Oily Skin
Helping you understand, balance and care for your skin with confidence…
Understanding Oily Skin
Do you constantly battle with shiny skin, enlarged pores or feel like your skin produces too much oil?
You might be surprised to learn that not everyone who experiences these concerns has a naturally oily skin type. In fact, many clients arrive at ME convinced their skin is oily, when a closer examination reveals something quite different.
Oily skin, excessive sebum production, acne and dehydration are often confused, yet they are not the same thing. You can have oily skin without acne, acne without a naturally oily skin type, and even oily skin that is dehydrated.
Understanding what's really happening within your skin is essential, because treating oiliness that isn't actually the problem can sometimes make matters worse.
What is Oily skin?
True oily skin, also known as lipid-rich skin, is characterised by naturally higher sebum (oil) production from the sebaceous glands. Sebum helps lubricate and protect the skin, but increased production can result in persistent shine and more visible pores.
Common signs of naturally oily skin include:
Persistent oiliness: Even first thing in the morning or shortly after cleansing.
Greasy hair or scalp: Hair may need washing more frequently.
Oiliness beyond the face: Particularly across the chest and upper back.
Visible pores: Especially around the forehead, nose and cheeks.
Importantly, oily skin doesn't necessarily mean acne-prone skin. Acne involves several other factors beyond sebum production, and even naturally dry skin can experience breakouts or increased oil production in certain areas.
Oily skin can also be dehydrated, meaning the skin lacks water despite producing plenty of oil. This is why shine alone doesn't determine your true skin type.
What can influence Oily Skin?
Although our natural sebum production is strongly influenced by genetics, several internal and external factors can affect how much oil our skin produces.
Hormonal changes: Androgens stimulate sebaceous gland activity, particularly during puberty and hormonal fluctuations.
Ageing: Sebum production can change throughout life, often declining with age, particularly in women.
Stress: Stress-related hormonal changes may influence sebaceous gland activity and existing skin concerns.
Environmental factors: Heat and humidity can increase the appearance of oiliness and shine.
Skincare habits: Harsh cleansers and excessive exfoliation can disrupt the skin barrier, leaving skin dehydrated and uncomfortable, even when oil is present.
Importantly, oiliness and dehydration can exist together. When the epidermal barrier becomes compromised, increased transepidermal water loss (TEWL) can leave the skin lacking water, regardless of how much sebum it produces.
This means skin can appear shiny on the surface while feeling tight or dehydrated underneath. Shine alone is therefore not enough to determine your true skin type.
How Can We Help?
At ME, we believe accurate skin assessment is the foundation of effective treatment. Rather than automatically reaching for oil removing products, we first want to understand whether your skin is naturally oily, experiencing increased sebum production, dehydrated or struggling with a compromised barrier.
Through a comprehensive consultation and Observ 520x skin analysis, we assess your skin's appearance, history, current routine and the internal and external influences that may be contributing to your concerns.
Our corneotherapy-led approach focuses on supporting healthy sebaceous function, maintaining the epidermal barrier and addressing any accompanying dehydration or congestion without unnecessarily stripping the skin of its protective lipids.
Using gentle, bespoke treatments and carefully selected skincare formulations, we create a personalised plan to help improve skin comfort, balance and overall resilience.
Because healthy skin isn't about removing every trace of oil. Sebum is essential to healthy skin function; the goal is to understand your skin's individual needs and support its natural balance.
Not sure where to start?
Whether you choose our Skin Health Consultation for an in-depth understanding of your skin, or My First Skin Treatment, combining a comprehensive consultation with your first bespoke skin health treatment, we'll help you make sense of your skin and create a personalised plan to support its long-term health.