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Oily skin is a type of skin that concerns a very large part of the population. Often associated with a teenage problem, it can continue to last for years afterwards. This will depend on genetics but also on various internal or external factors. The good news is that there are tips and solutions to reduce or eliminate the oily effect. So, up to what age can you have oily skin? What are the different factors that cause it? And what are the solutions to get rid of oily skin? We will try to answer all these questions in this article. 

Up to what age can you have oily skin?

By the way, why is your skin greasy?

A type of oily skin is easily diagnosed. It is characterized by an excess production of sebum and large pores. It is often accompanied by blemishes and / or acne. Sebum is the skin's natural oil which has the role of protecting it from external aggressions and dehydration. It is the main component of the hydrolipidic film (or otherwise called the protective film) of the skin. Even though sebum is essential for maintaining healthy skin, it often happens that it is generated too much and therefore causes the appearance of oily skin, especially on the T zone (forehead , chin, nose). 

It is important to note that sebum is made by sebaceous glands which are located in the dermal tissue. These will react during each stimulation -or what seems to them to be an attack- by producing a little more sebum.

Until what age can you have oily skin?

Oily skin is a real scourge that can affect anyone and at any age. However, there are trends. 

From the age of 9 on average, hormones begin to change in order to transform the body and prepare it for reproduction. It's the onset of puberty and that's when oily skin is most likely to show up. This hormonal upheaval particularly concerns estrogen hormones (female hormones) Et les androgenic hormones (male hormones). And it is these last which are directly connected to the skin. Their fluctuation will therefore stimulate the sebaceous glands which will excessively produce sebum. These two types of hormones are present in women and men. This is why both sexes can be affected by oily skin.

Generally, peak sebum production occurs between the ages of 11 and 20. This is why at these ages, around 80% of young people are affected by oily and / or blemish-prone skin. For most people, oily skin fades or disappears around your XNUMXs. However, it sometimes persists or manifests itself in adulthood. Thus, oily skin can also occur between your twenties and sixties. It also affects more than one in two adults after the age of 25. This is because hormones continue to fluctuate throughout life, and especially in adult women much more subject to hormonal variations. Indeed, menstrual cycle, hormonal contraception, pregnancy, peri-menopause, menopause etc; all these are all favorable periods for the appearance of oily skin. 

In addition, other factors can cause or amplify the manifestation of oily skin. This is why people can be affected throughout life. So what are all factors that can promote oily skin at any age? 

• Hormones. As we have discussed, the primary cause of the appearance of oily skin are hormones since hormonal upheavals will tend to stimulate the production of sebum. This is because it is the hormones that regulate the whole body and therefore the condition of the skin. 
• Dehydrated skin. The hydrolipidic film of the skin is made up of sebum and water. The sebum allows water to be kept within the epidermis. Thus, when the skin lacks hydration, the sebaceous glands will produce more sebum to compensate. 
• Cosmetic products and particularly soaps which strip the skin hydrolipidic film and stimulate the sebaceous glands which will produce more sebum.
• The environment. Cold, pollution, temperature fluctuations, sun, wind etc.
• Hygiene of life. Cigarettes, caffeine, chronic stress, diet, sleep, alcohol and certain medications.

Note, however, thatthere is a tendency to see his skin greasy or not, and this at any age :

• heredity. If people in your family tend to have oily skin, you are more likely to be affected. Indeed, oily skin will surely be your skin type. It will therefore be written into your genetic makeup. 
• the basic skin type. Of course, if you have dry skin, you are unlikely to experience oily skin in your lifetime. This has exceptions in case of big hormonal upheavals (pregnancy, menopause). 
• antecedents. Finally, people who had oily skin and blemishes, such as pimples, blackheads or cysts, when they were teenagers are more likely to see adulthood oily skin reappear. 

Against oily skin: effective solutions at any age

Since the formation of oily skin will turn out to be mainly hormonal, it will be difficult to get rid of it completely. However, you can hope to reduce the oily effect and therefore have much less oily skin whether it is at the age of 20 or 50 years. For that, it will be necessary to adopt good habits of life so that your skin finds a balance. In fact, it will be fundamental in the first place adopt a good skin routine with good products. But also to adopt good lifestyle so as to maintain the skin in good condition.

Cosmetics effective against oily skin

In order to regain the balance of your skin, it is first of all inevitable to adopt care and washing products that are not irritating, stripping or drying. This is to prevent the sebaceous glands from interpreting this as an attack and therefore start to produce more sebum. 

1 - Creams 

Oily skin does not lack nutrition but most often hydration. Indeed, the protective film of the skin is made from water and fat. Fat helps keep water in the dermis. As a result, when the skin is dehydrated, the sebaceous glands will produce more sebum to counterbalance.

