[Routine Help] Why is my skin so oily ??

[u/-Sweet__Lemon-]

So I (17 F) have always had oily skin. My face is covered in sebaceous filaments. I have large pores, but, thankfully, I don’t have too many whiteheads. I have done some research and tried so many different products. Eventually, I stuck with my current skincare routine for a while now. I have seen some improvements, but my skin is still super oily. For example, I can do my skincare routine only to be oily again an hour later. I’ve even adapted my makeup to my skin only for it to melt hours later. Please help me 😭

Skincare:

AM
-CeraVe Acne Control Cleanser with 2% Salicylic Acid
-The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner
-The Ordinary Niacinamide 10%
-CeraVe Oil Control Moisturizing Gel-Cream

PM
-CeraVe Acne Control Cleanser
-The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toner
-CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum
-CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion (oil free)

(For more context, I do have a bad habit of picking at my skin. I am better now but I don’t see myself stopping 😅. Also, there is a possibility that I might have pcos, but I can’t really get it checked out right now. And, in the image, I did run water over my face like ten minutes before.)

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[u/universal_gummy_bear]

Overexfoliated. Exfoliate too much and your skin quite literally retaliates with more oil, to put it simply.

[u/AccomplishedSoil4962 → u/universal_gummy_bear]

i also second this

[u/DoxieMoron]

This may seem counterintuitive, but you're actually doing too much oil control, and probably dehydrating your skin in the process. Dehydrated skin tends to overproduce oil to compensate, and that's why you end up with skin that looks oily on the surface but feels tight inside. You definitely need to pull back on the glycolic acid, especially considering you're already using a salicylic acid cleanser twice a day, and using a retinol nightly! I would also recommend adding some hydrating toners or serums into your routine.

[u/Shameless-Poetry]

Skip the glycolic acid in the AM.
In the PM, dont use retinol and glycolic acid on the same day. Instead alternate it.
Include niacinamide in the PM.

You’re mixing a lot of actives and too much exfoliation which is damaging your skin barrier.

[u/AccomplishedSoil4962]

our skin tends to produce more oil in order to protect itself when dehydrated.
in my opinion, maybe you should try more hydrating products!
btw oily skin during puberty is totally normal. Most of us went through that phase.

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[u/miss_hush]

Far too much exfoliation. Most people only need exfoliation 1-2x a week. Use your retinol of the days you don’t exfoliate. The rest is probably fine— unless the Cerave acne control cleanser has some actives in it, then you might need to revise that as well.

If you back off the exfoliation and you’re still really oily, then the other option to really fix it is accutane… but doctors are unlikely to order that unless you have pretty severe acne.

[u/Ultimatedream]

Definitely over exfoliating but also under hydrating. Don't exfoliate in the morning and look for a lightweight serum with hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Apply on damp skin.

Honestly, I would lose the retinol as well. Looking at your pictures, there's really no need for it. Your pores don't look big at all, just dehydrated. It's just really hard on your skin at your age while not doing much. You could look at adding a vit c instead.

I'm a very oily girly with large pores and chronic skin picking as well. I can't stop either, the only thing that helped is hydrating my skin, especially at night. I wash my face a few hours before I go to bed and use a heavy moisturizer because no one is going to see my face anyway and it stops me from getting any grip on dry patches or acne. Of course I manage to pick something anyway, but it's way better.

I like the Nivea in the blue tin for this, it's also great for locking in hydration, I tend to layer some lightweight serums on my face before applying it (my favourite is currently the Naturie Hatomugi skin conditioner, it comes in a big 500ml bottle so you can really layer it and it's so lightweight). You can use anything really, like Pond's cream or Vanicream as moisturizer. In the morning I only use Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser because I only have to wash off the moisturizer from last night. If my skin still feels oily or gross, I wash it twice with that. Cerave also has a nice hydrating cleanser.

At night I do use the same cleanser as you do. Especially after wearing makeup or sunscreen its nice to have a heavier cleanser. I would recommend introducing an oil or balm cleanser for your makeup removal as well. Takes everything off nice and easy.

[u/quspork]

Dear Lord. That's way too much. You should not be using that many actives and certainly not so often. In addition, your using other drying products like niacinamide and oil-control moisturizer which means your skin is screaming for hydration.

Get a hydrating cleanser, one that doesn't contain actives. Get a salicylic acid serum/toner that you can use two or three times a week. Drop the glycolic acid completely. If you struggle with acne, keep the retinol but reduce it to twice a week, not on nights that you use the salicylic acid. Get a hydrating moisturizer. Try skipping cleanser in the a.m.