Oily Skin? Is Facial Mist Good for Oily Face?

Is Facial Mist Good for Oily Skin?

Facial Mist for Oily Skin in Singapore Weather

In this episode, Dr. Teo Wan Lin shares her top beauty tips on what types of skincare to use and to avoid, especially if you have oily skin and live in a tropical city like Singapore. Her top skincare tip for those with oily skin? Always have a hydrating facial mist on hand.

Ep2: Skincare do’s and don’ts in Singapore Weather

Is oily skin the bane of your existence? Let me shed some light on this. It could very well be because of where you live! Don’t jump the gun, hear me out. While genetics play a dominant role in determining one’s skin type, we know now that the microenvironment can also either worsen or improve existing skin conditions. So if you have greasy skin, you will likely feel uncomfortable in humid weather like Singapore simply because the surface of skin feels sticky and looks shiny – a phenomenon caused by oil production, sweat and quite literally humidity itself.

So today’s discussion will focus on the science of how different skin types behave depending on the environment. Starting with greasy skin. The key difference between greasy and dry skin has to do with 3 main factors. Firstly, the amount of oil/sebum produced. In this case, pre-pubertal skin is not affected by oil production because it is the secretion of sex hormones at puberty that trigger off oil gland activity. Second, how healthy the skin barrier is – which is influenced by ceramide levels. Ceramide levels are affected by genetics. Those with a family history of dry sensitive skin and eczema may in fact have a genetic mutation at the filagrin gene, which codes for the production of ceramide.

Environmental Factors on Skin

The skin barrier is also affected by what you apply on it. For example, using moisturisers will help to repair the skin barrier. Especially ceramide-dominant moisturisers. Finally, the rate of evaporation of water from the surface of the skin, known as transepidermal water loss, is another important factor determining how moisturised or dry skin is. This is uniquely influenced by not just the health of the skin barrier. That is, a healthy skin barrier that is intact and well moisturised should have lower rates of water loss or TEWL for short.

The above contrasts with those with a deficient skin barrier or dry skin. It becomes a vicious cycle in which dry skin gets even drier because of evaporation and water loss to the environment because of “leaky skin”. However, that’s not all. If one applies a moisturiser that contains a humectant like glycerin, then skin preferentially traps moisture and then feels more hydrated than skin without moisturiser. Another type of moisturiser is what we know as an occlusive. A traditional example of an occlusive is white soft paraffin or petroleum jelly. Vaseline is a commonly used moisturiser found in drugstores that works as an occlusive. Occlusives when applied on skin prevent water loss to the environment, hence also increasing moisture levels by preventing evaporation.

Determining Your Skin Type

If all that sounds complex to you, let me summarise it here. Essentially, what we are saying here is that while genetics affect your skin type. There are various other factors present in the external environment, and also the skincare that you apply directly on skin, that affects how skin actually behaves. 

So what are the lessons here that are specific to the Singapore context. First, I’m going to teach you how to determine your skin type:

The best way to do so is actually really simple. First, cleanse your face and let it dry naturally for 30-60 minutes. Then, dab a tissue on the T-zone (nose, forehead) and cheeks. Here’s how to analyse the results. If only your nose is greasy, you have combination skin. If both your nose and cheeks have oily residue, you have oily skin. On the other hand, if your T-zone and cheeks are dry, well you have dry skin!

Skincare for Oily Skin

That wasn’t too complex right? At this juncture, we shall cover my top 5 skincare and makeup must-haves for oily/combination skin folks surviving the sweltering humidity on our sunny island. First, always have a facial mist on-hand. When it comes to oily skin fixes recommended by traditional beauty gurus, we often find the case where purported cures are worse than the problem itself.

Mineral Booster Facial Mist
The Mineral Booster contains skin-calming & repairing active ingredients, including precious rice bran extract, potent licorice extract, and antioxidant soy extract suspended in a purified deep sea water mist harvested 600m below sea level using sophisticated technology. Perfect for tropical and humid climates.

The reason why I say this is this. The intuitive approach of using an oily skin cleanser that has acids, astringents to do a turbo cleanse of grease on skin. Well it works if skin is akin to the surface of an inanimate object. Except that it isn’t. Skin is a living organism, a complex ecological system on its own. One thing that must be borne in mind is that eco systems thrive on one fundamental principle – balance. This means that there are no overtly good or bad guys in the world of skin, but there are good and bad proportions.

Does Oily Skin Need Moisture?

