Oily Skin
Oily Skin
Does your skin shine in the middle of the day? Even just half an hour after washing your face! You probably have oily skin. Other prominent signs of oily skin include enlarged pores, blackheads, whiteheads, and, as you might guess, acne. Don't worry. With a few simple steps, we can help your skin look healthy, balanced, and radiant.
What is Oily Skin?
A certain amount of sebum (oil produced by your sebaceous glands) is necessary for our skin to stay healthy and soft. In normal skin, oil flows freely and lubricates the surface of your skin, providing a smooth appearance and keeping your skin balanced. However, when your body starts producing excessive sebum (common during puberty or other periods of hormonal changes), there is a risk of oily skin and consequently acne.
Why Does Oily Skin Occur?
While oily skin is often genetic, because our skin encounters many external factors, naturally oily skin can worsen.
Environment is one of these external factors—especially if you live in a hot or humid climate or if there are more pollutants in the air. Ironically, excessive washing and scrubbing can increase oil production because your skin glands will try to compensate for dryness every time you strip your skin of its natural oils. Medications that affect hormones, such as birth control pills, and increased stress levels can also contribute to oily skin. For women, oil production can vary with the monthly cycle and may decrease during perimenopause and menopause. For men, hormones that increase oil production (known as androgens) are at much higher levels during puberty and normalize in adulthood. Men will also experience a decrease in sebum production as they age.
Oily Skin and Acne:
Oily skin and acne-prone skin often go hand in hand. As a normal part of our skin's renewal process, we shed excess dead skin cells. If you have oily skin, these dead skin cells can stick together and become trapped in your pores. This buildup clogs your pores, leading to comedones (blackheads and whiteheads). When P. acnes bacteria enter these clogged pores, blackheads and whiteheads can turn into red, inflamed pimples.
How Do You Know if You Have Oily Skin?
Your skin will have enlarged pores, and despite washing your face in the morning, your skin will appear shiny in the middle of the day (or even earlier).
Is Oily Skin Normal?
Oily skin is common and can actually be healthy. The more oil your skin produces, the more protected it is, which can provide protection against fine lines and wrinkles. Don't expect wrinkle-free skin for life, but it's a positive side effect of oily skin.
Oily skin is normal as long as there are no other skin conditions and you try to keep your skin balanced.
How to Treat Oily Skin?
Unfortunately, no treatment can completely "turn off" oil production and eliminate oily skin, but by using oil-absorbing products, you can make your skin look more balanced. Other habits you should adopt include avoiding excessive face washing (washing only in the morning and evening with lukewarm water is enough!), using non-comedogenic (non-clogging) makeup and skincare products, and reducing stress levels.
Scientific References
- Sakuma TH, Maibach HI. (2012). Oily skin: an overview. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2012;25(5):227-35. PMID: 22617632
- Zouboulis CC. (2004). Acne and sebaceous gland function. Clin Dermatol. 2004;22(5):360-6. PMID: 15556724
- Draelos ZD, Matsubara A, Smiles K. (2006). The effect of 2% niacinamide on facial sebum production. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2006;8(2):96-101. PMID: 16766489
