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Sebum is a naturally occurring substance produced by our bodies that protects us from harmful microorganisms. Sebum helps keep our skin hydrated and prevents wrinkles from forming. It’s production depends on both genetics and environmental factors. Some women may experience excessive sebum production (oily skin), which can lead to an increase in oiliness of their hair.
Excessive sebaceous gland activity can lead to acne breakouts, clog pores, blackheads, white heads, and even inflamed scalps. Women who experience excessive sebaceous gland activity often use over-the-counter products such as antiseptic soaps, topical antibiotics, and Retin A. These treatments may help alleviate some of the signs and/or causes of acne for a short period of time, but they can cause harm if used too often or for an extended. For example, benzyl peroxide may cause irritation of the eyes and/or nasal passages, which could result in red eyes and/or runny noses. Some acne medications may cause serious side effects including severe organ damage.
In this article, I will talk about sebum in detail and describe the most effective ways to reduce sebum, which you can also use at home. With these natural ways, you will resort to prescription drugs less and you will see the effect of these tips.
If you ask How to Reduce Sebum Production, you will find the answers in this article.
What Is Sebum?
Sebum is a complicated and variable mixture of fats, oils, waxes, and other substances found in human skin. Sebaceous glands produce sebum when they disintegrates. Glands usually take one week to form and then they’re discharged after another week. Sebaceous glands secrete lipids, triglyceride, which are then broken down into smaller compounds by bacteria in the sebaceous gland to form free fatty acids. Sebum is a complex mixture of fats, oils, proteins, and water from the outer layer of skin. Sweating causes the release of these substances into the environment.
So, Sebum is an oily substance produced from our sebaceous gland. It contains fats, triglyceride, wax, cholesterol, sugar, and oils. It protects and keeps your skin hydrated.
Sebum is made up of sebaceous oil (seb), which is secreted by glands located under the skin; environmental dirt and dust; dead skin cells; and sweat. This is why oil causes acne when it gets trapped in poresses, but sebum (by itself) is necessary for healthy, moisturized skin.
Sebaceous Gland Land
There are several explanations for why our faces tend to be much greasier than anywhere else on our bodies. One reason is that our face contains the greatest number of seborrheic glands, which produce oil — they’re typically located closer to the surface of the skin than other parts. Sebaceous glands usually gather at the base of a follicle, so for example, the head is the second most concentrated place to harvest sebaceous glands, after the skin around the nose.
However, sebaceous glands aren’t just located in the skin of the head and neck. Your fingernails, toenails, and toe hairs contain fatty acids which help them grow longer than they would without these fats.
Hormones and Sebum
You might be wondering why you got acne when you were growing up. It could be because hormones mainly control the amount of oil produced by your skin. Androgens (like estrogen) regulates sebum secretion. In the other words, high estrogen correlates with high levels sebum.
Just I want give more info, have you seen men with oily hair around you? During puberty, male hormones correlate with increased production of sebaceous glands. However, during adulthood, men may produce up to 5x more sebaceous glands than women.
Hormones Control Sebum Production
Sebum production is controlled by hormones called androgens. Androgenic hormones include testosterone, DHT and 5-Androstanediol (5-AD). Hormone production varies from person to person depending on their age, gender, health condition, lifestyle, etc. The pituitary is located in the brain, and then influences these glands which in return influence hormones in the body.
Androgens are produced in the body by enzymes found in the liver and sex glands. You will usually see Type I 5α-reductases first, followed by Type II 5α-Reductases. By converting inactive androgen hormones into the active forms of testosterone and DHT, these enzymes help prevent prostate enlargement. When you take these testosterone boosters, they trigger the production of more sebum from your skin’s oil glands.
Progesterone may play an important part in pregnancy but its exact function remains uncertain. Women produce more sweat gland secretions at times when progesterones are naturally high. Progesterones are widely recognized for their ability to inhibit the activity of the enzyme responsible for producing sebum.
Certain diseases or disorders
Hormones primarily regulate sebum production; however, some medical issues can affect this regulation. Examples include pituitary gland dysfunction, Addison’s disease, Cushing’s syndrome, hyperandrogenism, and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. High sebum production may be associated with an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.
Age
We produce the same amount of oil as adults do during their first few years of life. After birth, babies’ delicate skin needs special care to protect it from harsh elements.
