Do you remember the first time you weren't happy with your skin?
For me, it was the moment when I got a pimple. I looked in the mirror and a small red dot started to form on my forehead.
At the first moment, I was proud: I was turning from a child into a man. My first pimple on my face - great! The euphoria was then quickly gone when new pimples joined the first one. We are men and therefore we face a new challenge.
I don't know about you, but my dad didn't take me to the drugstore around the corner and show me what solutions I could use to fight new, oily skin.
For me, it was more of a lengthy trial-and-error process. When I was young, facial care wasn't the number one topic of conversation among the guys. It was more about sports, girls, and shenanigans. I was even embarrassed to use concealer. Though it was a very charming way to conceal the visible blemishes on my facial skin.
However, it doesn't fight the causes of oily skin or even the visible effects: uneven skin, large pores, blemishes, pimples, blackheads.
Below, I cover causes and tips for oily skin. There are many causes of oily skin. I'll divide them now into "natural" and "self-inflicted".
We start with the natural reason: that is the skin type. Skin type is an inborn tendency to oily skin (or normal skin, dry skin, or combination skin).
On the surface of the skin, there is a mixture of water and fatty substances. The water comes from the sweat glands, and the fat is composed of sebum and horny layer fat. The lion's share, about 90% of the skin surface fat, comes from the sebaceous glands.
Sebum or sebum in itself is not a bad thing. It protects the skin, retains moisture, and makes the surface supple. However, increased sebum and therefore oil production can be unflattering.
Men's skin tends to produce more oil, which in turn leads to a shiny face: the dreaded nemesis of men.
The reason for this is the increased sebum production due to male sex hormones (so-called androgens).
Due to the tendency for men's skin to be thicker and the resulting larger pores, men's facial skin appears coarser and more relief-like than that of women. A shiny surface visually reinforces this effect. Thicker skin also has poorer blood circulation. This makes the face appear sallow.
Excess sebum and horny particles clog follicular ducts (from which body hair grows) as well as skin pores, which become dilated as a result. Pores that fill with excess sebum become blackheads: the ideal breeding ground for acne.
Again, for the record:
Men with increased levels of male sex hormones tend to have increased sebum production
Sebum forms the majority of the fat on the skin
Men have increased facial hair and thus more follicular ducts
Men have thicker skin and thus larger pores
Excess sebum caused by increased sebum production clogs the follicular ducts and skin pores
Men provide the optimal breeding ground for blackheads, pimples, and shiny, large-pored skin!
Now we come to the second type of causes for blemished and oily skin: self-inflicted reasons.
This is quickly told:
Excess oil is not removed from the skin surface and gradually clogs follicle ducts and pores
Excessive oil is added to the skin in the form of rich creams
Pores are additionally clogged by pollutants in the air such as cigarette smoke
The skin is regularly exposed to additional dirt and grease such as touching hands, greasy hair, or unclean textiles (shirts, pillows, sweaters, jackets)
I like to think in problem-solution structures. If I know the reasons for a problem, I can target them. So here goes.
Here are my top 5 skincare tips for oily men's skin:
Avoid extra oil in skincare products
When choosing your skincare products and face creams, make sure they are light formulations. The oil-to-water ratio should be focused on water and less on oil. Contrast this with dry skin: here it may be the other way around.
Use facial cleanser
There is nothing easier than removing excess oil and grease from your face daily. This cleanses the pores and reduces the likelihood of blackheads and acne.
Use cleansing face care
Yes, there is such a thing! We orient our products towards men's problems and our FACE SERUM Purification is designed for just that. It is used after facial cleansing and before facial care. With it, you regulate sebum production and inflammation is inhibited. It also has a wound-healing effect. So it treats existing pimples and prevents new impurities.
Do not touch your face with your fingers
You touch all sorts of things all day long: the coffee maker, the subway door, the tuna sandwich, the car keys. All potential sources of germs and dirt. Try to keep your face free of them!
Change your pillowcases regularly
You should change your pillowcases at least every 10-14 days. Because the more time your skin lies in used and dirty linen, the worse it develops.
We would not be FRIEDMANBERLIN if we did not have a solution for oily skin. So for us, the right care for oily skin looks like this:
FACE GEL in daily application, at least once in the evening before going to bed. Lightly lather the gel between damp wet fingers and spread it on the face. Then rinse off with water.
Now use the FACE SERUM Purification. Use the pipette to apply a drop to the affected areas, such as the forehead, nose, chin, cheeks. Now spread the serum with gentle dabs of your fingers and give it some time to absorb.
Finally, apply a light face cream for the day, such as our FACE LOTION. It absorbs quickly and leaves the skin matte. Important: do not use too much! Depending on your skin type, 1 to 4 pumps are enough.
That's it again for today! I wish you an excellent day.
