How to take care of your Oily Skin
An excessive amount of sebum, an oily, waxy material produced by your skin’s sebaceous glands, causes oily skin.
Sebum keeps your skin moisturized and shields it from excessive moisture, but if there is too much of it, it can leave you with a greasy complexion and raise your risk of breakouts like pimples and acne.
Your face may be oily for a variety of reasons, including stress, humidity, genetics, and hormonal changes.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce oily skin and the chance of outbreaks. These include routine face washing, DIY skincare solutions, and topical over-the-counter medications.
This article addresses six easy ways to reduce oily skin, regardless of the underlying cause, and explains possible causes of oily skin.
Causes of Oily Skin
Your skin may be oily for several reasons, most of which fall into two categories: environmental variables and health-related issues. Processes taking place in your body, such as changing hormone levels, might contribute to oily skin for health reasons.
Humidity and other environmental variables can also contribute to oily skin.
Factors contributing to oily skin
- Being a male.
- Ladies who are premenopausal during ovulation.
- Summer or a humid environment.
- ancestry of African Americans.
- hormone-altering chronic conditions.
The sebaceous glands in the skin create skin oil. These glands are found all over the skin, but the scalp, face, and upper torso are where they tend to overproduce oil.
Sebum offers skin lubrication, antimicrobial capabilities, UV protection, control of inflammation, and wound healing, among many other advantages.
However, too much sebum can cause skin irritation, acne, and a glossy, greasy complexion.
Factors contributing to oily skin
Any of these variables, alone or in combination, can result in oily skin.
Genetics
The production of sebum may be influenced by genetics. Typically, your skin will generate more oil the larger your pores are. Pore size can differ by family and ethnicity.
Androgen
Androgens are hormones that are found in both males and females, such as testosterone. Studies show that testosterone synthesis in the sebaceous glands is correlated with higher hormone levels. Female hormones like estrogen are connected to reduced oil production.
Growth hormones
Acne is thought to be influenced by growth hormones, which are connected to sebum production. Adolescence, which is typically characterized by oilier skin, is when these hormones reach their maximum lifetime levels.
Stress
Stress causes the bloodstream to overflow with stress chemicals. One hormone associated with stress, corticotropin-releasing hormone, has been shown to attach to the sebaceous glands of the skin and increase oil production.
This might be a factor in why stress tends to make acne worse.
High-glycemic diets
Sugar and simple carbohydrate-rich, high-glycemic diets may cause an increase in sebum production. Simple carbohydrates may raise the body’s growth hormone levels, which would result in more oil being produced.
Increased perspiration and oil production may result from humidity. People with oily skin may be more likely to reside in humid settings.
In comparison to the dry winter months, the humid summer months may make you more prone to oily skin. Eczema may also result from high humidity.
Treatments at home for oily skin
Treatments for oily skin that may be done at home can help reduce the quantity of oil on the skin and stop problems like acne and redness.
However, many of these remedies won’t deal with the underlying reason for the excessive sebum production.
For instance, hormone-related oily skin can be controlled at home but cannot be treated. If you are interested in prescription medications, speak with your healthcare professional.
Every day, wash your face at least twice.
Washing your face twice a day is one of the best strategies to control oily skin. Every morning and night, wash with a mild cleanser and water; repeat the process after a strenuous workout.
It is unnecessary to wash more regularly because doing so could irritate the skin and cause it to create more oil. Instead of scraping, cleanse your skin with soft circular strokes.
Moisturize
Using a daily moisturizer is crucial for managing oily skin, even though it may seem paradoxical. When your skin becomes very dry, your body produces extra oil to hydrate it. Every morning, use a light, oil-free moisturizer with sunscreen.
Apply Blotting Paper.
Throughout the day, use blotting sheets to absorb extra oil in between washes. These items are excellent for traveling.
Try not to rub the paper over your skin as you gently wipe your face, because doing so might spread the oil.
Additionally, try to minimize touching your face. Because most people constantly touch their faces without realizing it, it might be difficult to follow this advice. Our hands may spread germs, oil, and grime to our faces, which can cause an oil buildup.
Use a clay mask
Utilizing clay masks to remove extra oil from your face may be beneficial. The mask can pull oil out of your pores based on the kind of clay you select.
Take green tea
Did you know that green tea may treat oily skin in addition to its antioxidant and health benefits? Apply a green tea emulsion to your skin instead of making a cup.
A 3% green tea emulsion used topically has been shown in studies to considerably lower sebum production. Though effects won’t appear right away, individuals did notice a change after 60 days.
Make use of hydrocortisone cream.
Redness and flaky spots can occasionally result from excessive oil on the skin. Reduce redness and scaling while addressing skin irritation with over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream.
Tips
Genetics, hormones, stress, nutrition, humidity, and other variables can all contribute to oily skin. Although excessive sebum is good for our skin, it may also cause irritation and acne.
It’s important to keep in mind that there are a variety of treatments for oily skin, and some of them may take time to be effective. Others may be a better fit if one treatment doesn’t work for your oily skin. Your dermatologist can assist you in selecting the best course of action for you.