The problem with topical oil treatments
For the longest time, topical acne treatments more or less ignored the real cause behind most acne, that being excess skin oil. You’d hear about how one acne cream or cleanser would give you clear skin thanks to how well it killed bacteria or removed surface dirt, factors which are mostly irrelevant when it comes to really stopping breakouts. Well, now it seems some products are actually getting it, talking specifically about how they eliminate excess skin oil from your pores….but there’s a still a problem with their methods.
I was recently watching a commercial for the Murad acne complex, which specifically noted how its deep-cleaning cleanser pulled the oil right out from your pores. Less oil is good, right? Well yes, but the key word here is “less”. The goal is to normalize your oil levels, not eliminate them altogether.
The problem with topical cleansers is that they strip away your skin’s natural level of defense. Acne is caused when your glands produce too much oil too fast. The oil becomes pressurized in your pores, hardening into acne pustules. Too much oil is a bad thing, but not enough oil can also be harmful. Too little oil leaves your skin dry and vulnerable, more easily irritated and more susceptible to sun damage. It can lead to premature aging and all kinds of effects you don’t want. And simply put, it’s not natural. Your body naturally tries to protect your skin with a safe level of oil. Constantly stripping it away is not a healthy way to treat your skin.
This topical approach does nothing to effect either oil production or oil metabolism. Once again, you’re treating the symptoms and not the problem. A topical treatment cannot take away “just enough” oil to leave your skin how it naturally should be. They don’t work like that. In the end, it takes an internal treatment to maintain your skin oil at healthy levels. If your body is pumping out too much sebum, that means you have to either decrease oil production with a prescription treatment such as Accutane, or increase oil metabolism with vitamin B5. In these cases, topical solutions aren’t a solution at all.
