Oily skin is a common problem that can manifest as shiny skin, uneven skin texture, dilated pores, and blocked pores (leading to acneform lesions).
If you suffer from oily skin, it is often a result of excessive amounts or activities of androgenic (male type) hormones. These male type hormones lead your sebaceous glands to overproduce sebum, which is a very oily substance. However, you can have normal levels of androgenic hormones, but still suffer from oily skin if you are one of those people whose sebaceous glands overreact to androgenic hormones.
What Factors Worsen Oily Skin?
While oily skin (like all conditions in your body) is to a degree genetically predetermined, there are other factors that can lead to improvement or worsening of oily skin conditions.
1. Stress – stress in any form (whether caused by emotional situations, lack of sleep, use of drugs or alcohol, poor diet, environmental toxins) can affect your hormonal balance and lead to excessive sebum production.
2. Dietary influences – unhealthy foods like sugars, fried foods and the consumption of vegetable oils impact your immune system, nervous system and hormonal system leading to excessive sebum production
3. Menstrual Problems – you may notice that you have breakouts or increased oily skin during specific parts of your menstrual cycle. Your hormonal production is a cyclical process and subject to menstrual cycle influences.
4. Topical Influences – Using soaps, lotions, makeup and other skin products that are relatively incompatible with your skin needs can lead to inflammation and out breaks of oily skin and acneform lesions.
5. Unhealthy Environmental Conditions - like air pollution, excessive humidity, exposure to chemicals or dirty conditions can cause an overstimulation of sebum production and oily skin.
6. Sun exposure – stimulates production of sebum and oily skin
What Can I do if I Have Oily Skin?
1. Reduce all types of stress as much as possible
2. Adhere to a healthy diet – avoiding sugars, excessive carbohydrate intake, fried foods, vegetable oils and any other foods that can lead to inflammation
3. Work with a doctor that understands metabolism in order to balance out your hormones.
4. Use skin products that are compatible with your skin type, conditions and needs as recommended by an experienced and well trained skin care specialist.
5. Avoid adverse environmental conditions (as much as possible).
6. Practice proper sun exposure.
7. Appropriately administered exfoliative treatments (via chemical peels and microdermabrasion) can reduce acne outbreaks that occur when oily skin leads to the accumulation of excessive dead skin cells
