Dear friends, have you ever looked in the mirror and wondered why your skin feels so contradictory? The nose may look shiny enough to require blotting paper, while the cheeks and mouth area feel tight and flaky. Even after applying generous amounts of facial oil before bed, your skin can still feel tight by morning. This frustrating pattern of dehydrated oily skin is one of the most frequent concerns raised in clinical practice.
In the Donguibogam, this combination of surface oiliness and internal tightness is closely linked to fluid deficiency. In this context, body fluids refer to all the essential moisture within the body. Rather than simple water, these fluids are nutrient-rich substances that lubricate the skin, hair, and mucosa, while keeping the joints supple. They function much like a flowing river that nourishes dry soil, sustaining moisture and vitality throughout the entire body.
When these vital body fluids run low, the body experiences deep thirst, and individual skin cells become parched. In an effort to counter this deficit, the body attempts to compensate by producing excess oil on the surface of the skin. This resembles spreading oil over cracked, dry ground when a riverbed has dried up. The result is what we recognize as inner dryness: the surface appears glossy and greasy, while the deeper layers remain severely dehydrated.
What causes this fluid deficiency to develop? In many cases, everyday lifestyle habits are the primary contributors, including spicy or salty foods, irregular meals, chronic stress, inadequate sleep, and diuretic habits such as frequent consumption of coffee or alcohol. Because this issue begins deep within the body, surface-level cosmetics and blotting papers cannot address the root cause. Dehydrated oily skin should therefore be viewed not merely as a surface concern, but as an internal signal that your fluid balance needs support. Restoring genuine hydration begins with paying attention to these underlying signals.
