What causes oily skin

WHAT CAUSES OILY SKIN?

The oil glands are very sensititive organs. They react to the balance of hormones in the body, irritating substances in food, and changes in the air and weather. Oil glands even can be affected by genetic background.

Hormones. For those women with normal skin the hormones secreted by the adrenal glands (androgens) and those secreted by the ovaries (estrogens) maintain a certain ratio in the blood, depending on the woman's age and state of health. When this ratio is disturbed, the oil glands are signaled to produce more oil. A slight difference in hormone level may not be enough to disturb the rest of the body, but for the sensitive oil glands the slightest shift is enough to start them overproducing.

Diet. There is even less certainty about the role diet plays in oily skin than there is about diet's role in acne. Although most people are convinced that foods such as chocolate, seafood, and fried foods make skin oilier, there's no concrete proof for this idea. It may very well be that some people's skin does become oily after eating these foods, but there are probably other factors that originally made their skin oily. At most, certain foods may make an already oily skin somewhat oilier, but they are never the sole reason for this type of skin. Although it probably doesn't hurt to avoid these foods, overreliance on diet can lead one to ignore the more important causes and treatments for oily skin.

Enrironment. Oily skin is sensitive to changes in weather. A hot, humid climate stimulates oil gland secretion. It is felt that heavily polluted air contains chemicals that can irritate oil glands, making them more productive. People with oily skin who live in cities or in hot, damp climates must take extra care of their skin.

Genetics. Certain ethnic groups seem to be more prone to oily skin than others. Mediterranean people with olive skin and dark hair are thought to have more, or more active, oil glands than the fair, light-skinned people of Scandinavian or Scots descent.