SOS Sebum: tips for oily skin
Do you feel like your skin gets greasy for no reason? If so, you might be dealing with excess sebum production. Here’s what you can do.
What is sebum?
Sebum is just another word for “oil” that is produced on the face by the sebaceous glands, and it’s used to hydrate and moisturize our skin. But due to changes in our environment and our hormones, our skin can produce this in excess. Excess sebum production mixed with the dead skin cells and bacteria that we encounter throughout the day is a major source of acne.
It’s super important to clean the skin completely of all the bacteria and dead skin, so that it hopefully won’t combine with the sebum to create breakouts: use the right products and skincare devices before it’s too late.
Skincare routine for oily skin
Look for cleansers that are gel or foam-based, and very lightweight moisturizers. Cleanse in the morning, always wear sunscreen, and use your moisturizer in the evening. If you want to step it up and do more anti aging add an antioxidant serum in the morning and a retinoid in the evening. When it comes to cleansers, you can try the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Foaming Cleanser or the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser. If you have acne-prone skin or just want to do even more for your oily skin, try something with salicylic acid like the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser. When it comes to sunscreen, look for lightweight ones like the CeraVe Ultralight Sunscreen or the Elta MD UV Clear. A great antioxidant is the Skinceuticals Silymarin vitamin C serum, while if you want to use a retinoid try adapalene from any brand like Differin.
Oily skin tips
Do not over wash your face and do not use soaps or detergents that make your skin squeaky clean: you may think that you’re cleaning your skin and getting rid of the oil but you’re just signaling to your skin to produce more oil. Don’t use alcohol or any harsh chemicals that are going to strip your skin, because that forces your skin to produce more oil and increases your sensitivity.
If you want your skin to be less oily, you need to change your diet. Oily skin is a state of skin, it’s not a type of skin. Certain foods and even stress can cause your sebaceous glands to produce more oil, making your skin more oily. Some of the most important and impactful changes you can make are:
- reduce your dairy and sugar intake: high intake of these foods increases the hormones insulin and IGF-1, which prompt your skin to produce more oil;
- take a high quality probiotic;
- if you’re stressed, find some activity that is going to help you reduce your stress: research shows that elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol trigger your oil glands to produce more oil.
Oily skin pros
Nevertheless, there are some positive things about oily skin. Having oily skin may reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles because they appear more prominent on drier skin, so sebum will have your skin looking smoother and less texturized than dry skin. It may actually provide some protection for developing fine lines and wrinkles thanks to the abundance of sebaceous glands in the dermis.
Also, oily skin is generally less sensitive and more resistant to environmental insults, which is great news for your skin barrier. Oily skin actually provides some natural protection against UV rays (you still need to use sunscreen, but just know you’re getting a little added benefit). Finally, as we age it’s harder for our skin to retain moisture, so if you have oily skin you have the benefit of having your skin stay moisturized well into your later years. So next time you’re cursing your oily skin, just remember it’s not all bad.
