Exces sebum cracked#
When the skin does not produce enough sebum, dry, cracked and/or flaky skin results. (For infants, this is commonly known as “cradle cap.”) Sebum and Dry Skin Medically, this is known as seborrheic dermatitis, or seborrhea - a condition that causes a buildup of flaky, yellowish skin and red patches on the scalp and different areas of the face and body, such as eyebrows, nose, and around the ears. Sometimes this process works in overdrive, which is what causes sebum excess and results in oily skin and hair.
When the follicle fills, it releases the sebum onto your skin, coating and protecting it. Sebum and Oily SkinĪ follicle fills with sebum when it combines with skin cells being sloughed off during the cell regeneration process. This is so babies’ soft, sensitive skin is protected after exiting the womb.Īfter that, production slows down until puberty - when it spikes by 500 percent! Finally, around age 20, sebum production starts to decrease and continues to do so with age. Our bodies produce the same amount of sebum an adult does from the first three to six months after we’re born. Parkinson’s disease is also linked to higher sebum levels. Since hormones control sebum production, certain conditions involving the pituitary glands (which control hormone levels), adrenal glands, ovaries, or testicles may increase or decrease sebum production. Progesterone is a female sex hormone that correlates with high levels of sebum however, males can produce up to five times more sebum than females during puberty. In other words, high testosterone correlates with high levels of sebum. Androgens (like testostrone) are male sex hormones that regulate sebum production. What Affects Sebum Production? HormonesĮver wonder why you broke out so much during puberty? (Ah, the glory days.) That’s because hormones primarily control the amounts of sebum the body produces. They can actually be found anywhere on the body except the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Sebaceous glands usually group around the base of a hair follicle, which is why the scalp is the second most concentrated area.īut sebaceous glands aren’t only on the face and scalp. There’s an easy explanation as to why your face is more oily than the rest of your body: it has the highest concentration of sebaceous glands (typically 400 - 900 per square centimeter of skin!). This is why oil can cause breakouts when it gets trapped in pores, while sebum (on its own) is essential for healthy, moisturized skin. Oil, however, is sebum mixed with environmental dirt and dust, dead skin cells, and sweat.
It protects and helps moisturize the skin. It’s made up of fatty acids, triglycerides, squalene, waxes, cholesterol, and sugars. Sebum is an oily substance produced by our sebaceous glands. If sebum and oil are not the same thing, you may be wondering: What is sebum, exactly? The body produces sebum naturally, but we do have some measure of control over how much is produced. Sebum and oil, however, are not the same thing! The amount of sebum the body produces correlates with how oily the skin is. Well, a lot of that has to do with your body’s sebum production. Is it oily? Dry? Combination? Normal?īut rarely do we ask ourselves: Why is this my skin type? So much of maintaining a healthy skincare routine revolves around knowing your skin type.
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