To send a link and summary of this article to a friend, click here . It's not your fault, really. If you've got to blame someone, blame your ancestors. Chances are they came from someplace where oily skin served a useful purpose, such as combating the effects of excessive Mediterranean sunlight or monsoon rains. Now you're stuck with oily skin in the middle of Minnesota, where the embarrassment of a shiny forehead outweighs any possible protection your skin might afford you from scorching rays or tropical torrents.
Heredity does play a big part in oily skin, but so do hormones.
Pregnant women sometimes notice an increase in skin oil as hormonal activity changes. So do women taking certain types of birth control pills. Stress can also cause the oil glands to kick into overdrive. The wrong cosmetics can easily aggravate an otherwise mild case of oily skin. Some of these causes are within your ability to control, but others you'll have to learn to live with.