OILY SKIN
At puberty the male hormones that make a boy a man also increase the amount
of sebum produced. But men produce small quantities of female hormones and
vice versa so it’s oil time for more or less everyone as a teenager. No-one
who has a greasy skin needs to have it described. Constant shine, enlarged
openings where sebum pours out, possibly a regular tussle with blackheads and
blemishes and for the female make-up that melts away almost as soon as it’s
applied. On the plus side, the oil is a natural moisture retainer and, with
care, this skin looks younger longer. When the oiliness continues into the
twenties and beyond, it often accompanies Mediterranean looks dark hair and
eyes, an olive skin which, when protected, can take the sun and look super.
While this type of skin is more resilient than drier ones, don’t be lulled
into a false sense of security and neglect it or treat it with harsh cleansers
that may strip the oil and could encourage flaking and extra oil production to
compensate. From the twenties onwards, take care of the eyes and neck which
can fall into the dry skin category even when the rest of your face is oily.
