The Science of Sebum
Disclaimer
Just talk to your dermatologist.
What is Sebum?
Sebum, in short, is what makes our skin oily. When someone has 'oily' skin type, it means they have a lot of sebum. It's 'produced' by the sebaceous glands and it does actually have a function in maintaining the health of the skin. It exists more than just to piss you off every morning. It's primarily composed of triglycerides (about 41%), wax esters (about 26%), squalene (about 12%), and fatty acids (about 16%). Disclaimer
Just talk to your dermatologist.
What is Sebum?
The sebaceous glands sits right in the dermis (the middle layer of the skin). These glands are across the entire body, with the exception of the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet, with the highest density being found on the face, scalp, and upper chest. You will most likely find them with hair follicles. Sebocytes is the name of the process of sebum production.In a foul attempt to visually describe what's happening here, essentially the gland's duct opens in the follicle canal, allowing sebum to be secreted along the hair shaft and onto the skin's surface. Okay, well, I guess I didn't need to describe it like that, but you get the point.
Technically not all sebaceous glands have to be near hair follicles, it's just where they're normally found. There's some named 'termed free sebaceous glands', which are the 'hair free' glands. Meibomian glands on your eyelids, Tyson glands on your peenis, and Fordyce spots to name a few examples. These 'termed free sebaceous glands' just kind of... ooze out onto your skin, I guess.
Now let's talk about the actual process of sebocytes. It starts as basic cells at the edge of the gland and as they 'grow' and 'change' (differentiate), they move towards the center of the gland and get bigger, filling up with fat droplets (lipids). This is mainly determined by the cells genes, but hormones, especially androgens like DHT, and insulin, IGF-1, and hydrocortisone, are also a factor in telling these cells to make fat droplets and to grow and whatnot. Then they just fucking die and explode. Yeah. Once they die, they explode (well, not really, but whatever) and that sebum ooze just travels up the hair shaft and out onto the skin, or just oozes out of the skin if there's no hair follicle. Because this process involves cell death, the gland constantly makes new skin cells at the bottom to replace them.
Sebum production changes a lot as we go through life. Even before we're born, our skin makes a waxy coating called vernix thanks to hormones from our mothers and ourselves. It's kind of the 'slime' that's on us when we're born. Right after birth, we make a lot of sebum for about a week. Then, it goes way down until we're around 9 or 10 years old. When puberty hits, sebum production shoots up again because of more hormones like testosterone. As adults, men tend to make a bit more sebum than women. But as we get older, especially after menopause for women, sebum production usually goes down.
Why Am I Producing So Much Sebum?
Earlier we talked about how hormones and genetics play a role in sebum production. This is true. However, dietary choices, environmental and stress may be factors too. Foods that quickly raise our blood sugar, like white bread, sugary drinks, and processed snacks (look up the glycemic index if you want to learn more about this), in theory can cause inflammation in the body and lead to more oil production. Eating a lot of 'bad' fats, like saturated and omega-6 fats found in fast food and processed items, might also increase inflammation and oil production. On the other hand, 'good' fats like omega-3s found in fatty fish, nuts, and seeds might help control oil production and reduce skin inflammation. Certain vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A and zinc, are important for healthy skin and might help regulate oil. I know what you're probably thinking about this ground breaking science - "Wait, are you telling me that my diet also effects my appearance? Fuck. I hate this looksmaxxing shit." I totally get it. There's a reason why I kept saying 'may' and 'might', though. If it helps makes you feel better, it seems that diet alone might not make a huge difference in oil production. I know I'm going to be lynched in town square for saying that on here, but it's just what the current science implies. Make of that what you will.
Let's talk about factor number 2, environmental. What do I mean by that? Well, I mainly mean temperature, humidity, air pollution and... another thing I'm sure I'm going to get lynched for... sun exposure. When it's hot and humid, our skin tends to produce more oil, which can sometimes lead to more acne breakouts. Studies show that as the temperature goes up, so does oil production. On the other hand, when it's cold and dry, our skin might make less oil. Things like dust and pollution in the air can land on our skin and possibly clog our pores. This, in theory at least, can cause stress and swelling in the skin which causes more oil production. In regards of the sun exposure, if you've been reading my posts up until now, you'll probably have a rough idea where this is going. SUN = BAD FOR SKIN. Being in the sun can also make our skin produce more oil as a way to protect itself. The sun's UVB rays can also cause more inflammation in the cells that make oil. One of the components of sebum can even get damaged by the sun and might contribute to clogged pores. I'm sure you're starting to notice a pattern.
And finally, stress. This one is actually the easiest to explain. Stress can trigger the release of cortisol (the stress hormone), a hormone that has been shown to increase sebum production and potentially worsen acne.
Why Does This Matter?
Well, first let's go over why an over production of sebum can be bad to help you understand how to properly address it. Obviously, nobody likes the feeling of their skin being oily, right? That's issue number 1. Nobody likes acne either, so that's issue number 2. Nobody likes large or clogged pores too, I imagine, so that'd be issue number 3. In regards of issue 1, which is oily skin. It can create a greasy or shiny appearance, particularly on the face, especially in the T-zone area (forehead, nose, and chin). This is more of an aesthetic issue, but obviously the more oily your skin is, it can lead to issue 2 and 3.
