What Causes Oily Skin and Can it be Prevented?

Oily skin can cause a number of problems including acne and blackheads. It can also be particularly unsightly and can cause embarrassment to you if you suffer from it. So what exactly causes it and how can it be prevented?

The Causes of Oily Skin:

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There are a number of factors though to contribute towards oily skin and it is usually more apparent in teenagers as their hormones change. However, as well as hormones, it can also sometimes be hereditary, down to the cosmetics which you use, or it could even be down to the contraceptive pill. Generally it can occur at any age, but usually skin tends to become dryer the older that you are.

What Causes Oily Skin and Can it be Prevented?

Oil is created by the Sebaceous glands and they are usually bigger around the nose area. In teenagers especially, Androgens are the hormones responsible for creating too much oil, which then leads to acne in many people. Oily skin often clogs the pores and that is what causes acne, not the actual oil itself.

Proper Treatment and Care of Oily Skin:

There are a number of ways which you can help to keep oil levels to a minimum and these include:

Cleansing the Face

Cleansing the face will often help to unclog the pores and reduce the amount of dirt on the face, therefore eliminating or at least helping to reduce acne and blemishes. However, it is important not to wash in very hot water or particularly harsh soaps and cleansers as this will usually make the problem worse. Usually all store bought acne treatments have a drying effect on oily skin so they are definitely worth checking out.

Avoid Oil Based Products

If you have oily skin the last thing you need is to add extra oil to the skin. Some moisturizers and cleansers often have oil in them which is better suited to dryer skin. Also, some cosmetics are oil
based and they will only aggravate the skin if used. Always read the label and seek professional advice if you are unsure of how much oil a product has in it.

Always Remember to Take Your Make Up Off At Night

Obviously this does not really apply to you men, but women often forget to take their make up off, or they simply ignore it and leave it on because they cannot be bothered to remove it. Whilst it may seem harmless enough, make up clogs up the skin and can cause the body to produce more oil.

Always Try To Relax

There is definitely a link between stress and oily skin, so always do your best to relax. Androgens produce a lot more oil when the body is stressed which inevitably leads to oily skin! You do not even have to be suffering from mental stress, physical stress such as colds, allergies and menstruation can all be contributing factors to oily skin.

There are various different treatments available which are specially developed to clear up oily skin. Benzyl Peroxide is one of the best as it works in two different ways. Firstly it attacks the bacteria which are a leading cause of acne, and then it also peels off dead skin cells inside the hair follicles which keep the plugs from forming.

Overall, be careful not to clog your pores up further with heavy duty moisturizing creams, and oil based cosmetics. Most acne treatments are great for eliminating oily skin, and a change in your diet could also do you good. If you are still unsure as to what is causing your oily skin you could always talk to your doctor and see what they advice.

If you are a woman and you are taking the contraceptive pill, it is worth finding out if that is contributing in any way to your oily skin. There could be many different reasons why you are getting oily skin, but know that you are not alone, and it is treatable, even if it does take a couple of months!

What Causes Oily Skin and Can it be Prevented?

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How to Improve Oily Skin and Reduce Open Pores

Genetics is the main reason some of us have oily skin. Yes, you can actually blame your parents for this one! Oily skin is caused by an excessive production of sebum and can lead to spots, blemishes, open pores and blackheads. Diet and skin care routine play an important part in managing oily skin and avoiding all of these skin problems.

Eating a lot of processed, sugary meals and snacks, rich fried foods high in fat, and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol will not do your skin any favors. Instead of ready meals and take away dinners, sugary desserts and chocolate snacks, substitute salads, fresh meat, fruit and vegetables. Replace fizzy drinks, alcohol and coffee with water, and you will see improvements in your skin.

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Managing oily skin requires a consistent beauty regime of cleansing, toning and moisturizing. If you can cleanse your skin 3 or 4 times a day, you will really see the benefits. Use products which suit your skin type. If cleansing more than twice a day, use a gentle product. Strong alcohol based cleansers can strip the skin of natural oils and cause flaky skin patches and irritation.

How to Improve Oily Skin and Reduce Open Pores

Cleansers and toners suitable for oily skin may contain glycolic acid, salicylic acid, lactic acid, or a combination of acids. These types of cleansers benefit oily skin by controlling the excess production of sebum in the skin, reducing open pores and blackheads. They improve the skin's texture by exfoliating the top layer of dead surface cells, and as an added benefit, can reduce the appearance of acne scars, fine lines and wrinkles.

Other treatments to consider include microdermabrasion, skin resurfacing lasers and skin peels. Microdermabrasion is a cosmetic procedure which removes the dead outermost surface of the skin. Microdermabrasion does not require any anaesthetic, and can be used to treat sun damaged skin, acne scars, fine lines and enlarged pores. A course of 6 to 8 treatments is usually required to achieve results. Various types of laser treatments are available which burn away the top layer of skin. 2 or 3 treatments may be required over a period of several weeks. After treatment, the skin may be red and flaky until the fresh new skin is revealed. Skin peels vary in strength. A more gentle peel will just exfoliate the outermost dead layers of the skin, to give a fresher look. Deeper skin peels can cause the outer layer of skin to literally peel away, and require several days for the skin to recover.

Beauty salons and skin clinics offer a wide range of treatments for various skin problems, and can advise on the most suitable treatment for your skin type. There are also a good quality range of products suitable for home use which can save you hundreds of pounds in expensive salon treatments.

