Why Does Oil Cause Breakouts [DermTV.com Epi #247]



People ask me why I so emphatically recommend that anybody with acne use products that are labeled oil free. Well, acne has several different causes but one of them that effects almost everybody with acne is that their oil glands just make too much oil, and making too much oil in of itself can cause clogs and breakouts. But, when you combine that extra oil with the dead cells that fall off the lining of the follicles it forms a sludge which actually forms a clog. So much of the treatment of acne is really directed at either reducing the amount of oil you make or dissolving cells, the dead cells in the lining, or even dissolving those clogs. So we really don't want to do anything that will increase the amount of oil that we have on our skin. And many of the oils that are used in topical skin care products are oils that actually can enter the follicle, and if those oils do enter the follicle, they then increase the clogging, the sludging and contribute to breakouts. So, if you have acne, please, make sure any skin care products you use are labeled oil free.