Oily, shiny skin

Reading the shine before treating oily skin

Your practitioner looks at where shine gathers on oily skin, often through the T-zone by late morning, and whether pores look enlarged where oil collects. Skin that feels oily and tight at once is checked for dehydration, because oil and water are different things. They will ask whether stripping cleansers or strong actives are part of your routine, since over-cleansing can leave skin oilier, and how humidity, heat and hormonal cycles affect it.

Acne Facials, with extractions and decongesting actives, are weighed when shine comes with congestion or blackheads that keep returning. Chemical Peels may suit congestion and blackheads, at a strength matched to your skin, and your practitioner will step back if the skin reacts by producing more oil. The Apocalypsis Phyto-Peel suits skin that reacts to strong acids. A lighter, water-based moisturiser usually serves oily skin better than skipping it.

What happens when you come in?

Your first visit is a free consultation at the Aldergrove clinic. A practitioner looks at the area in good light, asks how long you have noticed it and what you have already tried, and checks anything that would affect which treatments are suitable: medication, recent sun exposure, previous treatments.

You then hear which of the options above suits your skin, what it realistically achieves, how many sessions it usually takes and what recovery looks like. If the honest answer is that none of them will give you what you want, or that something needs a doctor first, you will hear that instead.

Worth mentioning at your consultation

• When you first noticed it, and whether it has changed since
• Products and treatments you have already tried
• Any medication, supplements or diagnosed skin conditions
• Holidays, events or sun exposure you are planning around