Three Reasons You May Have Oily Skin

Oily skin can be caused by many different factors, and it would take a dermatologist to give you a definite answer, but there are some causes you can investigate without needing to consult a medical specialist.

Your Age May Be The Cause

At the onset of puberty, oil production in the skin increases sharply, and it can take many years before it decreases to an easily manageable level. Some oily skin sufferers go through a very oily phase during their teenage years, and the state of elevated oil production lasts so long that they do not need to use any significant amount of facial moisturizer for several years, even into their 30s. If it has only been a few years since that awkward time for you, your skin's oil levels might still be elevated.

Drugs Can Cause Hormone Imbalances

Sebum production in your skin is controlled by your hormones. Any time you are taking drugs that alter your hormone levels, it can affect your skin's sebum production, leading to oily or dry skin depending on how your hormones are imbalanced. If you are taking a medication with hormonal side effects, an alternative drug might be available that doesn't cause oily skin, or your doctor may prescribe a topical treatment that you apply to your skin to control oil. Drugs that directly affect your hormones, such as the contraceptive pill or post-menopausal hormone replacements, will probably still affect your skin even if you switch brands; in this case you simply need to take care of your skin rather than switching medications.

Your Skin Could Be Irritated

When you wash your skin, touch it, rub it, or expose it to heat, it stimulates the sebaceous glands, the cells under the skin's surface that produce the oily substance called sebum. If you aren't touching or rubbing your face too often, they produce normal amounts, but if you do these things very often, it can make your skin a lot oilier than normal. This is one of the reasons that we tell teenagers not to pick at their blemishes; it only makes it likelier that they'll get more of them. Overwashing your skin, another common response to oily skin, causes the skin to become dry and activate the sebaceous glands as a kind of dryness countermeasure. The best way to respond to skin that is oily due to irritation is not to try to remove the oil; deal with the irritation instead.

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