#AskAllure: 3 Ways to Deal With Oily Skin

We received this question from Tristine on Facebook, asking for help controlling her oily skin. "In general, we get less oily as we age," says Elizabeth Hale, a dermatologist in New York City and one of the consulting experts behind SkinBetter, our free skin-analysis tool. "It tends more of a problem in younger women, when the sebaceous glands—those are the ones that produce oil—are more active. But for some women, issues with oily skin linger well past their teen years.

If you're in need of a quick fix, the answer is probably already in your makeup bag, Hale says. "Blotting papers cut down on oiliness while keeping your makeup intact, and I'm also a big fan of mineral powders that offer SPF," she says. "A lot of oily patients are hesitant to wear sunscreen because they fear it will make them break out or look oilier, but you still need to wear it. Mineral makeup is a great way to get that coverage and make complexions less shiny." (Just be sure to look for formulas with SPF 30 or higher.)

Working the right ingredients into your skin-care routine is also crucial to reducing oil, so look for a daily cleanser with a beta hydroxy acid, like salicylic acid. "It's oil-soluble, so it'll get into pores to really clean them out," Hale says. And here's the good thing about having oily skin (yes, silver lining!): "These patients usually tolerate ingredients that those with sensitive skin can't," she says, "like retinol, which can also help control oil."

If you want to take more action, your dermatologist can also prescribe medications or perform laser treatments, like photodynamic therapy, to shrink sebaceous glands altogether.

*Have a skin-care question you want us (and our experts!) to answer? Leave it in the comments, ask us on Facebook, or tweet at us with #AskAllure. *

Allure has teamed up with SkinBetter, a free tool that uses imaging software to give you a cutting-edge skin analysis and dermatologist-approved product recommendations. Upload a selfie to get started now.

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