So this is where persuasion rather than coercion works. And how we ought to treat overly active sebaceous glands is by persuading it not to produce excessive sebum. As opposed to simply doing a massive clean up for example with a potent astringent with cleansers or face masks. So my top tip for those with greasy skin is to moisturise consistently. Not with a cream but with a facial mist that contains water soluble moisturising ingredients. These include ingredients such as glycerin, hyaluronic and polyglutamic acid.

By doing so, we persuade the oil glands to produce less oil, to normalise and regulate oil production by creating the optimal healthy skin microenvironment. The converse is also true, if you strip oily skin dry with harsh cleansers, a phenomenon known as reactive seborrhea results. This means that instead of producing less oil. Skin produces even more sebum as it thinks it’s being stripped dry whenever these harsh cleansers are used, in order to compensate. This is not the desired result!

Facial Mists for Oily Skin

So this is precisely how and why you ought to include a facial mist in your skincare regimen if you have oily skin. Facial mists contain water soluble moisturising ingredients that repair the skin barrier and more than that, encourage beneficial cell activity such as cell talk. It is also convenient to layer over skincare and makeup throughout the day, without having to remove makeup unlike traditional skincare products. In addition, facial mists that contain purified mineral rich water sources such as deep sea water, which forms the basis of the Mineral Booster at our pharmacy, contains additional minerals that helps to soothe and calm skin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now, I’m going to take some time now to go through the most frequently asked questions about facial mists, which will hopefully help you to incorporate it in your 2023 skincare regimen!

First up. 

Are facial mists good for skin? 

A resounding yes. As mentioned facial mists are a must have for those suffering from greasy skin and especially those who live in a tropical climate like Singapore. Because traditional moisturising creams are way too greasy and sticky for it to be comfortable on oily skin types. In addition, one must not forget that us Singaporeans are often in and out of air conditioned environments. Given the fact that almost all of our indoor spaces are air conditioned. This leads to oily skin being exposed to transient periods of drier environments. Increasing water loss to the environment. Essentially, this increases the chance of sebum dysregulation. Meaning that instead of producing just the right amount of sebum to regulate healthy skin functions. Oily skin can get both oily and dehydrated, because of environmental factors. 

How should I use a facial mist

It couldn’t be easier. Facial mists are portable and are meant to be carried with you wherever you go! Just spritz it on before applying your makeup and also after. Need to refresh your skin? Simply do a wipe with the pharmacy’s micellar pad and spritz for your skin to absorb the nutrients! 

Is face mist before or after makeup?

You can use it both before and after and throughout the day. 

What is a Korean face mist?

Many Korean beauty products are actually well developed and rooted in solid dermatological science. So turns out that K-beauty trends are often not just trendy, but also the reason for Korean gals and guys on the streets looking just flawless! K-beauty facial mists are unique in that the only western beauty counterpart was probably just the traditional mineral water spray essence. This is a far cry from the facial mists that are the gold standard of K-beauty skincare.

Our Mineral Booster for example boasts a total of 15 botanical derived extracts suspended in mineral rich purified deep sea water. It is fortified with amino acids for repair and collagen synthesis. It also contains natural moisturising factors that boost skin resilience. On top of that the latest research also shows that potent plant extracts like scutellaria baicalensis root boosts UV protection by reducing skin inflammation. This means you can improve sun protection with this facial mist! 

@drteowanlin Dermatologist Recommended Skincare Ingredient Spotlight: Scutellaria baicalensis #kbeauty #kbeautyskincare #foryoupage #foryou #fypシ #fyp #dermatologist #dermatology #asianbeautysecrets #skincycling #skincyclingroutine #skincyclingresults #skincare101 #skintok #dermatologydoctor #dermatologist #learnontiktok #learningisfun ♬ Ballet song like “Waltz of flowers” _3 minutes(965255) – yulu-ism project

What is the purpose of a face mist

The facial mist is not just a handy moisturiser to use on the go, when it contains active ingredients like polyglutamic and hyaluronic acid, it also helps to improve cell talk throughout the skin. This means that it is better equipped to fight daily stressors like environmental stress that  leads to oxidative damage. 

How often should you use a face mist?

The great news is that is no limit to how often you should use a facial mist. I think it is crucial to see how your skin responds as well. If your skin is  feeling dehydrated and oily at the same time, especially in an air conditioned environment. This may be a sign that you do need to use your trusty facial mist more often. In general a good rule of thumb that dermatologists follow is that moisturiser is always good for skin, but in the case of oily skin in Singapore weather, the type of moisturiser – whether it is is in a cream or mist form, makes all the difference. 

Check out more beauty related news and tips on Beauty Podcasts by Dr.TWL on spotify

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