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Author	Topic: Sebum production
Hiob 04-29-2003 04:01 PM	Can I do nothing against my terrible sebum production? Is any food respondsible for this production? My skin is very oily and I hate this!
Wai 05-02-2003 09:20 AM	Your skin produces so much sebum / oil in response to the state of dehydration of your outer skin (the outer layer) This because the skin produces this sebum / oil to protect the skin against dehydration in the first place, and responds to changes. For example: when you start to expose your skin to the sun much more than before, your skin will become more oil after a few days, because the sun dehydrates your skin. So, producing much sebum / oil is a good thing because it protects your skin against dehydration / accelerated aging. But... when much sebum is produced, it readily may accumulate in the sebum canals if these canals are pinched off somewhat, which leads to acne. Forcing down the production of sebum / oil will not take away what caused it in the first place, AND it will lead to dehydration of the skin, and accelerated aging of the skin. So, what caused the high sebum production? 1), or 2), or 1) + 2) combined: 1) Hormones; in puberty, your skin may suddenly start to produce more sebum, due to changing hormone levels 2) Dehydration of the outer skin This dehydration may be caused by: 2-a) external factors, such as washing your face too often, washing your face with soap, exposing your skin to the sun too much, or to harsh chemicals 2-b) internal factors: such as retaining too much salt / dirty protein in the true skin, which distracts water from the outer skin to the true skin, leading to the combination of retaining too much water (in the true skin, pinching off sebum canals) and dehydration of the outer skin (leading to a higher sebum / oil production) What you should do: 1) eliminate all possible external factors (dont wash your face more than once or maximally twice a day, don't use soap, and don't expose your skin to the sun too much, or to harsh chemicals (as in anti-acne products)) 2) to prevent the need to produce much sebum / oil: protect your outer skin against dehydration, by applying some oil to your face after washing. eventually, your skin will respond by producing less sebum / oil keep on using the oil 3) eliminate salt and 'dirty' protein from your diet, by following the sample diet, so that your true skin (the layer below the outer skin) will not distract water from the outer skin