Pores, hormones, and oily skin—a deep dive into the science behind teen skin changes!

If you are a teenager or have ever been a teenager, you have probably experienced the pesky problem of excess oil on your face. This can cause greasiness, acne breakouts, or that “shiny” look that many teenagers fight to avoid. 

Today we’re going to take a deeper dive into the science behind this excess oil production so that you can feel more informed and educated about your own skin health!

On the surface of your skin, you have tiny openings called pores. If you look closely, you can most likely see them across your cheeks and nose. Pores are very important. They are how your body releases sweat and oil. There are two separate types of pores—sweat pores and hair follicle pores…but more on that later!

Sweat is released by your body as a way to maintain homeostasis, in other words, bodily equilibrium. It regulates temperature, and although sweat stains on a hot day may feel annoying, it’s really just your body’s own special way of keeping you cool and maintaining a stable internal and external temperature! Pretty cool right?

Let’s quickly break down skin structure: your skin is divided into 3 main layers: 

• The epidermis: the outermost protective layer.

• The dermis: the middle layer, which houses blood vessels, nerves, sweat glands, oil glands, and hair follicles—psst…this is where those pesky acne formations begin.

• And lastly, the hypodermis: the deepest layer which provides insulation and energy storage through fatty tissue.

Diagram of skin structure.

 I know that is a lot to take in, but don’t worry! I will be releasing a new blog post diving deeper into the layers of the skin very soon!

Back to pores—some of them, as I mentioned earlier, also function to release oil onto the skin. Here’s a quick breakdown of the structure of a hair follicle pore…

In the 2nd layer of the skin, the dermis, there is a structure called a hair follicle. Small hairs are grown out of these hair follicles and make their way through the epidermis (the 1st layer), eventually emerging out of the skin through an opening called…you guessed it…a pore!

Attached to the hair follicle, is a small gland called a sebaceous gland. Sebaceous glands are in charge of releasing sebum up through the dermis and epidermis and eventually through a pore and onto your skin. If you have never heard that word before, sebum is another word for the naturally occurring oils that your body releases onto your skin to keep it hydrated and moisturized. This is the reason why your skin stays soft and protected instead of dry, itchy, and flaky.

But sebaceous glands don’t just release sebum whenever they feel like it…the production and release of oils is directly connected to signals from very important molecules in your body called hormones.

Hormones are lipid-based molecules that are naturally occurring in humans and they are essential in cell communication and signaling throughout your body. 

Essentially, they are small messengers that tell your body when to perform specific functions. For example: growing taller, going through puberty, releasing oil and sweat, digesting your food, and even telling your body when to sleep and wake up!

Tying it all back to our skin…there are special hormones called androgens.

 Androgens are a special group of hormones that function in growth and development and are notorious for spiking significantly during puberty in teenage years. 

These androgens play a key role in teenage development, and their increase sends more signals to the sebaceous glands—leading to the excess oil production that many teens experience.

You may have heard of one of the most known androgens, testosterone. And although girls typically do not produce as many androgens as boys, they still produce enough to trigger increased oil production.

While some oil is beneficial for keeping your skin hydrated, too much can mix with bacteria, dead skin cells, and other debris—clogging pores and leading to acne breakouts.

This is why washing your face can be so beneficial in combating acne, as it allows excess oil to be broken down—preventing clogged pores and oil buildup.

I hope this blog post was useful in helping you understand the science behind hormones, pores, and some teenaged skin changes! 

If you have any questions please fill out the question form on our website, and I will do my best to answer them through our social media and blog writings!

Stay tuned for more posts!

Here’s to science, support, and simply being you,

Brenna