What characterizes an oily skin?

Oily skin produces more sebum or sebum, which makes it oily easily. You can easily recognize oily skin by the fact that it is shinier and has enlarged and more visible pores. The oilier skin is also perceived as slightly thicker and has less visible blood vessels. A common consequence of oily skin is clear blackheads or pimples that can lead to acne, especially when the skin's sebaceous glands produce more sebum than the pores can handle.

What causes oily skin?

Oily skin is common, especially in men or during younger periods of life, such as during puberty. Although it is most common in younger people, you can have oily skin up to the age of 60 or even older.

Oily skin is due to overstimulated sebaceous glands. The glands are mainly stimulated by the male sex hormone testosterone, which means that oily skin is more common in men, although oily skin occurs in both sexes. The amount of sebaceous glands is greater on the face than on the rest of the body, especially in the visible T-zone which consists of the forehead, nose and chin. Therefore, oily skin is most prominent in these areas.

Oily skin in men and women

Men's skin is often oilier and less dry compared to women's skin. It is mainly due to men's higher levels of testosterone which stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum or sebum, which makes the skin more oily and not as dry.

In women with oily skin, it has been seen that sebum production changes during the menstrual cycle, which is probably due to changing hormone levels during the cycle. Sebum production increases the week before and during the menstrual week, while it is lowest during the second week of the menstrual cycle. The increased production can increase the tendency to get clogged pores which can eventually turn into acne. In women with normal or dry skin, corresponding changes in sebum production during the menstrual cycle have not been seen.

Is it good to have oily skin?

The protective layer of sebum, which characterizes oily skin, is normally good for the skin. The lipids found in sebum are the skin's own selected combination of oils and fats that prevent the skin from becoming dry while providing it with good protection. In addition to reduced dryness and increased hydration, there is also a connection between a high sebum content in the skin and fewer wrinkles!

Oily skin does not require more cleansing

A common misconception regarding oily skin is that it is more impure and therefore needs increased cleansing. Unfortunately, this is nothing more than a long-lived myth. If you have oily skin or problems with pimples, you should not wash more or use stronger cleaning products. A review of published scientific studies on how cleaning affects acne, studies in which a total of 671 test subjects have been included, has not been able to show that cleaning in any form has led to improvements in acne-affected skin.

What skin care works best for oily skin?

Good skin care for oily/combination skin works in several different ways that jointly counteract the risk of the oily skin getting clogged pores, pimples and acne. The ingredients must

• Be non-comedogenic
• Regulate sebum production and reduce the amount of sebum
• Improve the maturation process and accelerate the exfoliation of the skin's cells (keratinocytes), which reduces the risk of clogging the pores.
• Reduce inflammation and irritation
• Regulate pore size
• Moisturize and care, i.e. contribute to healthy and balanced skin

Our products for oily skin