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If you are someone with oily skin, or even not, everyone tends to experience oil and grease on their faces by the end of the day. However, there is a simple oily skin remedy that can renew your skin by removing all the sebum.
Well, nobody likes oil and dirt stuck up to their faces. So, when it comes down to that time, you need help to get that oil off your face. While you rush down to your go-to oily skin treatment products like cleansers, pore-strips, blemish extractors, a basic blotting sheet may work. Among all these skin tools, one of the products that seem to be way too hyped and talked about is blotting paper.
But what exactly is blotting paper? How do they work? Or perhaps, do they even work?
Blotting paper is a face sheet that is made up of extremely absorbent material so that whatever excess oil is present on the skin, it absorbs it effectively. It is, thereby, used for oil or sebum control. They are generally made from rice paper, cotton or wood pulp with other absorbing substances present in them.
One of the main components of these is the salicylic acid and mineral oil present in the sheets. The thing to notice here is that, are all these substances just limited to their oil-absorbing properties or can they do more than that?
Well, the answer is yes. All these oil-absorbing substances do their work to soak up grease and dirt from your skin. Generally, the blotting paper absorbs the sebum and oil produced on your skin, hence getting rid of a sweaty, greasy feeling.
While we think that blotting paper works for us and is beneficial too, it is also necessary to know that we are actually making it worse for our skin. The truth is that blotting paper does work, but in a manner that is confining your skin health in a way too. While the oil and sebum are being sucked by the blotting paper from your skin pores, the dirt, germs and other pollutants also present on your skin are left behind.
On top of that, the blotting paper allows the skin pores to open up, thus leading to a free passage for the dirt and pollutants to enter your skin and absorb into it. These are the major causes for acne, pimples, blackheads and skin breakouts too. With that, the mineral oils present in the blotting sheet makes it worse by clogging your pores, leading to even oilier and greasy skin.
Many people have also faced astringent effects from blotting paper that is responsible for irritating and rash skin. Dermatologists say that there actually is no need for a blotting paper, since they are absorbing your natural oils as well, which is unnecessary. This method of oil control marginally makes your skin feel less oily only for a short period of time. After that, you might need another blotting paper and so on. This is actually not a feasible and convenient method to treat your oily skin.
Considering all these issues, we often forget to reach down to the root of the problem, that is, to know the cause of oily skin. Why is your skin oily? Are your skincare products the right ones for your skin? Or is your hormonal balance affecting the sebum production of your skin? Try to limit using a blotting sheet on your face. To recognize the right answer and solution for your skin, it is always advisable to reach out to your dermatologist to provide you with the correct cause of your oily skin. The skin expert may also help you with the right kind of treatment according to your skin type.
If you also face oily skin issues on an everyday basis, you might need retinol or medications prescribed by a dermatologist to reduce the amount of sebum production and help you get clearer skin.
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Dr Noopur Jain is the chief consultant dermatologist and founder of Skinzest. She has done MBBS and MD in dermatology. She has an experience in the field of aesthetics and cosmetic dermatology. She has treated various patients with her minimally invasive techniques. ...Read More
