Sebum is a slightly acidic mixture of oil, water, enzymes and bacteria-fighting blood cells that create a protective film on the skin surface. As a chemical substance sebum is a fat, a triglyceride similar to other organic fats. Most people have the same chemical composition of sebum, and no marter how much sweets you eat you will not alter the formula of your sebum. What you can achieve with sweets or Fatty Foods is more active production of sebum that flows onto your skin. People with acne usually have more intense sebum production and the more sebum your skin produces. the worse acne you will experience.
Even though people with problem skin try hard to slow down sebum production and dry it from the skin surface during the clay using blotting paper, wipes and towels, sebum is a very useful substance. lt's because of sebum our skin can constantly cleanse itself. Due to its slippery oily texture, sebum removes all the debris that otherwise would encrust our skin. Sebum also forms a gentle water-resistant barrier, which is why many water-based lotions For the oily skin don`t perform as nicely.
Thanks to sebum. skin is kept naturally moist but can absorb many other ingredients to keep itl supple and nourished if they are wrapped in substances friendly to sebum such as oils. That`s why nanosome—based serums work better for oily skin.
Sebum also shields our body from attacks of`germs, viruses, insects, and fungi that happen 24/7, all year long. Special antiseptic qualities of- sebum prevent many skin infections that would occur to us if we dissolve it too vigorously with harsh cleansers and alcohol-based toners.
During certain weather conditions, such as cold or extreme heat, our skin cracks either because the chilled fluids become stiffer and less able to adjust to movement or because they evaporate from skin`s surface. In addition to that, low-fat diets also reduce the amount of` skin`s natural fats, so skin feels dry and chapped. That’s why we need moisturizers to maintain the amount of lipids on skin's surface so that skin is able to hold moisture inside.
Unfortunately. sebum is the major contributor to acne. As sebum moves towards the skin surface the triglycerides are split into other substances by the action of the acne—causing bacteria. These substances include fatty acids that can be irritating to the skin. This irritation is important in causing acne.
Sebaceous Glands
Sebaceous glands deliver sebum, an oily mixture of-different types of fat, into the follicle, from where it drains to the skin surface.
Depending on the area of your body sebaceous glands can vary in size. The largest sebaceous glands are located at the face, upper back and chest. Those located in the acne-prone areas, such as the face, back and chest, are very large compared to sebaceous glands in other “safe" areas such as legs and hands. Palms of our hand and soles of the feet have no sebaceous glands at all.
Many sebaceous glands have very tiny hairs in them, which not always grow long enough to reach the skin surface. Sebaceous glands, for example. are quite obvious on the nose, even though there is not much hair on it. Sebum tends to block pores with larger, thicker hairs.
The inside wall of the sebaceous gland is covered with epidermal cells which are constantly renewed from the dermis, grow old, fat, and eventually shed when they become completely fat. But they shed inside the pore!
Now sebum comes to rescue. lt carries these dead cells away to the skin surface where they are washed or otherwise rubbed off. This is how sebum helps to keep skin clean and healthy. lt also keeps the hair follicle moist and supple and hair shiny and smooth. ln addition to that, sebum has an acidic nature which helps
protect against harmful bacteria.
Sebum starts flowing more actively when we reach puberty. That happens because our bodies begin producing the hormones known as androgens. in terms of acne, the most significant androgen is testosterone, which originates in the testes in men, in the ovaries in women, and in the adrenal glands of both. Through the bloodstream testosterone reaches the hair follicles, where an enzyme manufactured in the skin transforms it into a chemical called dihydrotestosterone—DHT for short. DHT signals the sebaceous glands to start producing sebum.
Can we diminish selJum production with mattifying "oil-absorbing" lotions? Not likely. No matter what you apply to your skin, you cannot change the amount of sebum it produces. No matter how dry or tight they may make your face feel, astrirtgent soaps, lotions, or cosmetics that add more oil on the skin`s surface cannot influence sebum output. Nor, contrary to popular belief; do they stimulate the sebaceous gland. Some skincare lines carry oils specifically designed for the oilier skin, for instance, Normalizing Day Oil by German organic skincare label Dr.Hauschka, which is designed `to force” the skin produce less oil because it receives enough oil frorn outside. Quite simply put, it doesn't work this way.
Only hormones, stress, genetics and diet can regulate the amount of sebum excreted by sebaceous glands, and all cleansers, toners and other topical acne treatments have nothing to do with hormonal balance. What these products can do is to maintain the skin in more or less acceptable state so that sebum doesn't stay inside the pore where it would be dislodged by bacteria.
This is important to understand why using just topical treatments won’t help you clearing the acne. Oil production can be affected by diet, stress, genes, and hormones, and it cannot be controlled from outside.
Acne Bacteria
Healthy skin is home to rnany different kinds of-bacteria. These invisible peaceful foreigners protect us from other harmful microorganisms and neutralize some unwanted chemicals. But even these helpful little guys can cause problems if they reproduce too much.
There's one particular type of bacteria that enjoys sebum more than other little creatures. This bacterium is called Propionibacterium acnes. or P. Acne.
Unlike most bacteria, which eat sugars, these little guys feed on the sebum and produce fatty acids as a waste product. Unfortunately, this waste—call it bacterial poop!—is irritating to the skin. When the body starts producing more sebum... jump read here : Clear Skin: Organic Action Plan for Acne
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