Blog

The characteristics of our skin change with age. It is therefore common for skin problems to appear even when you are past XNUMX. And among them, a skin that becomes more oily. While we often think wrongly that it is a teenager's problem, more than one in two women encounter this problem in their forties. But then what to do against oily skin at 40? This is the question we will try to answer by first seeing what are the causes leading to oily skin after 40 years. Then in a second step how to get rid of it? 

Why is your skin oily at 40?

By the way, why is your skin greasy?

A type of oily skin is easily diagnosed. It is defined by an overabundant production of sebum and therefore by the appearance of a shiny and oily skin. Sebum is an oil produced by the skin. Its purpose is to protect it from external aggressions and to maintain its hydration. It is the first component of the hydrolipidic film (or otherwise called the protective film) of the skin. Thus, it therefore functions as a skin barrier.

Although sebum is crucial for preserving skin in good condition, it appears that it is generated in too high a quantity in a large part of the population, and that it therefore causes the onset of oily skin. It is useful to note that sebum is made by the sebaceous glands which are located in the skin pores. These glands will respond to the slightest stimulation -or what seems to them to be an assault- by making more sebum.

Factors Causing It In The Development Of Oily Skin At Age 40

What are the factors can be responsible for the formation or worsening of oily skin after 40 years?

As we age, the skin structure deteriorates and particularly at 40 years old because the body displays a loss of estrogen hormones in the body. These hormones, also called “female hormones”, are installed in skin tissue and play a crucial role in maintaining the elasticity, hydration and firmness of the skin. When changes in these hormones occur (during adolescence, pregnancy, or premenopause), the structure of the skin is disturbed and complications can develop such as oily skin.

To top it off, when these estrogen hormones regress in the body, the levels of male hormones (also called androgens) increase. And the sebum making being encouraged by these androgenic hormones, the skin will often tend to become even more oily.

Personalized aggravating causes will also disturb the balance of the skin and encourage the appearance ofmore oily skin at 40 :

• Cosmetic products and particularly the know which attack and weaken the skin hydrolipidic film and activate the sebaceous glands which will produce more sebum.
• Dehydrated skin which will encourage the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum.
• The environment (cold, pollution, temperature changes, wind, sun, etc.).
• Hygiene of life : tobacco, coffee, chronic stress, diet, sleep, alcohol and certain medications.

How to fight against oily skin after 40 years?

Given that the development of oily skin at age 40 would most often be hormonal, it will be difficult to get rid of it completely. However, it turns out to be feasible to reduce the fatty effect and therefore, to have the skin surface less shiny. With this in mind, it will be necessary to make sure that your skin finds a balance. To this end, it is essential to have a good routine for the skin with healthy and effective products and to adopt a good way of life in order to preserve skin in good condition.

Effective skincare products to fight oily skin at 40

In order to regain the balance of your oily skin after 40 years, it is first of all essential to use cosmetic products that are not drying, irritating or stripping. This is to prevent the excessive production of sebum by the sebaceous glands.

How to cleanse oily skin?

Adopt very mild soaps at neutral pH suitable for body and face skin against oily skin at 40. Indeed, as we discussed previously, the sebaceous glands will tend to produce too much sebum each time the skin is attacked. And washing can very quickly be considered one of these attacks if the soap you use does not respect the sensitive balance of the skin.

The mild soaps are made with non-irritating and non-abrasive compounds to avoid disturbing the sebaceous glands and therefore the natural production of sebum.

We advise you Louise émoi's organic handmade soap to avoid oily skin after 40 years

The reasons to buy it?

Certified organic, its composition is allergen-free and petrochemical-free.
Enriched with neem oil and niaouli oil, two active ingredients known to regulate the sebum of oily skin.
Corresponds to the skin of the body and face.
Resulting from a cold saponification, it only contains active ingredients from nature that are non-irritating and non-drying for the skin.

Discover our selection of 2 other best soaps for oily skin and the criteria to choose it by clicking here.

2 - What care should be used for oily skin at 40?

Oily skin is characterized by an excess of sebum on the skin and therefore of lipids. In other words, it does not lack nutrition but often hydration.. In fact, the skin hydrolipidic film is made up of water and fat. The fat will help maintain water in the dermis. As a result, when the skin lacks hydration, the sebaceous glands will increase their production of sebum to compensate.

So as to take care of your oily skin at 40, it will therefore be essential to hydrate it well. You will need to use a cream rich in moisturizing, anti-aging or anti-wrinkle active ingredients - depending on your needs. suitable for oily skin and therefore which is mattifying. Then it will have to contain sebum-regulating active ingredients which allow to regain a natural production of sebum. Your treatment can also be anti wrinkle, but it must always be specific for oily skin. 

