What should people with oily skin eat to improve their oily skin?
Nov 28, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Liu Wenmin
Introduction
People with oily skin can generally improve their skin condition by consuming foods rich in dietary fiber, B vitamins, heat-clearing and dampness-resolving foods, zinc-rich foods, and low-sugar, low-GI foods. For example, oats, celery, apples, and dragon fruit contain dietary fiber that promotes intestinal motility and helps eliminate excess metabolic waste from the body.
People with oily skin can generally improve their skin condition by consuming foods rich in dietary fiber, vitamin B complex, heat-clearing and dampness-removing foods, zinc-rich foods, and low-sugar, low-GI foods. The details are as follows:
1. Foods rich in dietary fiber: such as oats, celery, apples, and dragon fruit. Dietary fiber promotes intestinal motility, helps eliminate excess metabolic waste from the body, reduces excessive sebum secretion caused by toxin buildup, and also regulates metabolism, thereby indirectly improving oily skin.
2. Foods containing vitamin B complex: such as lean meat, fish, eggs, legumes, and nuts. Vitamin B complex participates in fat metabolism, inhibits over-secretion of sebaceous glands, reduces oil accumulation on the skin surface, and helps maintain normal skin physiological functions, leading to more stable skin condition.
3. Heat-clearing and dampness-removing foods: such as wax gourd (winter melon), cucumber, coix seed (yi mi), and mung beans. These foods are mild in nature and help eliminate excess dampness from the body, alleviating oily skin and acne caused by internal damp-heat. They also hydrate the body, keeping the skin feeling fresh and清爽.
4. Zinc-rich foods: such as oysters, scallops, lean meat, and pumpkin seeds. Zinc helps regulate sebaceous gland secretion, reduces oil production, and has anti-inflammatory properties, lowering the risk of inflammation and acne associated with oily skin, thus improving overall skin health.
5. Low-sugar, low-GI foods: such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, buckwheat, and fresh vegetables. High-sugar, high-GI foods cause fluctuations in insulin levels, which stimulate sebaceous glands to produce more oil. Choosing low-sugar, low-GI options helps stabilize blood sugar levels, prevents abnormal sebum secretion, and aids in controlling oily skin.
Improving oily skin requires long-term adherence to a healthy diet and avoiding fried, spicy, and high-sugar foods. If excessive oiliness is accompanied by severe acne or inflammation, medical advice should be sought promptly.
