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. There is no magic cure for oily skin. Our tips will help you do that as well as it can be done. On the up side, skin experts believe there are some advantages to having an oily hide, not the least of which becomes apparent with the steady passing of time.