Nighttime Control Lotion: Specifically designed for oily and acne-prone skin.
For the very best of all worlds, a professional Signature facial or Hydrafacial from Aesthetics By Kat can help balance and re-hydrate oily skin, and a consultation can help them select the perfect routine.
Stay beautiful!
