Too Much Grease Ain’t Good

Shine is a beautiful thing on your hair, lips, and nails — that's for certain. Shine on your face, however, can get tricky. There's a difference between having a gleaming, strategically placed highlight accentuating your cheekbones and having a greasy slickness coating every inch of your T-zone. Oily skin is common but that doesn’t mean you have to live with it your entire life. If your skin constantly looks shiny, pimples popping up left and right and makeup sliding easily off your face, then you most likely have an oily skin type. 

Having oily skin can be quite annoying and frustrating and can take a toll on your self-confidence especially in today’s picture-perfect-beauty-crazy world. Some oil is good, especially natural oil to keep skin supple and hydrated. However, too much oil is never good. If the skin on your face is producing too much oily, then unfortunately, your skin type is oily. An oily skin type is exactly what it sounds like, excess oil on the face that produces a persistently shiny or greasy appearance. 

Medically, oily skin is known as Seborrhoea and is caused by excess oil produced within the pores. During puberty and other life events, fluctuating hormones can result in increased androgen levels. These androgens are considered one of the top oily skin causes. Androgens are male hormones present in both males and females that signal the maturation of the skin’s sebaceous glands. Sebaceous glands are located within the skin and are responsible for secreting an oily substance called sebum. Sebum lubricates the skin, protecting it from drying out or becoming irritated. This oil, along with sweat, is secreted through the pores. When this process goes smoothly, sebum not only lubricates your skin, but it also removes dead skin cells and other irritants from your pores. However, when over-active sebaceous glands produce excess sebum, your skin looks shiny and your pores can become clogged, leading to a host of skin imperfections. Sebum is the waxy, oily substance that protects and hydrates the skin. Sebum is vital for keeping the skin healthy but over production is not good. When the excess oil becomes trapped in the pore, it combines with dead skin cells and bacteria on the surface of the skin and inside the pores, and if left untreated, these pores can become clogged and enlarged leading to pimples, blackheads, and other blemishes.

While you can’t change the underlying composition of your skin, fret not, there is hope. Before overturning your skincare routine, it’s important to remember that our skin is a complex organ that is closely tied to our overall health. Some adjustments to your daily routine can prevent breakouts and manage your oily skin so you can reclaim your confidence with clear, radiant skin. A variety of factors also contribute to oily skin like your diet, hormones, and stress, but some circumstances are completely out of your control such as your genetics. As mentioned, people with oily skin often have overactive sebaceous glands, which can lead to breakouts when sebum combine with dead skin and clog the pores. Oily skin that is linked to genetics can be difficult to prevent. Even oily skin caused by changes in hormones is difficult to control. Some people see their oily skin fade with time, especially after puberty but unfortunately, that’s not the case for everyone. Because our genes direct how we respond to hormone fluctuations, excess sebum production may be something inherent to your skin and body processes. This means some of us never grow out of it.

Genetics, environmental and lifestyle factors are all causes of oily skin and while you can’t necessarily get rid of oily skin, there are steps that can be taken to make the skin less oily. Oily skin is typically hereditary, as such if you have oily skin, it’s probably because your parents suffered a similar fate as larger sebaceous glands that produce excess oil is a hereditary attribute that can be handed down the family tree. But excess oil can also, as stated before, be the result of heightened hormone levels, for instance during puberty, as well as during some parts of women’s menstrual cycle, during pregnancy and when they’re going through menopause as sebaceous glands become more active during these times. Stress and illness can also prompt extra hormones to be released, and with those hormones comes more oil.

Age can play a role too. While you don’t necessarily grow out of oily skin, your skin will indeed produce less sebum as you age. Aging skin loses protein, such as collagen, and the sebaceous glands slow down. This is why many people who have aging skin also have dry skin. This is also the time when fine lines and wrinkles are more noticeable because of the lack of collagen and sebum. One benefit of oily skin is that you may not show signs of aging as quickly as your drier counterparts. Environmental factor such as where you live and the time of year also attribute to the cause of oily skin. Humidity and hot weather tend to stimulate the secretion of sebum, leading to more oil on the skin. Conversely, in cold climates, skin can dry out, causing oil glands to go into overdrive to compensate. People tend to have oilier skin in hot, humid climates. You’re also more likely to have more oil on your skin during the summer than you would in the fall or winter. While it isn’t necessary nor is it feasible to pack up and move, you can always adjust your daily routine during days of high heat and humidity such as keeping blotting sheets on hand to touch up excess oil throughout the day or using a matte moisturiser or foundation to help soak up extra oil. Sometimes your pores can stretch out due to age, weight fluctuations, and previous breakouts. Larger pores also tend to produce more oil. While you can’t shrink your pores, but you can take extra care to blot areas of your face with enlarged pores throughout the day.

Having oily skin is really frustrating. As if that isn’t enough already, we learn more and more on the causes of oily skin and yes, there is more! Even overdoing the daily skincare routine can cause oily skin! Washing your face or exfoliating too often can also make your skin oily. This can seem like an oxymoron, since the purpose of washing and exfoliating is to get rid of oil. But if you do this too often, you strip away too much of the oil from your skin. This can cause your sebaceous glands to go into emergency mode, where they produce even more oil to make up for the loss. If your skin is looking shiny, the last thing you want to do is over wash your face using harsh products. Scrubbing too hard with washcloths, other abrasive tools or with coarse exfoliators will strip the skin of moisture, causing glands to overproduce oil. 

Having said that, poor-quality cosmetics that tend to be harsher, can also damage the skin thus making the sebaceous glands pump out more oil. It’s a myth that moisturiser causes oily skin. In fact, if you’re using acne treatments such as salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide, you definitely need a good moisturiser to keep your skin from drying out. Without moisturiser, any skin type will dry out. When your face resembles something of a grease ball, we understand that the last thing you’ll want to do is moisturise. However, moisturising is a must regardless of your skin type. In fact, skipping moisturiser can contribute to your oily complexion. When you don’t provide your complexion with enough hydration, it can trick your skin into producing too much oil. So instead of skipping moisturiser, the key is to find the right kind of moisturiser. Lightweight, water-based moisturisers work well for oily skin. 

And of course, poor diet. We all love food but certain types do cause skin to be oily. It may be difficult to not indulge in foods that contain sugar, refined carbohydrates and dairy but be warned tasty as these foods may be, consuming them too frequently may lead to overactive sebum production and the greasy sheen that accompanies it. The reduction of oil and acne from dieting is common practice. Increasing acne-fighting foods might be a good place to start to help improve your skin. While there is a possibility that you may never completely eradicate oily skin but there are ways to help contain it. Changing and finding a suitable skincare routine that works and sticking to it can help. For instance, always used water-based makeup or choose skincare products that are labelled ‘oil free’ and ‘noncomedogenic’ or no makeup if possible. When washing face, keep in mind to use a gentle foaming wash and resist the temptation to scrub the skin as this irritates the skin which can make it worse. And of course, we’ve mentioned this a million times before, apply the moisturiser on a daily basis. Again, keep those blotting papers coming throughout the day. Avoid greasy foods and trans fats, and instead eat a well-rounded diet full of whole foods and finally try avoid touching your face throughout the day. We know that is quite impossible but do try as this will keep dirt, oil, bacteria from your hands from spreading on your face. Every person’s skin is different, and there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to skin care but these are the basic steps you can take to help prevent that oily face from happening ever so frequently.