After that, the rate at which you produce sperm increases dramatically until puberty when it peaks at 500 times its normal level. At last, after years of trying, at around 20 years old, sebum production begins to slow down and continues to do so until we die.
What Are The Signs Of An Imbalance?
If you suffer from acne, rosacea or perioral dermatitis, these are all signs that you may be producing too much sebum. If there isn’t enough sebum, your skin could get excessively dry, dull and cracked. How to Reduce Sebum Production? If you are looking for an answer to the question, continue reading the article.
Sebum and Oily Skin
Sebum is produced by glands located under the surface of the skin. It lubricates the skin and helps prevent water loss from the body. As soon as the follicle has filled, it starts releasing the oil onto your skin, covering and protecting it.
If this happens, then sometimes this process goes into over drive, which makes oil come out of your pores and result in oily skin and hair, but there’s nothing wrong with that. A medically recognized problem is called seborrheic eczema, or seborrheic dermopathy. It typically affects babies under three months old, who experience a rash on their heads that becomes crusty after several weeks.
Sebum and Dry Skin
Of course, if the opposite happens, too, then that would be bad. If your skin doesn’t naturally secrete enough oil, then it may result in dry, cracked and/ or flaky skin. It can occur naturally when there are lower than normal levels of hormones, or it can be caused by certain medications for treating acne. An isotretinoin treatment involves taking a high dosage of vitamin A which reduces sebaceous gland activity.
Many people think that having too little sebum is a good sign because they don’t notice any signs of flakiness or greasiness. However, if there aren’t enough natural oils to keep your scalp moisturized, then you could end up with dandruff and hair loss.
What Does Sebum Normally Do?
Sebum has the function of protecting skin from external factors also, sebum has these functions:
- Colonized by the bacterium Propionibacterium acnes, which may play a part in regulating the body’s immune system.
- It contributes to body odour, (an example, it makes your armpits smell bad.)
- It reduces evaporation from the skin by keeping water close to its outermost layer.
- It prevents infections by keeping germs away from the skin.
If you want to control sebum levels, there are things you can do to help keep them balanced. There are things we can do to naturally regulate our hormones, but we don’t always have complete control over them.
I’ve compiled the best useful advice for ” How to Reduce Sebum Production?”
What Can Be Done to Reduce Sebum Gland Activity If You Have Oily Skin?
- If you’re considering using combination birth contraception, talk to your doctor about them. You may be able to use both estrogen and progesterone together to decrease your sebaceous glands’ output.
- If you’re currently using either a progestogen-only pill or a combined contraceptive pill, talk to your healthcare provider about changing to one that contains no hormones. They might be able to suggest another type of medication that would suit your medical condition better.
- Some foods may be linked to excessive amounts of sebum (oily secretions) production. Eating meals full of complex carbohydrates (such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables) may help to curb your oil secretion from within.
Other specific recommendations for how to reduce sebum production:
Witch Hazel
One of the first applications for which witches broom was used was for treating acne.
Studies show that witch hazel has anti-inflammatory and healing effects, and its natural tannis act as an effective astringent. However, be careful when using an astringent product with alcohol. Older astringents may contain alcohol, which can dry out the skin and cause heavy sebaceous gland activity.
Green Tea
Green tea is one of the best ingredients for oily skins. It contains a natural ingredient that helps prevent acne by reducing sebum production and inflammation Green teas contain powerful antioxidants, which help fight free radicals; they’re also known to be an effective treatment for acne.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea trees have powerful antibacterial and antifungal effects, so they’re perfect for treating acne, breakouts, blackheads, and pimples. However, some studies show that using tea tree oil may be better for treating acne than taking antibiotics.
Using a tea tree essential oils hydrosol mist will help to maintain skin health by balancing sebum production and reducing the appearance of pores. It has anti-inflammatory properties which will also help to soothe redness and irritation related to acne caused by an overproduction of sebum.
Exfoliate
Exfoliating with a BHAs like salicylic acids twice a week. BAAs help to reduce oil and sebum production by penetrating deep into the skin.
It kills off the bacteria that causes pimples. It helps relieve redness and inflammation associated to acne, even out your complexion, and balance your skin’s pH levels. A clay mask with an ingredient called salicylic will help draw out excess oil from your face and deeply cleanse the pores.
