We have heard many times – moisturize, moisturize, moisturize…However, being an amazing organ, the skin is able to do so on its own!
Sebum, this precious mixture of lipids (oily substances) produced by the skin acts as a natural moisturizer, helping to slow down aging and so much more.
The good news is that we can support the skin’s natural production of these wonder substances, instead of getting into its way!
THE IMPORTANCE OF SEBUM FOR HEALTHY SKIN
1. A BARRIER AGAINST THE ENVIRONMENT
Sebum waterproofs and softens your skin, acting as a barrier in two ways: It keeps too much water from getting into your body, and it prevents you from losing too much water through your skin.
Mixed with sweat on your face, sebum creates acid mantle, a thin protective veil on the surface of your skin, which is very important for your skin health!
The acid mantle makes your skin’s surface slightly acidic, protecting it against bacterial and fungal infections, as well as toxins and pollution from the environment.
2. KEEPS YOUR SKIN MOISTURIZED
Oils don’t dissolve in water.
So when you have a thin layer of oily substance like sebum on the top of your skin, it repels the water molecules, preventing loss of too much water from your skin (slowing down TEWL – Trans Epidermal Water Loss).
The natural layer of oil on the surface of your skin traps the water inside, keeping your skin soft and moisturized.
3. PROTECTS AGAINST THE OXIDATIVE DAMAGE AND EARLY SKIN AGING
Skin faces oxidative damage every single day. This means that the free radicals cause an injury on a molecular level to your cells – its membranes, DNA, and proteins.
Free radicals are produced both within the skin and in the environment (UV radiation, cigarette smoke, automobile exhaust, pollution…). Oxidative damage caused by the free radicals induces early aging of the skin and can be a strong starter gun for acne formation.
When a component of sebum, called squalene, oxidizes, it turns into a highly comedogenic substance that clogs your skin.
You might think that an easy fix is to simply wash off the sebum often enough, but it’s not that simple, and it’s a race you cannot win. In fact, frequent washing dehydrates the skin, which makes it produce even more oil to compensate.
Antioxidants, on the other hand, are the key to fighting the oxidative damage.
A powerful antioxidant diluted in the sebum – vitamin E, is the skin’s own defense mechanism against the oxidative damage. It gets secreted onto the surface of your skin together with the sebum.
It’s important to note that one antioxidant molecule is needed to neutralize one free radical.
That means that you need to have a steady supply of antioxidants from your diet (including the very important vitamin E) to keep fighting free radicals your skin is exposed to every day.
4. KEEPS THE PORES CLEAR
Free-flowing sebum pulls out dead skin cells, dirt and bacteria from the pores on its way out from the sebaceous glands (tiny sebum-producing glands in the skin).
This is the major reason why people with normal skin who don’t even use cleansers don’t end up with clogged up pores filled with dirt!
This natural process is disrupted if the pore is clogged by an accumulation of dead skin cells, which causes the oil to be trapped inside, resulting in comedones formation, inflammation, and acne.
As you can probably tell by now, your skin needs sebum to be healthy, and it will produce it one way or another (which many of us have learned the hard way!).
Balanced, ‘free-flowing’ sebum equals clear skin, not ‘oil-free’ skin!
5. SLOWING DOWN SKIN AGING
Sebum, this wonderful substance has a great anti-aging recipe we could apply to our skin care too:
Locking in the moisture + free radical protection + keeping a slightly acidic pH (~5.5)
5 STEPS FOR A MORE BALANCED SEBUM PRODUCTION YOU CAN START DOING TODAY
Some shine, or, as I prefer – glow, is good for your skin health and you should embrace it. Fighting your skin too much on this might actually hinder you from having great skin.
Regardless of your skin type, try to think of the sebum as a protector of your skin, especially when choosing skin care.
If you have oily skin, don’t fight it by overwashing your face. This is not a permanent solution and it will only aggravate your skin.
Many skin care products (mainly cleansers) will leave your skin looking nice and fresh the moment you use them but are actually damaging your skin because they disrupt the delicate balance of your skin, including sebum production, pH balance and the good bacteria that naturally resides on your face.
