The most tell tale sign of sebum overproduction is an oily shine across your forehead, nose and chin. These three areas make up an area called your "t-zone". You may also experience enlarged pores, whiteheads or blackheads on your t-zone. These are signs of congestion caused by excess oil production.
An overproduction of sebum can lead to oily skin. People with oily skin may notice that their pores look larger, and their skin appears greasy or shiny. Excess sebum combined with dead skin cells can form a plug inside the pore, resulting in blackheads and pimples.
Vitamin D seems to inhibit sebocyte proliferation, differentiation, and sebum secretion, all of which are key factors in the production of sebum.
Sebaceous hyperplasia is the name for a condition where glands in your skin (sebaceous glands) get bigger, forming small bumps. It's a harmless, benign enlargement of a hair follicle. Hair follicles anchor hairs to your skin.
Androgens. Increased sebum production due to androgens' activity at the sebaceous follicle is a prerequisite for acne in all patients. High level of androgens, or hypersensitivity of the sebaceous glands to a normal level of androgens, causes an increase in sebum production.
There are many different types of B vitamins that protect the skin, but B6 and B12 vitamins are good for oily skin and excessive sebum production.
Vitamin D decreased sebum production after treatment of sebocytes with P. acnes in our study. It was reported that treatment of slowly proliferating SZ95 sebocytes with vitamin D results in a statistically significant time- and dose-dependent reduction of sebum lipids8.
Foods that contain a high amount of sugar (especially processed ones) and refined carbohydrates (such as white rice, and white pasta) accelerate IGF-1 production. IGF-1 is a hormone that promotes growth and plays a crucial role in sebaceous gland physiology (sebum or oil production).
Regular use of a BHA (beta hydroxy acid) exfoliant for sebaceous filaments can really help, because BHA is oil-soluble and can dissolve sebum and other substances crowding the pore lining. Use of a well-formulated clay face mask for sebaceous filaments might also help due to the clay's oil-absorbing properties.
Isotretinoin has the potential to decrease the size and secretion activity of sebaceous glands, reducing sebum production levels by up to 90%. In the majority of patients results are long-lasting as most patients report significant suppression of sebum production one year after treatment.
Exfoliate Regularly
A gentle exfoliate will remove dead skin cells, bacteria, dirt, and grime hiding in your pores. Exfoliating twice a week can help clear the pores and allow the sebum to work as needed.
You've probably heard that squeezing or picking at a pimple is not a great idea, and the same goes for sebum plugs. By squeezing, you can push the contents deeper into the skin or break the pimple open, which allows the bacteria inside the pimple to spread and any bacteria on your hands to enter the pore.
The most tell tale sign of sebum overproduction is an oily shine across your forehead, nose and chin.
Vitamin A is well knowns to reduce sebum production when taken orally as a retinoid medication. However, it is difficult to get enough Vitamin A to the sebaceous glands in the skin through diet alone.
High-dose vitamins B6 and B12 have also been linked to rosacea fulminans, a condition that looks like acne. Rosacea is marked by large red bumps and pustules that typically appear on the nose, chin, and/or cheeks.
Vitamin D. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that works alongside our sebaceous glands to regulate sebum production. Vitamin D helps our bodies protect against insulin resistance which can lead to oily skin as insulin stimulates the overproduction of sebum.
In fact, there are at least seven species of bacteria that can survive solely on oil [1]. These bacteria are nature's way of removing oil that ends up in the ocean, whether the oil is there because of oil spills or natural oil seeps.
Vitamin B5 and Health
Because pantothenic acid helps to break down fats, it has been studied for a potential role in reducing cholesterol levels in people who have dyslipidemia.