Causes for oily skin

The fact that we have a thin layer of fat on the skin surface is necessary to prevent the skin from drying out. It also serves as protection, for example against pathogens or chemicals. The secreted fats (sebum) are produced by the sebaceous glands of the skin, which are located in the middle layer of the skin (dermis) in the area of the hair follicles.

They are found all over the body, with the exception of the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. The amount of sebum production depends on age, sex, season (humid, warm weather favors the development of oily skin), various hormones, hereditary disposition, health and nutritional status and various environmental influences. A newborn baby has a large number of fully functional sebaceous glands, which, however, largely recede in the course of the 1st year of life.

Only in the course of puberty, i.e. from about 10 to 12 years of age, do the sebaceous glands regain their complete maturity and function under the influence of hormones. The secretion of sebum is stimulated by testosterone (male sex hormone, an androgen) and suppressed by estrogens (female sex hormones) and antiandrogens. Up to the age of 17 a considerable increase in sebum production can be observed, up to the age of 25 it continues to rise slightly and reaches its maximum at about this age.

After that it falls continuously. The hormonal change in puberty (increased testosterone production) is the most common reason for oily skin, especially in the form of acne. In the same way, however, other hormonal influences can also trigger increased sebum production, such as the time just before menstruation, during pregnancy, after childbirth or after discontinuing hormonal contraceptives such as the contraceptive pill, which otherwise supplies the body with increased oestrogen.

The main factor that then leads to oily skin is hypersensitivity of the hormone receptors. Other possible causes include the following: Malnutrition, excessive alcohol consumption, stress, humid/warm weather, hereditary predisposition, certain medications, disorders of the adrenal cortex or ovaries, malfunction of the autonomic nervous system. Oily skin is also a side effect of seborrhoeic eczema and sometimes of underlying diseases such as Parkinson’s disease.