No fingers on your face: How touching can increase facial oiliness?

How often have you heard your dermatologist reiterate that you should not be touching your face? The first few times, you dismiss the notion. Then you start thinking about how you could not touch your face. And then starts the doubt which makes you verify the statement. When dermatologists or experts ask you to not touch your face, there is more science behind it that you can think of. Let’s uncover the logic behind this statement and figure out how to go about it, without the facial touch’.

Are facial oils regulated with the touch?

While touching your face may seem so normal that it often happens unconsciously throughout the day, there’s reason why people say to keep the fingers away from the face. Touching the face doesn’t directly produce oil but it can definitely make your skin oily and greasy than before. Here’s what happens.

Hands are dirty: With your hands being oily and dirty, they become the perfect carrier of sweat, bacteria and pollution to your skin. Constantly touching the skin barrier transfer these unwanted particles on to your skin and makes it oily, especially in humid countries.

Oil spread: Even if your hand is clean, regular touching results to spreading the existing oil on the surface of the skin to other parts. This makes the face shinier in appearance often making the oiliness visible to others.

Acne breakouts: If you over touch your face and there is a transfer or spread of oil on the surface, it leads to the facial pores getting clogged and serious breakouts of acne on the face. This also comes with itching, redness and light swell around the region. This can be consciously avoided by being aware of the situation.

Damage to skin barrier: Regular touch makes your skin barrier weak and to strengthen it the face starts producing more oil, giving it a greasy and sticky appearance.

How to consciously avoid oil production through touch?

Before answering the question, one has to be clear about two things. It is probably not possible to never touch the face. Moreover, if the action is done, then what can be done for damage control? Keeping these basics in mind, one can undertake three precautions. First, be mindful of touching your face often. Second, wash your hands frequently to reduce impurities. Third, use blotting paper to touch the face so that it also absorbs facial oils and leaves the skin feeling relatively fresh.  

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