Our skin doesn’t manage excess of sebum well, and its increased production is frequently caused by… us. Today I’d like to tell you a little bit about what sebum really is, why your skin shines in an uncontrolled way, how to deal with oily skin and what things you can make use of to regulate sebaceous glands work. Are you interested?
One of the most common problems that our skin faces is seborrhea. The reports show that every third woman either has or had this problem. In most cases it affects T-zone (chin, nose, forehead), but the shine may appear on the entire face too. This is an aftermath of overactive sebaceous glands that secrete too much oil.
Sebum. What’s that what’re its functions?
When asked: ‘What is sebum?’, you’ll probably answer that this is an oily layer on the face. Perhaps you will add that this oily layer is completely redundant. However, I’ve to tell you that sebum, which is a blend of waxy matter, is found crucial for our skin – trust me on that.
Sebum makes a protective coat for our epidermis which:
- shields dermis against harmful factors;
- counteracts water loss and limits skin dehydration;
- is a natural layer neutralizing adverse effects of the sunlight;
- ensures skin elasticity, softness and smoothness;
- eases vitamin (including E) penetration and transports it to lower skin layers.
Fun fact: Sebaceous glands in an adult are able to secrete even 25 pounds (11 kg) of sebum a year!
When your complexion gets too oily…
Sebum is produced by microscopic exocrine glands in the skin. Usually they secrete the adequate amount of sebum but, obviously, there are some reasons why the glands work is disturbed. Then we deal with oily skin that is covered with a slightly greasy layer and starts ‘shine’.
The most common causes of seborrhea are:
- genes, which is something that we sadly can’t control;
- endocrine disorders (e.g. in teenagers);
- unbalanced diet: too high sugar and processed food intake;
- excessive stress and some medications;
- urban pollution (smog), heat and freezing weather;
- ill-matching beauty products;
- cosmetics containing alcohol and other dehydrating substances;
- frequent and uncontrolled face touching.
How to limit sebum secretion?
Sadly, there is no one, precisely defined way to reduce production of oil by our face. Each one of you has to expose their face to the adequate type of care so as to supply the skin with what it currently needs.
It’s worth realizing that the most common mistake made in oily face care is trying to dehydrate it. You deliberately limit hydration and apply aggressively cleansing products hoping that this is the way that allows us to handle this troublesome excessive sebum production. Yes, this method works but only temporary because once completely deprived of protection, the skin starts recreating the barrier by producing more sebum. And this is how the vicious circle is created – the stronger you cleanse your face and make it dry, the more you encourage sebaceous glands to secrete oil.
Remember! Each type of skin – even the oily one – has to be moisturized regularly and deeply. The possible problems that the owners of oily skin encounter have to be dealt with using other methods.
Ways to handle oily skin: Sebum-regulating substances
The best way to cope with oily skin is turning to beauty products that contain sebum-regulating substances. These can be regular face creams, masks and washing gels that feature constituents which are responsible for having positive effect on sebaceous glands.
The most popular sebum-regulating substances are:
- sea algae,
- mountain arnica,
- viola tricolor,
- medicinal clay,
- yarrow herb,
- witch hazel,
- parsley,
- horsetail,
- bergamot oil,
- and many others.
Personally, I use horsetail the most often, then I follow with witch hazel facial toner and in the afternoon I like drinking violet flower tea. This helped me combat shiny T-zone!
How do sebum-regulating substances work?
Cosmetics featuring sebum-regulating substances are perfect for dealing with oily and/or acne-prone skin because they also display antibacterial properties and soothe irritations. Moreover, they eliminate possible inflammations that might be responsible for disturbing sebaceous glands work. Apart from that, such substances supply skin with essential nutrients, free skin from toxins, improve the level of hydration and revitalize skin.
Does it really work this way? Of course it does! I’m living proof that sebum-regulating substances added to beauty products are effective – just apply them regularly and remain patient until the state of your skin improves and starts functioning correctly.