Have you barely washed or applied make-up and your skin is already oily again? Oily skin can be challenging, but it also comes with some surprising benefits. Find out what you can do to combat oily skin and how to make your complexion matt and even again.
Oily skin occurs when your sebaceous glands are very active and produce a lot of sebum. Experts use the term “seborrhea” for this. Sebum is in itself a good invention of nature because it cares for and protects your skin. In excess, however, it can cause problems: The skin shines unattractively and may be prone to blemishes.
Oily skin also has advantages as a skin type: it is not as sensitive to environmental influences due to the protective sebum layer and is therefore less prone to premature skin ageing.
Oily skin can be recognized by its typical oily sheen. In addition, the pores are often visibly enlarged and the skin texture may appear grainy or coarse. Oily skin is often prone to blemishes such as blackheads or spots. However, lines and wrinkles often form later than with dry skin.
The skin is particularly oily where the sebaceous glands are numerous and active. This includes areas such as the face, décolleté, chest and back.
You now know that overactive sebaceous glands are to blame for oily skin. But what makes them produce so much sebum?
Sex hormones in particular play a key role here. They dock onto the sebaceous glands and virtually move the regulator up or down. More precisely: male hormones (androgens) stimulate sebum production, while female hormones (oestrogens) tend to reduce it. This is why men are often more prone to oily skin.
Unfortunately, women are not spared oily skin problems because: We all have male and female hormones, just in different proportions. When the balance in women shifts towards male hormones, female skin also becomes more oily.
You may notice that your skin condition changes during your menstrual cycle. The skin often becomes more oily shortly before your period because oestrogen levels are lower then. The contraceptive pill can also have an influence on the appearance of the skin. There are products that tend to inhibit sebum production, but there are also products that actually increase it.
But why doesn’t everyone get oily skin when the hormones in the body are having a party? There are also a number of other factors at play, such as:
Predisposition: Sex hormones do not always have to have such a strong effect on the skin. How much your sebaceous glands are stimulated by hormones is probably genetically determined.
Age: As we get older, the sebaceous glands become less active, so mature skin is generally less oily. Oily skin often turns into combination skin with increasing age.
Diet: There is clear evidence that unfavorable eating habits promote oily skin. Anything that causes the blood sugar level to rise quickly – i.e. sweets, white flour products or soft drinks – is problematic. Cow’s milk or industrially hydrogenated fats are also possible factors.
Stress: In addition to the sex hormones, the stress hormone cortisol is also likely to stimulate the sebaceous glands. Oily skin can therefore be a kind of stress barometer.
Season: You have probably already noticed that your skin is more oily in summer. In cold weather, on the other hand, when the skin is less well supplied with blood, the activity of the sebaceous glands tends to decrease.
Even if you may find oily skin on your face unattractive: In general, oily skin is robust and less susceptible to disease or eczema than dry skin, for example. But she is more prone to
skin blemishes
. This is because the excess sebum provides a good breeding ground for bacteria, which break down the fat and produce skin-irritating waste in the process. If the pores become clogged with sebum, blackheads and pimples are not far away. In the worst case, the whole thing can develop into
acne
which should be treated medically.
An often unrecognized problem is also
dehydrated
i.e. dehydrated skin. Oily skin is normally well moisturized because the sebum layer counteracts the evaporation of water. However, even oily skin can lose too much moisture under unfavorable conditions: for example, through frequent washing or if you have been heavily exposed to the sun. Oily but dehydrated skin is often tight and may even flake. This is why it can easily be mistaken for dry skin. However, it does not need more fat, but more moisture.
So what to do about oily skin? An important first step is to cleanse your skin twice a day to remove sebum and flakes. For cleansing, you should use water and mild, pH-neutral products that are suitable for oily skin – such as a cleansing gel. Oil-based products are unsuitable. Also avoid using cleansing wipes that only rub sebum and dirt particles into your face.
If you are prone to skin blemishes, additives such as salicylic acid, which have a mild desquamative and anti-inflammatory effect, can be useful.
However, you should not degrease your skin too aggressively, for example by using facial toner with a high alcohol content. This may get rid of the oily shine in the short term, but your skin may become even more oily as a reaction. If your skin feels tight or red after washing, this may indicate that the product is too aggressive.
You should not overload oily skin with care products. But what is often forgotten: Oily skin also needs moisture. Your face in particular, which is exposed to many environmental influences, should therefore be treated with a moisturizer. Light emulsions on an oil-in-water basis or even fat-free gels are suitable.
Last updated: 01.06.2024
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