When it comes to fighting acne breakouts and keeping skin
moisturized, we hear a lot about the effects of different products and
lifestyle habits on our production of sebum. What is sebum exactly, and why is
balancing it one of the keys to maintaining healthy-looking skin and hair?
Sebum is defined as “an oily secretion of the sebaceous
glands.” It’s basically your skin’s natural oils that help maintain a normal
moisture level and also protect your skin from damage.
Both an overproduction and underproduction of sebum can lead
to skin concerns, so below we look at ways to keep levels in balance.
What Is Sebum?
Sebum is a waxy, fatty substance that is composed of
triglycerides, wax esters, squalene and free fatty acids. While sebum is one
part of your skin’s oils, it’s not the only thing that makes your skin feel
greasier. It can combine with dead skin cells, sweat and bacteria too.
Your body makes sebum inside sebaceous glands, which are
microscopic exocrine glands found within the skin that usually open into hair
follicles. There are also some sebaceous glands that exist independently and
aren’t connected to hair follicles, but most of these glands are found in
hair-covered areas.
You’ll find the most sebum on your face and scalp. This
explains why people tend to develop pimples on their faces most often and also
why hair becomes oily when it hasn’t been washed.
Sebum is produced on all other parts of the skin too, with
the exception of the palms of the hands and soles of the feet (two places that
can become cracked and dry due to lacking moisture).
What does sebum look like?
This waxy substance is a clearish-yellow color, but usually
you can’t actually see it on your skin. However, when your pores become clogged
with too much oil it can lead to blackheads, whiteheads and red pimples.
Why does sebum smell so bad? Sebum itself is actually
odorless, but it can be broken down by bacteria living on the skin that
produces a strong body odor.
The more oil that builds up on the skin, the more that
bacteria can reproduce. This contributes to the smell intensifying.
Related: What Is Double Cleansing and Does It Really Work?
Function
What is sebum’s function? The main role that it plays is
maintaining skin’s homeostasis by coating, protecting and lubricating the skin.
It’s made not only by humans, but by all mammals. Some
animals make more sebum than others depending on their skin types and the
climates they live in.
Balanced production of sebum helps keep skin smooth, elastic,
healthy-looking and protected from infections. It also helps decrease symptoms
like acne, hyperplasia and sebaceous adenoma, and it maintains the skin’s
normal pH level.
There are several different types of sebum made throughout
the body, each of which serves a unique function.
• Tarsal
glands located in the eyelids secrete a special type of sebum into tears that
lubricates the eyes and prevents dry eyes.
• Areolar
glands located in female nipples produce a certain type of sebum that
lubricates the nipples and assists in breastfeeding.
• Fordyce
sebaceous glands located on the lips, gums, inner cheeks and genitals also
produce oils that help maintain a normal moisture level of these body parts.
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