Shiny skin: how to treat oily skin?

Shiny skin is often the prerogative of combination to oily skin, which has difficulty maintaining a beautiful, clean, matte complexion. In the course of the day, a few hours after cleansing, the epidermis and in particular the T-zone (forehead-nose-chin) become shiny again, forcing you to go back to make-up to tame the shine...So how do you treat oily skin? Find out here how to say no to that oily, unsightly look!

What causes shiny skin?

The cause of shiny skin: overproduction of sebum! Sebum is the oily substance produced by the sebaceous glands that covers the skin's surface. It forms part of the hydrolipidic film, the skin barrier that protects the face and body from external aggression. The presence of sebum on the face is therefore natural, and even necessary! Problems arise when this production gets out of hand: hyperseborrhea, i.e. sebum produced in excess, results in oily, shiny skin, and very often the imperfections that go with it... The pores, choked by this excess of sebum, become clogged, and blackheads and acne invade the skin, locally or all over the face. This problem can even extend to the scalp, and is the cause of greasy hair!

This excessive secretion of sebum can have several origins:

• External factors such as pollution, stress, fatigue, smoking...
• Hormonal imbalance, for example, during adolescence.
• Sun exposure: the sun tends to dry out the skin, and the epidermis defends itself against this aggression by intensifying sebum production.
• An excessively fatty diet.
• Cosmetics unsuited to oily skin: skin care products that are too harsh will attack the skin, which will respond by producing more oil to protect itself.

This is not an exclusively female problem, since men's skin produces about twice as much sebum as women's! The following advice therefore applies to all those with combination or oily skin, whether male or female.

How to treat shiny skin

First and foremost, on your plate! Limit deli meats, fast food, chocolate and all the other excessively fatty foods that never go well with beautiful skin, in favor of fresh fruit and vegetables rich in vitamins and minerals that improve the quality of the complexion.

Then, in your bathroom, opt for skincare products specially formulated to reduce shiny skin, suitable for daily use and which respect the very specific needs of oily skin. Avoid aggressive formulas, such as coarse-grained scrubs, which are highly stripping. You'd think they'd be effective, as they effectively free the skin of impurities and leave the complexion clear. But this result only lasts a few hours: the skin, badly treated, redoubles its production of sebum to cope with the next exfoliation.

At Polaar, we've developed skincare ranges totally adapted to the problems of combination to oily skin, which cleanse, moisturize and treat in a single step. THE beauty routine for a matte complexion, with improved skin texture day after day!

Treatments for oily, shiny skin

Start by gently cleansing your face with Boréal Radiance Micro-Peeling Foam, rich in Siberian Olivewhich regenerates and protects the skin, and 100% natural salicylic acid. Thanks to its keratolitic action, it resurfaces, exfoliates and eliminates blackheads, freeing and tightening pores.

The creamy foam of this cleanser purifies your skin, and its light fragrance will leave you feeling truly relaxed! Your perfectly clean skin is ready to receive its moisturizing treatment.

Then apply one of our specially formulated creams to regulate sebum production while maintaining an optimal level of hydration:

• The NORTHERN LIGHT Smoothing Fluid is ideal after cleansing with the Micro-Peeling Foam: it reinforces its action and encourages cell renewal. Its ultra-melting gel texture penetrates quickly and makes it an excellent make-up base!
• Gelée Ice Source has been designed to intensely moisturize combination to oily skin, which can also suffer from dehydration! 3 exceptional active ingredients (Iceberg water, hyaluronic acid and a micro-algae, Thalassiosira Antartica) combine to replenish the skin with water and fix it in the epidermal cells for a luminous, plumped-up complexion. Plus? It also contains mattifying powders to tighten pores and erase pimples and imperfections. Its gel texture provides an immediate fresh effect and is absorbed without feeling greasy or sticky.
• Youthful Promise Cream Neige Eternelle offers intense hydration and anti-ageing protection. Its star ingredient? Nunatak Flowers, which thrive at altitude in the eternal snows. Bursting with antioxidants, they smooth fine lines and wrinkles, redness and imperfections, for a radiant, youthful complexion.
• Polar Night Revitalizing Cream is a magical night care product, working while you sleep to smooth, regenerate and relax devitalized skin. It contains a 100% natural active ingredient: Rhodimenia Borelia, a mysterious algae from the depths of the fjords, where light is virtually non-existent. It synthesizes high levels of melatonin, a hormone linked to nocturnal cell regeneration. Apply before going to bed: its matte, non-sticky finish penetrates instantly, and you'll wake up to soft, velvety, perfectly moisturized skin.

These easy-to-use products, with their fluid textures and delicate fragrances, will accompany you every day to keep shine and imperfections at bay, and give your skin a real makeover, day after day!