Acne is actually an inflammatory skin disorder of sorts, affecting the pilosebaceous unit (the hair follicle + sebaceous gland) and is strongly linked to increased
sebum production, a condition known as seborrhea. The delicious sebum-rich environment within these clogged pores can promote the overgrowth of Cutibacterium acnes bacteria, which in turn leads to inflammation and the development of various types of acne, including papules, pustules, nodules, and cysts, collectively known as inflammatory acne. Cystic and nodular acne, carry a higher risk of causing permanent scarring. RIP. Hormonal fluctuations, especially increases in androgen levels, are a significant trigger for acne, primarily by stimulating the production of sebum. Y'know how it is. Now onto issue 3 - large or clogged pores. The accumulation of excess sebum within the pores can cause them to stretch, leading to a noticeable differences in their size. Not all of your large pores are caused by sebum production, but sebum production can cause large pores. Understand? When excess sebum and dead skin cells combine together, it can clog the hair follicles, leading to the formation of comedones, which just means clogged hair follicles and is commonly known as blackheads and whiteheads.
Sebum production can cause more issues than this, but let's be honest, you're here because you feel like you look ugly as fuck not because you're concerned about some medical condition. Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns.
What Do I Do now?
Cry. No, just kidding. Wash your face every day. That will normally help. Sometimes over washing can be an issue and can make sebum worse, so just don't overdo it. I would recommend a gentle and ideally oil-free facial cleanser. I normally suggest to people to do it in the morning and then before you head to bed. If you notice your skin is drying out, get a hydrating cleanser of some kind. If you're looking for some skincare products (cleansers, exfoliants, toners, masks, spot treatments) in regards of sebum production, I normally only ever suggest a cleanser. In a majority of cases that's sincerely just the issue and in most cases doing more than that will make it worse. However, I thought I'd break down some ingredients a bit more for you guys here. If there's a
to it, it just means it's my personal preference and what I personally enjoy using. | Alpha Hydroxy Acids (Salicylic/glycolic/lactic) | Exfoliates inside pores, reduces sebum, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial. |
| Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) | Regulates sebum production, strengthens skin barrier, reduces inflammation. |
| Retinoids | Normalize skin cell turnover, reduce sebum production, anti-inflammatory, can prevent clogged pores. |
| Benzoyl Peroxide | Antibacterial (kills C. acnes), helps remove excess oil, comedolytic. |
| Azelaic Acid | Prevents clogged pores, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, may inhibit 5α-reductase. |
| Zinc | Regulates sebum production, anti-inflammatory. |
| Green Tea Extract | May reduce sebum secretion, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant. |
| Clay | Absorbs excess sebum and impurities. |
| Squalene | Mimics skin's natural oils, antioxidant. |
| Resveratrol | Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant. |
| Soybean | Astringent, helps control oil production. |
| Sodium Ascorbyl Phos | Skin lightener, may reduce pore appearance. |
| Chamomile | Astringent, anti-inflammatory. |
| Licorice | Anti-inflammatory, may control sebum, skin brightener. |
In other cases, prescription medicine is your best bet. If you have health insurance or are willing to pay out of pocket, I suggest seeing a dermatologist. They can prescribe you medicine and they can actually examine your face in more detail that your blurry camera and image compression upon uploading to a looksmaxxing forum just won't compare to. Most medicine will come in oral or topical form.
| Tretinoin | Topical retinoid, normalize skin cell turnover, reduce sebum production, anti-inflammatory, can prevent clogged pores. |
| Adapalene | Topical retinoid, normalize skin cell turnover, reduce sebum production, anti-inflammatory, can prevent clogged pores. |
| Tazarotene | Topical retinoid, normalize skin cell turnover, reduce sebum production, anti-inflammatory, can prevent clogged pores. |
| Trifarotene | Topical retinoid, normalize skin cell turnover, reduce sebum production, anti-inflammatory, can prevent clogged pores. |
| Clindamycin | Topical antibiotic, kill excess bacteria on the skin, anti-inflammatory. |
| Erythromycin | Topical antibiotic, kill excess bacteria on the skin, anti-inflammatory. |
| Clascoterone | Topical androgen receptor inhibitor. |
| Azelaic acid (20%) | Topical antiseptic, antibacterial, may help post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. |
| Dapsone (Aczone) | Topical antibiotic, kill excess bacteria on the skin, anti-inflammatory. |
| Other | Ask your dermatologist for another recommendation than what's listed above. |
There's other treatments such as laser treatments (AviClear/Smoothbeam/Aerolase), microdermabrasion, and photodynamic therapy, but I don't know JACK SHIT about any of that and I'm not going to pretend that I do. When looking into other stuff, I found out botulinum toxin injections might help, but again, I ain't know shit about that either.