If you have dry skin, you need to hold onto these precious oils even more.
Here are my top tips:
1. Ditch that harsh cleanser! This is probably my nr. 1 skin care tip for healthy skin. You can read how the main ingredients in regular cleansers, called surfactants, interact with the skin and damage the skin barrier in my post The truth about what cleansers do to your skin. Sign up for my FREE online course where you can learn all about picking the right cleanser:
2. Don’t wash your face in the morning. Yes, regardless of your skin type, and especially for dry, sensitive skin types. Your skin has worked very hard all night to produce these oils, don’t take them away! If you have oily skin, a splash of water will do just fine in most cases. If you notice more congestion when you don’t use a cleanser, you can go back to using it.
Related: 5 Reasons Why I Don’t Wash My Face In The Morning
Even better, you could use a gentle toner on a cotton pad instead of regular water, which is drying to the skin. After that, simply apply your chosen oil or a moisturizer, and you are good to go!
3. Don’t exfoliate very often (1-2x a week is plenty), and don’t use harsh mechanical scrubs like those containing sugar or salt!
All of these steps will let the skin do its thing! Trust that the many millions of years of evolution equipped your skin with what is necessary to moisturize and maintain itself.
With just a little help and support, of course. 🙂
In radiant skin health,
Sara
REFERENCES
1. Boer, M., et al., Structural and biophysical characteristics of human skin in maintaining proper epidermal barrier function. Postepy Dermatol Alergol, 2016. 33(1): p. 1-5.
2. Phaniendra, A., D.B. Jestadi, and L. Periyasamy, Free radicals: properties, sources, targets, and their implication in various diseases. Indian J Clin Biochem, 2015. 30(1): p. 11-26.
3. Ali, S.M. and G. Yosipovitch, Skin pH: from basic science to basic skin care. Acta Derm Venereol, 2013. 93(3): p. 261-7.
4. Korac, R.R. and K.M. Khambholja, Potential of herbs in skin protection from ultraviolet radiation. Pharmacogn Rev, 2011. 5(10): p. 164-73.
5. Reuter, J., I. Merfort, and C.M. Schempp, Botanicals in dermatology: an evidence-based review. Am J Clin Dermatol, 2010. 11(4): p. 247-67.
6. Picardo, M., et al., Sebaceous gland lipids. Dermatoendocrinol, 2009. 1(2): p. 68-71.
7. Rahman, K., Studies on free radicals, antioxidants, and co-factors. Clin Interv Aging, 2007. 2(2): p. 219-36.
8. Tyrrell, R.M., Ultraviolet radiation and free radical damage to skin. Free Radicals and Oxidative Stress: Environment, Drugs and Food Additives, 1995(61): p. 47-53.
Such a great post, Sara! Absolutely love reading any of your posts and findings. Always so insightful! x
Thank you so much, my dear!! Really makes my day hearing that!:)))) <3
Hi Sara,
I just came across your amazing article today, June 7/23. I’m on my way to helping my skin to look clear from the redness and dryness and reading your article makes me happy. As of Feb 1/23, I stopped using all my different skin care products that are full of toxins, I also ditched a lot of my makeup, I only wear at times eye makeup. I’m so tired of spending so much money on products that don’t work. I’ve even stopped using shampoo & conditioner and I just rinse my hair. My question is do I even have to wash my face anymore? water makes it too dry (I hate that feeling). I’ve been using pure organic, cold-pressed coconut oil to mostly take off my very little eye makeup and then massaging it all over my face, then I take a warm rag to gently wipe away any dirt and my face feels nice and lubricated after from the coconut oil Do I really even need to wash my face at all? I want the oil glands to lubricate my face, so this is why I’m just leaving my skin alone and hopefully it will know what to do. I did have bad acne as a teenager and we were taught to remove all the oil from our face using SeaBreeze antiseptic face wash, I wish I never did that. I was also on Accutane. My skin does not seem to exfoliate well, I have dead skin cells trapped in the pores on my nose. I also eliminated processed sugars from my diet,,,, I’m learning.
Thank you
Elizabeth