Beauty Q & A: Do Dry Skin Products Make Skin Oily?

Our Brain Spamming Buddy Asks:
We all know that acne or excess shine can occur when you have naturally oily skin.

But I’ve been told by cosmetic sales people that even dry or normal skin can become greasy if you’re using products designed for acne or oily skin.

Their logic goes that by using something too astringent, you make the skin “freak out” and produce more oil to compensate, which makes you think that you have oily skin, which causes you to use astringent products, which makes your skin freak out and produce more oil to compensate, etc. etc..

In the end, they suggest that you use a product for normal or even dry skin, and say that it will help re-balance things and reduce break outs.

Any truth to this?

The Right Brain Freaks Out:
Sorry, but the logic of your friendly neighborhood sales associate doesn’t really hold up. If it did, the best way to make your skin oilier would be to use more deep cleaning products so your skin would produce more oil!

There is a kernel of truth to this myth, however, because it is true that the deeper layers of the skin can react to something you do to the surface. For example, exfolliating the surface does trigger the basal layer to produce more fresh skin cells. But, the oil producing glands don’t work that way – stripping the upper layers of skin will just make it dryer.

In the long run, you’re better off sticking with using the products recommended for your skin type.