What is Sebum and How Can We Stay Oil Free?
If you’ve had acne before, or you are currently dealing with acne, you may have done some research into what acne is. If you have, you may have discovered that one of the main products in acne is sebum. Perhaps you already knew what sebum was, or perhaps you didn’t care so much what it was as how to get rid of it. Either way, if you’re curious about sebum, here’s a little explanation of what it is and how it contributes to your acne problem.
Acne Issues Explained: What Is Sebum?
Unlike some other products that clog pores like bacteria and dirt, sebum is actually a naturally occurring substance in your body. Specifically, sebum is the product of the sebaceous glands in your skin. These glands are located around your hair follicles and produce sebum to lubricate the hair and skin. It’s not clear if your skin and hair actually needs this lubrication, but your sebaceous glands produce it just the same. When dirt, oil and dead skin cells begin to appear around a hair follicle, sebum is the “glue” that binds them together, clogs the pore surrounding the follicle, and, with the help of acne causing bacteria, produces pimples or other forms of acne.
Is There a Way to Get Rid of Sebum?
Some drugs may reduce sebum production, but there is really no way to stop your sebaceous glands from producing sebum entirely. Again, it is a naturally occurring substance, so there is no real sense in trying to stop it from appearing. Furthermore, you don’t actually need to get rid of sebum to reduce or ward off acne. If there is nothing present to glue the sebum together, then acne will not form. This means that the best bet is to concentrate on killing acne causing bacteria and removing the dirt and oil that clogs pores. This is the best way to fight acne.
What Is the Relationship Between Sweat and Sebum?
Sweat and sebum are two completely different products created by your body. While sebum is a lubricating product that may not be necessary and definitely contributes to acne, sweat is a cooling product that is definitely necessary and does not contribute to acne. That being said, sweat can trap dirt and oil around pores allowing sebum to more easily bond to them and form acne, and sweat can also cause clothes to stick to skin, further increasing the likelihood of trapped dirt and oil leading to acne. For this reason you should always wash yourself off after you have been sweating heavily, but you should not be afraid to sweat for fear it will result in additional acne.
Dealing with Sebum and Acne
If you are suffering from acne and regular washing does not seem to resolve the problem, there are acne control systems that can help. These systems often use benzoyl peroxide to unclog pores and kill acne causing bacteria, reducing acne and helping to prevent new acne breakouts regardless of the presence of sebum.