Do You Have an Oily Face?
Causes and Treatments

An oily face is certainly not a desirable characteristic for most no matter whether you are an adolescent, young adult or mature grown-up.

However, there is one consolation for those who suffer from excessive skin oil. Individuals who are prone to overactive oil glands usually do not experience premature facial wrinkling in their later years. As a youth I dealt with oily facial skin and the resulting issues teens face, however as an adult in my fifties the wrinkles are coming very slowly and I like it.

In fact, if humans didn't have active sebaceous glands in large areas of the body, the skin would not be pliable enough to allow the body to move, resulting in restricted mobility and cracked, bleeding skin.

What Causes an Oily Face?

Foreheads, noses and chins shine because sebum, a substance secreted by the sebaceous glands, sits on the skin's surface. A protective and moisturizing agent, sebum is necessary for skin health in dry, cold climates.

However, through hormonal imbalances, diet extremes and genetics, these glands occasionally overproduce sebum, resulting in pimples, chronic acne and a perpetually oily face. None of which any of us wish to deal with on a day to day basis.

Pimples—Only for the Young?

Dead cells constantly flake off the skin of people of every age. When these cells stick to tiny hair follicles, the excess sebum generated by overactive sebaceous glands can cause the dead cells to clump together, creating a lump of bacteria that soon develops into a pimple. This can happen at any age but occurs most frequently in teenagers and young adults.

Created by this same process, acne is the more severe form of pimples, with large, purple or bluish blemishes frequently covering the face, back and chest. Like a simple pimple, acne can occur to just about anyone.

True acne (acne vulgaris) consists of painful nodules rising under the skin and lasting several weeks. Scarring occurs if acne sufferers squeeze nodules to relieve pain from pressure. Injections of cortisone at the site of the swelling may alleviate the extreme discomfort from acne vulgaris.

Otherwise, washing an oily face several times a day with a medicated cleanser can help reduce the amount of oil left on the skin.

You Are What You Eat—True or Not?

While no research has directly correlated foods like chocolate or french fries to producing an oily face, people still think this is true because of the association between foods that are not so good for you and facial skin that looks unhealthy.

With the said, there probably are certain foods that are responsible for increasing the oil produced by the skin. One example may be starchy foods containing processed chemicals, these have a strong tendency to cause an imbalance of blood sugar levels.

Because reactions to foods are entirely an individual matter, what someone eats may impact the facial oil production of one individual and not another. Food reactions certainly vary from person to person.

Natural Treatments for Oily Skin

Garlic contains allicin, a natural antiseptic and antifungal chemical that many people experiencing excessively oily skin and blemishes use to control this issue.

To make a garlic facial mask, crush two garlic cloves gently until you produce juice. Dab the garlic juice directly on oily facial areas. Only leave this to dry on the skin for five minutes, leaving it on longer can cause irritation.

Chromium-3 is a nutritional supplement that controls blood sugar levels, stimulates production of good fats and protein and promotes healing of skin-based infections. Taking one chromium-3 supplement daily can reduce oil on the skin as well as provide your body with other health benefits.

Eating carrots rich in vitamin A enhances the strength of the skin's protective outer layer , which may reduce sebum production. While eating carrots, drink several glasses of water as well, as water is one of the best natural defenses against the undesirable shine of an oily face.

When considering cosmetics for your face, stick to water-based makeup whenever possible on an oily face. In fact, several name brand cosmetic manufacturers produce cosmetics specifically meant for oily skin for both men and women.