In other words, your cream will have to be formulated:

• in particular with ingredients derived from water such as hydrosol, aloe vera or even hyaluronic acid.
• with sebum-regulating and purifying ingredients (vegetable powders, essential oils, certain vegetable oils).
• with little fat (butters or oils) which tend to make your skin even more oily.

In addition, always be careful choose a cream with natural compounds to take care of oily skin at 40. Indeed, a large number of cosmetic creams are formulated on the basis of harmful, irritating, drying and petrochemical molecules such as sulphates, silicones, parabens, quats, preservatives or synthetic fragrances. Beyond presenting toxic health risks, they risk weakening your skin and making it even more greasy. In order to make it easier for you to select a good product, we recommend the application INCIbeauty which examines your beauty products in full transparency and certifies to you whether it is good for you or not.

2 - Natural care for oily skin at 40

Some natural and virgin products have sebum-regulating, purifying and balancing properties ideal for avoid oily skin after 40 years. These are vegetable oils, essential oils and Ayurvedic or vegetable powders.

• Regarding vegetable oils for oily skin. Conversely to what one might assume, some oils have purifying and sebum-regulating properties. These are the so-called "non-comedogenic" oils. Thus, they will not lubricate the skin but on the contrary balance it. We advise you to use them by making a mask on the skin once a week. By doing this, the epidermis will naturally absorb the fluid and soak up all its benefits. The best oils to cleanse and regulate oily skin at 40 are: Jojoba, Hazelnut, Carrot, Avocado, or Hemp.

• Regarding essential oils for oily skin. Essential oils have the singularity of being very concentrated and therefore of retaining powerful therapeutic properties. There are a large number of them on the market, some of which have purifying, regulating and balancing properties: 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 put too much of them and they must always be diluted. In practice, you can mix 1 to 2 drops in your cosmetic product or in your weekly mask.

• Regarding specific Ayurvedic or plant powders for oily skin. To purify, cleanse and regulate the overabundance of sebum production naturally, nothing better than powders. The best powders that you can find to get rid of oily skin at 40 are: Orange powders, Neem, Green clay, White clay, Reetha, Nagarmotha or Bhringaraj. The powders are used in masks, by mixing them with a small amount of water (in order to obtain a creamy texture) and applying the mixture as well on the face. Be careful, they can dry out the skin of the face if you leave it on for too long. Leave the mask on for about 5 minutes.

A good skin routine to prevent greasy skin

To get rid of your oily skin at 40, it is essential to have a good skin routine. Simple but efficient, the following principles will allow you to regain normal sebum production:

• Cleanse your skin with cold or lukewarm water every day, twice a day: morning and evening with a mild soap.
• Make a gentle, non-abrasive scrub once a week to cleanse your skin from impurities.
• Never forget to remove your makeup before going to sleep so that the skin can breathe. To do this, favor the use of a vegetable oil such as sweet almond, a lotion or even a micellar water.
• Use a moisturizing day cream and / or moisturizing serum specific for types of oily skin every morning and every evening.
• Weekly, make a purifying natural mask from powders or a regulating mask based on vegetable oils.

Healthy lifestyle against oily skin

In order to take care of the oily skin at 40, it is essential toadopt a good lifestyle. Indeed, the skin reflects the state of health of our organism. Consequently, poor lifestyle habits, nutritional deficiencies or internal dysfunction inevitably have an impact on the condition of your skin. You must therefore respect various main principles to take care of your oily skin:

1 - A good food consumption to have less oily skin at 40 years old

• Eat a healthy and balanced diet. Avoid foods containing saturated fats and refined sugars responsible for the production of free radicals and toxins. Conversely, choose foods that contain good fats (vegetable fats). Indeed, bad fats will have a disposition to promote sebum production, unlike good fats.
• Eat foods rich in antioxidants that prevent premature aging of the body. We recommend the consumption of red fruits which are among the foods that contain the most antioxidants and therefore fight effectively against the development of free radicals and the decline of the skin at 40 years.
• Consume products rich in trace elements, vitamins, proteins and omega-3s which help maintain skin condition.

2 - Adopt a healthy lifestyle against oily skin after 40 years

• Drink daily and at least 1,5l of water per day to sufficiently hydrate your skin.
• Avoid smoking which is involved in the deterioration of the condition of the epidermis. The toxic products degrade several constituents of the dermis and therefore block the irrigation of the skin tissues. As a result, the skin's balance can be upset and it becomes more oily at 40 years old.
• Avoid prolonged exposure to the sun and protect your skin as much as possible by wearing a hat, cap and using clothing. Special sunscreen for the face, certified organic and with the maximum of natural ingredients if possible. This is because sunscreens are filled with chemicals that are also likely to damage your skin.
• Good sleep is very important for the body to recover and regenerate. Ideally, you should get about eight hours of sleep per night and a minimum of 6 hours.