Dear Paula,

I have read many times before that if you have oily skin, it could be due to over-cleansing which dries out your skin and causes it to produce more oil to compensate.  Is this true?  I have very oily skin that also gets dry patches, so I always try to moisturize in hopes that my skin will not need to produce as much oil.  But I just read that you recommend people with oily skin to not moisturize at all and now I don’t know what to do. Help!

Kristin, via email

Dear Kristin,

Oily skin is caused by a genetic tendency to produce too much sebum (oil) in your skin’s sebaceous (oil) glands. Oil production is triggered by male hormones (androgens) that both men and women have. If you have that genetic trait many things can trigger more oil to be produced, including hormonal surges. However, it is a myth that someone with oily skin is making more oil as a result of having dry skin. If that was true, it would mean women with naturally dry skin would also have oily skin instead of their skin being dry, and they don't. Those with genuine dry skin only produce a tiny amount of oil or no oil at all.

If you have oily skin or oily areas and use anything on your face that causes irritation, including drying cleansers, or other products that contain irritants such as menthol, peppermint, alcohol, etc., that irritation can stimulate nerves in the skin. The result? The nerves signal androgens in skin to stimulate the oil glands to, you guessed it, produce more oil. Along with making oily skin oilier, these irritants also kills skin cells and dehydrate skin so you now have both skin types, dry and oily, caused by the very products you are using!

When it comes to moisturizers, applying them over oily areas will NOT make skin less oily. If anything, an emollient moisturizer (think lotion or cream) will only make your skin feel greasier and potentially clog pores. But oily or not, your skin still needs the healthy ingredients all skin types need: antioxidants, cell communicating ingredients, and barrier repair ingredients. Someone with oily skin should be using a liquid, toner-like product loaded with these ingredients (like my Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Toner) or a gel (like my Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Gel). In this manner, your skin gets what it needs to be normal without any risk of pore clogging ingredients. If your eye area is drier than your face, consider using Paula's Choice Moisture Boost Hydrating Treatment Cream which is perfect for the eye area. For product recommendations from other lines check out The Cosmetics Cops Team reviews on Beautypedia.com.