Learn About 8 Causes Why Your Skin Is Oily
When it comes to taking good care of your skin, it’s important to know what skin type you have. Instead of trying out different cleansers and moisturizers until you find the right one, it’s much easier to simply understand the science behind your skin.As we mentioned in the previous article by now we know that there are four skin types.
Normal skin in which your skin is prone to have no or a few imperfections, no severe sensitivity, barely visible pores and a radiant complexation. Then what follows next is dry skin, in which you may have almost invisible pores, dull, rough complexation, red patches, your skin is less elastic, and finally the lines are more visible. Another type of skin is oily skin. In case you fall into the type of oily skin, then the signs listed are most probably what you are having – enlarged pores, dull or shiny thick complexation, blackheads, pimples or other blemishes. And finally, the combination of the three types of skin. Sometimes, your skin can be dry or normal in some areas while in the T-zone it can be oily. Know that the majority of people fall into this one category. Having this type of skin, people are more likely to have pores that look larger than normal since they are more open, blackheads and shiny skin.
Nevertheless, today in a more detailed way we are here to discuss the reasons why you may be having oily skin and what the causes of it are.
What Causes Oily Skin
In order for us to have a soft and supple skin, our body produces oil, and sometimes too much sebum is produced. Sebum is the oily substance which comes from sebaceous glands. Thanks to the sebum, one’s skin, and hair, is properly moisturized. However, too much sebum in your skin is not the only reason why you end up with oily skin. To be honest, there are many surprising things that might have never crossed your mind before that lead to oily skin.
According to Reader’s Digest, the most common reasons why one has this type of skin are one’s hormones, consuming too much dairy, your genetics, overwashing/overprotecting your face, certain supplements, and medication, the stress level you might be having and not drinking enough water.
Hormones
In the majority of cases whatever health condition we might be having, what comes first to our mind to blame are hormones. That being said, yes, your skin also is a victim of hormones since they go hand in hand. Now, we mentioned that in order for our skin to be soft, one’s skin produces oil. Nevertheless, sometimes your sebaceous glands can over-produce it. This is because of the hormonal level shifts during one’s cycle from estrogen and progesterone to testosterone two weeks before your period.
Androgens, a hormone which is responsible for oil production from time to time can fluctuate – it stimulates an increase in sebum production. People are mostly faced with this increase in the sebum production during puberty, just before menstruation, during pregnancy and during menopause. What also adds to the production of oil in your skin, is the production of extra hormones which are caused by stress and illness but, we’re discussing this later on.
Consumption Of Too Much Dairy
Cheese, milk, yogurt, butter – our favorite food (at least for me) can be a cause of the oily skin since according to studies, these products, especially milk stimulates oil glands in the skin and even lead to acne. Every time you find yourself consuming dairy products have in mind that levels of testosterone and progesterone, also, nearly 60 other hormones can rise and this leads to the production of to much oil beneath your skin.
Oily skin can also lead to your skin having acne, so, studies show that there are more than 60 different hormones in just one glass of milk and, when talking about the production of acne anabolic-hormone-packed milk is the worst. You might want to consider cutting off eating and drinking too much dairy products. In case you are fond of these products, start by reducing the consumption of dairy products. As they say, little by little.
Genetics
You have probably heard people telling you left and right that you look like your mom or dad. Your nose is so much like your dad’s, omg, your hair is exactly like your mom’s. You might be wondering why I am saying this. Well, genetics also is a reason why you might end up having oily skin. Oily skin also is an inherited trait, unfortunately.
Having larger sebaceous glands which produce excess oil is a hereditary attribute passed down the family tree. However, you cannot stop this so what is left for you to do is stay away from products that produce or increase the amount of oil in your skin.
Overwashing/Overprotecting Your Face
While you might be thinking that washing your face so many times a day is good for your skin, in fact, your face will thank you if you do it rarely but effectively. Yes, this is one of the reasons why you might end up with greasy skin. I mean, everything that you take too far, at some point you end up with bad results.
Scrubbing your face too much, or overdoing it, applying too much skin care products, can make your skin oilier. The reason why you might strip the skin of moisture which causes glands to overproduce oil can be when you scrub your face too hard with washcloths, even with other abrasive tools or coarse exfoliators. Due to this, you should keep in mind and start practicing the gentle cleansing.
Supplements And Medication
What you also should be careful from if you want to avoid the greasy skin is the supplements and the medication you use. You should always read about the side effects of anything that you are using to improve your health condition.
What mostly is known as an oily face cause are the hormone replacements medication or supplements, oral contraceptives since these ones are the reason behind the increased oil production. Various medications can lead to dehydration and not drinking enough water is also one of the reasons of oily skin.
The Stress Level
The stress caused whether at work, in your relationship, your friendship or in the family circle leads to oily skin. In fact, I live to believe that stress is the reason for so many health conditions. I mean, when has stress ever brought any good thing in one’s life. Managing your stress level is one of the many things you can do for a better skin.
Dr. Schelissinger explains that:
“When we become stressed, the level of the body’s stress hormone (cortisol) rises.
“This, in turn, causes an increase in oil production, which can lead to oily skin, acne and other related skin problems, that can create even more stress for us.” Learning how to manage the effects of stress can help keep skin from becoming aggravated.”
Not Drinking Enough Water
Often times dehydrated skin can be mistaken for oily skin. This might sound odd to you but the lack of moisture in the dehydrated skin is because of lacking water content. If you want your skin to be less oily then you should drink more water since experts point out that hydration helps to make oil glands less oily. Dr. Avaliani admits that:
“Drinking adequate amounts of water throughout the day leads to less blockage of the skin glands and less inflammation.”
The doctor also explains how important it is to drink at least two liters of water a day and avoiding soda since consuming soft drinks don’t hydrate your body the same way as water does and can lead to more skin problems.
To conclude with, all the mentioned above such as hormones, genetics, the consumption of dairy, the stress level, not drinking enough water during the day, supplements and medication and overwashing/overprotecting your skin, all add up to the oily skin. So, get rid of the oily skin permanently by sticking to the advice if you want to fall into the normal skin type.
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