How to Improve Oily Skin and Reduce Open Pores

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Oily Skin - Why You May Have Oily Skin & What To Do About It

Do you have oily skin, continually feel the need to wash your face and wish you could find a way to make those pores looks smaller?

You and millions of other people with oily skin are in the same boat. Mind you, oily skin does not get lines and wrinkles as quickly or as deeply as people with dry skin... So that's got to be a bonus - although it probably doesn't make you feel any better about your oily skin problem, does it.

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Often, oily skin is associated with acne, however, here we will focus on the classic oily skin type and look at the causes and solutions for oily skin.

Oily Skin - Why You May Have Oily Skin & What To Do About It

Oily skin may be the result of several causes:

1. Hereditary
2. Dietary
3. Hormone levels; Age (puberty/adolescence, Menopause/change of life, etc); Birth control pill; Other medications
4. Pregnancy
5. Cosmetics and/or skin care products you're currently using
6. Climate

Oily skin may well be in your genes. People from Mediterranean, some Asian and middle-Eastern countries may inherit oily skin from their parents. This is a genetic mechanism to help protect their skin from the high radiation of the sun. However, if you have inherited this skin type, but do not live in the climate it was designed for, this can be a problem and needs to be addressed.

Diet can be both the cause as well as the solution for oily skin. Eating greasy, oily foods will eventually produce oily skin. It is the diet's fat (and sugar which is converted to fat) content that ends up on the surface of your skin and that is a relatively easy cause to fix. Fix your diet and you'll fix your oily skin.

Hormonal changes especially during the teenage and change of life years can cause oily skin, often associated with acne. Similarly, pregnancy, during which your hormones change dramatically, may cause oily skin. Usually this is resolved soon after giving birth, menopause has passed or once a teenager's body reaches maturity.

Often however, the very products you are using are the reason for your oily skin. This can be cosmetic products or skin and personal care products.

Personal products such as soaps are particularly 'hazardous'. The reason soap is a no-no when it comes to oily skin is that the soap you use to wash your face will initially remove the oil, but it will also dry out your skin causing your skin to over-react and over produce oil which is then secreted onto the skin's surface and oops, you have oily skin again. This is a condition known as reactive seborrhoea.

Another factor that can lead to oily skin is the climate in which you life. A humid, hot climate may cause your skin to become oily.

Many people have oily areas in one area of their face, but other areas may well be normal or dry. This is known as combination skin. Often the oily area is in the

T-Zone. That is the area covered by your forehead, nasal section and chin. You may however only have oily skin in one of these areas or elsewhere on your face. Irrespective of where the oily skin is, you'll need to address the cause in order to fix it.

How to fix your oily skin

Okay, you can't do much about the genes you've inherited, or the fact you're pregnant or going through a change in hormonal balance. But you can still help your skin to work at a more 'normal' level. You can influence the oiliness of your skin and you can take steps to normalize your skin's oil secretions.

Let's take a step-by-step look at how you can normalize your skin.

Basic steps applicable to all causes of oily skin type:

1. Wash your face no more than 2x per day. If you do, you are likely to over stimulate your skin and this will cause it to produce more oil - not the result you want.
2. Use hot water to wash your face. Hot water is best to dissolve oil. Cold and warm water just doesn't work as well.
3. Do NOT use commercial soaps to wash your face. These types of soaps will dry out your skin and this again will result in your skin producing more oil to protect itself against the drying effect caused by the soap.
4. Eat a healthy diet. What's a healthy diet? Simple, use unprocessed, fresh fruits and vegetables; do not use foods that have been pre-prepared and/or conserved; do not eat junk food. Stay away from rich, fatty meals.
5. Drink plenty of clean fresh water (2 liters minimum per day).

The next step is to choose the right type of skin care products. Yes, it's a little more difficult than just buying a cleanser and moisturizer that smell nice and hope they'll help your oily skin.

Many of these essential oils help specifically in normalizing sebum production.

One of the biggest problems with oily skin is that the excessive oil being produced tends to clog up the pores and cause bacterial growth (Acne) and/or oxidation of the oil (blackheads).

So, looking at this as a 3-step process:

1. Follow a daily skin care regime:

• Cleanse your facial skin using hot water and/or a natural cleanser (alcohol free) that contains essential oils and herbs to help remove oxidized natural oils and make-up residues. This will leave your skin feeling fresh and clean.
• Use a natural toner to help remove any remaining cleanser and close the open pores. This prevents further loss of moisture and by closing the pores, this prevents bacteria and other microbes from entering the open pores.
• Even though your skin is oily, you should still use a light moisturizer that contains oils such as Jojoba or Avocado as their primary ingredient.
• There is one more thing you will need to do - Use a facial clay mask twice weekly. Use Green Clay as it is the most drawing of the clays and will most help oily skin. Then follow with the above cleansing, toning and moisturising.

2. Eat wholesome food and drink plenty of water.

3. Exercise

• This step is an important step because regular exercise will promote increased blood circulation helping to nourish your skin, while providing improved blood supply to the very surface of your skin. The perspiration (and consumption of additional water) will help to flush out toxins from your skin's pores - but remember to increase the water consumption by at least 0.5 of a liter on days when you exercise.

Oily Skin - Why You May Have Oily Skin & What To Do About It

Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.

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