How do I know if I have oily skin?
Here's some typical tell-tale signs that your skin is oily:
- Shiny skin – Skin often look shiny and feel greasy.
- Enlarged pores – Pores in oily skin types tend to be more visible and look larger than in drier skin types. They easily clog up with oil and sweat.
- Breakout-prone – Oily skin is more prone to acne and blackheads
If you're only oily in the T-zone but dry on your cheeks, you likely have combination skin.
On a good note, oily skin tends to show signs of aging later in life, and you're less prone to uncomfortable dryness!
Why do I have oily skin?
Skin type is mainly genetic and a basic programming for how low or high oil production our skin has.
Here's a quick skin biology lesson:
Under every pore, we have a small gland that produces oil – a sebaceous gland.
The sebaceous glands are crucial for healthy skin since they produce natural oils (sebum) that moisturise and protects our skin barrier. But when they run into overdrive they can cause troubles like excess oiliness, clogged pores and acne.
There's several reasons why the sebaceous glands overproduce oil – both genetics, hormones and temporary lifestyle factors influence oil production.
Some of the most common reasons behind oily skin are:
1. GENETICS
If your parents (or one of them) have oily skin, chances are you will too. While we cannot change our genetic programming, we can manage excess oil production with the right skincare products and small lifestyle habits.
2. HORMONAL CHANGES
A hormone called androgens are responsible for overstimulating the sebaceous glands, making them produce excess oil. Androgens are often called "the male hormone", which is misleading, since females have them too alongside our lady hormones.
Androgens – like our other hormones – fluctuates throughout life, and typically peak during puberty. Oily skin is very common in teenagers, and in young men.
Hormonal changes during pregnancy, before the period, during menopause or in women with PCOS can trigger oil production long after our teenage years.
3. STRESS LEVELS
When we're stressed, the stress hormone cortisol rises in the body. This can indirectly increase the androgen levels, leading to excess oil production.
4. CLIMATE
Hot and humid weather often triggers higher sebum production, which is why oily skin is a bigger concern in hot countries.
5. SKINCARE HABITS
A common mistake for people with oily skin to try to dry out skin. Don't! Using to harsh skincare or drying out skin will only cause skin to overproduce more oil to compensate for the water loss.
6. LIFESTYLE FACTORS
Eating a lot of processed high glycemic foods, like refined sugar, can cause blood sugar spikes that affect the oil glands.
