SKIN CARE

2 min read

The Root of Oil Evil: Top 7 Causes of Oily Skin

May 18, 2017

By: tonkec

Are you perplexed by your shiny complexion that persists, no matter how thoroughly you cleanse? Here are the most likely reasons.

Genetics

If your mom or dad have oily skin, it’s likely you will have inherited the trait. Oily skin can be passed on through your genes, as having larger sebaceous glands that produce excess oil is a hereditary attribute that can be handed down the family tree.  

Environment

Humidity and hot weather tend to stimulate the secretion of sebum, leading to more oil on the skin. Conversely, in arid or cold climates, skin can dry out, causing oil glands to go into overdrive to compensate.  

Over-Washing

If your skin is looking shiny, the last thing you want to do is over wash your face using harsh products. Scrubbing too hard with washcloths, other abrasive tools or with coarse exfoliators will strip the skin of moisture, causing glands to overproduce oil - that’s why gentle cleansing is so important.  

Medication

Oral contraceptives and hormone replacement medication can cause an increase in oil production, and acquiring oily skin is one of the possible side effects associated with taking certain kinds of steroids. Many medications can also cause dehydration that leads to a production of excess oil.  

Cosmetics

It’s important to always use skincare products that are appropriate for your skin type, are of a high quality and are labeled as either oil-free or noncomedogenic. For example, if you use a product for combination skin or dry skin when your skin type is actually oily, you can either dry out your face, causing more oil production, or use a product that is too greasy. Poor-quality cosmetics tend to be harsher, damaging the skin and making the sebaceous glands pump out more oil.  

Hormonal Changes

Hormones and oily skin seem to go hand in hand. Androgens are the hormones mostly responsible for oil production, and sometimes they can fluctuate, stimulating an increase in sebum production. This often happens during puberty, just before menstruation, during pregnancy and during menopause. Stress and illness can also prompt extra hormones to be released, and with those hormones comes more oil.  

Poor Diet

It may be difficult to not indulge in foods that contain sugar, refined carbohydrates and dairy. But be warned - tasty as these foods may be, consuming them too frequently may lead to overactive sebum production and the greasy sheen that accompanies it.  

Prevention or Treatment?

If your oily skin is caused by diet, makeup and over washing, there are several things you can do to prevent your oily skin from reoccurring.  However, outside factors we have no control over, such as hormones, genes and environment, may just as likely be the causes as well. If prevention is not an option, there are many ways you can treat oily skin, and take the next step towards attaining the complexion you desire. https://youtu.be/Hl1UwDtD0mo

Comments

53 comments

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carly 16/02/2021
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Hi Ted, This could be a case of hormonal changes but to be sure what the actual cause, it would be best to see your local GP to confirm this and help provide treatment. Good luck and hope this helps :)

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Karan patel 17/03/2021
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</a>Thanks for sharing this amazing information</a>.

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carly 17/03/2021
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Thank you for your support! Glad you liked the post :)

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Rutuja 01/04/2021
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</a>Oily skin is such a pain. I have acne and oily skin so its impossible to get rid of my acne.</a>

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carly 01/04/2021
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Hi there! Please note that there are a lot of remedies for treating oily skin and a lot of acne treatments you can do at home, that really work. We have also been posting about the acne diet and we have an article on ways to unclog the pores. Check them out and give it a try! Kind regards :)

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Rutuja 21/05/2021
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</a>Thanks for this nice very good</a>

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Lt larson 24/05/2021
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I’m 81, Just had a gallbladder removal and my hands are very oily and I can hardly hold a knife fork or spoon while eating. I tried to wash the oil off but that doesn’t work any suggestions on your part thank you

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carly 25/05/2021
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Hi Lt larson, I would recommend you maybe trying baking soda on your hands in small doses, because it reduces oil and sweat evaporate quickly. Or try sage leaves in your food or drinking it as a tea because it may give you a relief from your oily hands. You can also put dried sage in a cloth and put you hands around it to eliminate excess skin oils.

Hope this helps :)

Kind regards

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Tosia 03/06/2021
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I have terrible acne and use to apply castor oil on my skin almost every night because I heard it could get rid of my spots and lately I’ve been having oily skin could that be a reason?

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MYSA user avatar
carly 06/07/2021
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Dear Tosia, thank you for sharing your situation here with us! We know that castor oil is super efficient in reducing acne and are safe to say it should help you battle them successfully. Still, we suggest you contact your dermatologists, a doctor, and report on your situation to get a trustworthy answer. It takes face to adapt to any kind of different ingredient that gets newly involved in taking care of skin, which is why the castor oil might or might not be the reason your skin has become oily lately. Kind regards :)

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