How to remove excess sebum?

Excess sebum, ou hyperséborrhée, is the main black spot (pretty play on words!) for people with oily skin, or combination skin. It is a real source of discomfort, and embarrassment for some when the production of sebum is really excessive, with very oily skin and the appearance of pimples, blackheads, visible pores which give the sensation of a bad skin texture.

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What is sebum?

This is a question that many people ask themselves, especially to understand why they have oily skin, where it comes from. They are recommended to use mattifying products, which will reduce excess sebum. But concretely, what is sebum ?

Sebum is the result of the production of the sebaceous glands, glands located at the base of the hairs (beard, hair). These glands are closely related to hormones, which is why sebum production is high in adolescence.

Sebum is essential for the skin because, with sweat, it forms the hydrolipidic film. This famous film which will prevent the water present in the skin from evaporating. This film is therefore necessary to prevent the skin from drying out. A lack of sebum thus makes the skin drier (hence the fact of being careful when using skincare products : if you have dry skin, do not use products intended for oily skin, because they will reduce the excess sebum you are already lacking … and therefore dry out your skin even more).

But some people suffer from excess sebum, an overproduction of the sebaceous glands. This excess sebum is very often visible, the skin or hair then becomes shiny, not to say greasy.

Products intended for oily skin therefore aim to reduce excess sebum and purify the skin. The pores are not clogged, which allows the skin to breathe … and to avoid the appearance of pimples and blackheads.

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My advice against excess sebum?

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The goal here is to avoid overworking the sebaceous glands. Thus, you must avoid touching your skin and even more the pimples.

You should also use light skincare products. You should avoid any products that are too thick, too covering, which will prevent your skin from breathing or fill the pores. Powder-type products should therefore be avoided.

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It is also recommended to avoid exposure to the sun. Even if the sun appears to be good for your skin, notably by drying out the pimples, the opposite effect will occur: the production of sebum will be increased.

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Steps to eliminate excess sebum?

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If there's one thing you can't avoid, it's the work of the sebaceous glands. It is a natural, hormonal effect (which can therefore vary at certain times of your life), no product will be able to avoid the production of sebum.

Have a healthy lifestyle to eliminate excess sebum

Also external causes have an impact on sebum production: tobacco, heat, poor diet, stress... Also, one of the first areas you can work on to prevent excessive sebum production is to have a healthy lifestyle. A diet rich in zinc (via oysters in particular) may be recommended.

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Thoroughly cleanse your skin to remove excess sebum

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On the other hand, it is necessary to cleanse your skin well, to purify it. But with a beauty routine for men that is perfectly suited to your skin type. Either with products that contain sebum-regulating ingredients. Either with products that are suitable for AHAs (fruit amino acids). Use micellar water to cleanse and purify your skin or a tonic lotion if you don't wear makeup. This facial treatment is to be done morning and evening. Likewise, you must exfoliate your face once a week to remove all the dead cells from your skin and purify it.

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Tighten dilated pores to eliminate excess sebum

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The pores of the skin are going to be essential to have less sebum on the skin. Indeed, the more they are dilated, the more the sebum will take place in the pores and therefore be more visible. There are different techniques to tighten the dilated pores of the skin such as passing an ice cube on the face, making a mask with egg white and lemon juice or even applying orange juice on the face. skin.

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Items you might be interested in:

• Recommended care for oily skin?

• The benefits of face scrub

• Routine suitable for oily skin

• What is sebum?

• How to avoid the appearance of blackheads?