In order to avoid oily skin at any age, it will therefore be essential to hydrate it well. You will therefore need to adopt a cream rich in moisturizing, anti-aging or anti-wrinkle active ingredients - depending on your needs. adapted to the nature of oily skin and therefore which is mattifying. On the other hand, it will have to be composed of sebum-regulating ingredients which allow to find a natural production of sebum. Finally, it should contain little fat (vegetable butters or oils) which tend to make the skin more oily.

In addition, be careful to systematically adopt a cream with ingredients of natural origin against the development of oily skin. This is valid at any age. In fact, there are very many creams made from toxic, irritating, drying molecules from petrochemicals such as sulphates, silicones, parabens, quats, preservatives or synthetic fragrances. In addition to presenting dangerous health risks, they are likely to weaken your skin and make it even more greasy. To help you choose a good product, we recommend the app INCIbeauty which analyzes your cosmetic products in a transparent way and which specifies to you if this one is healthy or not.

2 - washing

Start by using truly mild soaps at neutral pH suitable for body and face skin to fight oily skin at any age. Indeed, as we discussed it before in this article, the sebaceous glands have the annoying tendency to produce too much sebum when the skin is subjected to attacks. And the toilet can quickly be considered as one of these attacks if the soap you use does not respect the fragile balance of the skin.

The mild soaps are designed with non-irritating and non-abrasive ingredients. This is to avoid disturbing the sebaceous glands and therefore the normal production of sebum.

3 - Natural remedies

Some natural and virgin products have sebum-regulating, purifying and balancing properties that work at any age for avoid oily skin. These are essential oils, vegetable oils and Ayurvedic or vegetable powders.

The most effective vegetable oils to cleanse and regulate oily skin are: Hazelnut, Jojoba, Carrot, Avocado, or Hemp. They can be used on all skin types from 12 years old. You can apply them as is, as a mask, once a week. Leave as much as possible. The skin will absorb the oil and will nourish itself with all its virtues. 

The powders to regulate oily skin are: White clay, Green clay, Neem, Orange, Reetha, Nagarmotha or Bhringaraj. You can apply them as a mask, mixing them with a little water. You should get a smooth paste. Leave on for 5 to 10 minutes. 

Finally, the essential oils are: lemon, rose geranium, petit grain bigarade, true lavender, tea tree, ylang ylang, grapefruit, and lemon beds. However, be careful, essential oils being very concentrated, it is useless to add too much. In addition, it is important to always mix them with another product. In practice, you can mix 2 or 3 drops maximum in your day cream or in your weekly mask. In addition, they should not be used in pregnant women, breastfeeding women or children under 8 years old. 

Good skin hygiene to fight against oily skin

To avoid having oily skin, it is essential to have a good skin routine. This will apply as soon as the adolescent is old enough to perform a skin routine, i.e. from the age of 12. Simple but effective, the following habits will allow you to regain skin balance:

• Cleanse your skin with lukewarm water daily, morning and evening with a mild soap.
• Make a gentle, non-abrasive exfoliation once a week to cleanse your skin from impurities.
• Always remove make-up before going to bed so that the skin can breathe. For that, prefer the use of a vegetable oil such as sweet almond, a lotion or a micellar water.
• Apply a moisturizing day cream and / or a specific moisturizing serum for oily skin every morning and every evening.
• Once a week, perform a cleansing mask based on powders or a balancing mask based on vegetable oils.

A good lifestyle that works for all ages to avoid oily skin 

In order to fight against oily skin at any age, it is essential to have good lifestyle. Indeed, the skin reflects the state of health of our organism. As a result, a poor lifestyle, deficiencies or internal dysfunction inevitably has repercussions on the condition of your skin. Certain main principles should then be followed to get rid of oily skin and this apply to all ages:

• Eat a balanced and healthy food intake. Be careful not to consume foods containing saturated fats and refined sugars responsible for the production of free radicals and toxins in the body. Conversely, prefer food that contains good fats (vegetable fats). Indeed, bad fats will have a disposition to promote sebum production, unlike good fats.
• Consume products rich in trace elements, vitamins, omega-3 and proteins which help maintain skin condition.
• Drink at least 1,5l of water per day and more than 2l if you practice physical and sports activity. This is to meet the hydration needs of your skin.
• It is better to avoid smoking which is involved in the degradation of the quality of the epidermis. Indeed, cigarettes are full of toxic products for the body which degrade many components of the dermis and prevent irrigation of skin tissue. As a result, the balance of the skin is disturbed and it can then become more oily.
• Make sure you protect your skin from the sun's UV rays by wearing a hat, cap, and using clothing. special sunscreen for the face, organic and natural if you can. This is because sunscreens are full of chemical ingredients that are also likely to damage your skin.