Oily skins shed their dead outer layer faster than others. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it can handle harsher scrubbing products such as facial scrubs and cleansing brushes without breaking out. Always remember to moisturize afterward.
Diet
When it comes to keeping your face looking young and beautiful, there’s nothing better than a good old fashioned cleanse. If you’re having trouble producing enough oil for your face, simply reversing what we’ve already talked about can be helpful. However, this might initially sound like an unhealthful diet. The fact is, there are healthy techniques for increasing sebum secretion through diet by incorporating some simple tricks:
Diet is one of the most correct ways to be given to the question of How to Reduce Sebum Production.
Increase your carbohydrate intake. Don’t be afraid! We don’t want to fatten you up just for the cold weather. Healthy carbohydrates are include, unprocessed, and minimally processed foods such as brown rice, quinoa, oats, wheat berries, buckwheat groats, millet, barley, amaranth. Foods rich in carbohydrates (like bread) can help regulate your body’s insulin levels, which in turn helps control your sebum production.
Get some omega-3 essential fatty acids into your diet. They’re proven to be beneficial for numerous health conditions. Omega-3 fatty acids cannot be produced by our own body, so we need to consume them for optimal health. Foods rich in omega 3s, which are known for their anti-inflammatory properties, include fatty fish, flaxseed oil, and walnut oil. When most people eat fish, they usually imagine eating something like tuna, but there are actually lots of different kinds of fish that contain healthy amounts of omega-3s. Coldwater fish like sardine and mackerel are often overlooked, but they’re another good option for increasing sebum production.
Include foods rich in vitamin A and vitamin E. These vitamins contain powerful antioxidants that help moisturise and protect the skins, which is important for increasing sebum production. Vitamin A is found in broccoli, sweet potato, carrots, and apricot. Vitamin E-rich foods include avocado, almond, and olive oil, as well as their corresponding cold pressed oils.
Hydrate
If you really care about having healthy looking skin, then you’re going to need to keep drinking lots of water. It keeps your cells hydrated, which makes them plumper and allows them to function without any trouble.
The recommended daily intake (RDI) for drinking water was once thought to be eight glasses per day. It now appears that women should be consuming nine cups of coffee per day, while men should be consuming thirteen cups of coffee per day. It really depends on your weight. If you’re overweight, then yes, it could be too low; if you’re not overweight, then no, it won’t be too low.
We often don’t drink enough water because we don’t realize when we’re thirsty. Drinking water when you aren’t really thirsty can be helpful. Make sure to keep drinking water throughout the day though. Dehydration can be prevented by drinking enough water. It helps your skin produce natural oils.
Gentle Cleansers
If you experience unusually dry skin, you might want to check out your cleansers. It doesn’t just refer to facial cleansers; it could also include shampoos and detergents. Once you start using natural, alcohol-free moisturizers instead of conventional ones, start paying attention to how your skin reacts to them.
A gentle cleansers with natural, plant-derived ingredient will remove excess debris from your face, but leaves enough space for new skin cells to regenerate. Always use products without alcohol and pick ones with a lower pH level for dry skins.
In this article, we have examined the question of how to reduce sebum production in terms of balancing sebum production. The opposite is also a problem, namely how can I increase sebum production? Here I have prepared a resource on this subject, if you want to review.
How to Boost Sebum Production If You Have Dry Skin and Hair?
If you’re experiencing dryness, check out which products you use on your skin and hair and see if there are any alternatives. These include shampoos, soaps, cosmetics, and laundry detergents — any products that come into contact with your skin.
Acids, alcohols, and fragrancies are all common ingredients known for causing skin irritations. If you’re able to switch to products that are suitable for sensitive skin or fragrance-free, then go ahead and do so.
Switching from cold to warm showers can also help. Excessively hot showers strip the oils from your hair, leaving them brittle and prone to breakage.
If you’re not already applying moisturizer to your skin and lotion to your body, now is definitely the time to start doing so.
Eating healthier foods, drinking plenty of water, and increasing your consumption of healthy fats may also be helpful.
If you think that your lack of sebaceous glands may be caused by an underlying hormone problem, see a doctor or other health care professional. They may suggest using Testosterone Therapy to increase production.
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