Hey OilyOneKanobe,
Have you tried super low dose accutane or "photodynamic therapy (PDT)"? I'm in Thailand right now and considering either one. The second one sounds kinda interesting - albeit without the possible bad systemic side effects - it's supposed to kill/shrinksebaceous glands.
Ok, reporting back on some interesting hormone findings...
First, the connection between diet (carbs) and exercise is important -
http://supernaturalacnetreatment.com/insulin-important-acne-hormone/
Second, resetting your body's response to stress -
Saw palmetto controls the conversion of testosterone to dht inside your body, which will lessen the amount of oil on your face because of there being less dht, but it may not be the best plan of action for helping oily skin. Green tea extract applied topically does a far better job of controlling the conversion locally, and it doesn't carry the potentially extreme side effects that comes with less DHT elsewhere. Your body, especially if you're a male, NEEDS DHT to behave normally, so anything that effects it throughout your entire body can be damaging.
A better solution is to support the HPA axis. HPA axis consists of your hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands. This is your master control for handling stress, and regulating testosterone in your body. When you have oily skin, chances are your fight or flight response is hypersensitive, meaning you react with extreme amount of hormones to not so extreme situations. It makes way more sense to get the brain that controls these hormones working correctly to release a tempered amount than try to deal with a body full of unnecessary hormones.
The support has to be tailored to the individual for specific help, but I highly recommend adaptogenic herbs for this part of the process. Adaptogenic herbs help bring balance regardless if you're body is producing too much OR not enough hormones, which really make them universally beneficial. Ashwagandha was the first herb I tried and my skin went from reacting to just about everything to surprisingly normal in what seemed like a week. From there I've used supplements like Phosphatidylserine to support support the hypothalamus as well as vitex (which has side effects for males, so beware). The goal was to get the feedback loop where the body responds to stress working normally again, and proper support of the HPA axis did wonders for that. It will seriously help skin that tends to freak out.
Adaptogenic herb info - https://draxe.com/7-adaptogen-herbs-to-lower-cortisol/
Phosphatidylserine info - http://www.blueprintfitness.co.uk/phosphatidyl-serine-memory-and-cortisol-a-primer/
I'd also like to add I created a free 8 week course that goes over this and other types of in depth oily skin stuff at the site: http://www.oilyskindetox.com/
On 4/25/2017 at 7:07 AM, Eugene said:Hey OilyOneKanobe,
Have you tried super low dose accutane or "photodynamic therapy (PDT)"? I'm in Thailand right now and considering either one. The second one sounds kinda interesting - albeit without the possible bad systemic side effects - it's supposed to kill/shrinksebaceous glands.
Hi Eugene
I once considered low dose accutane, and If I didn't "eventually" find a cure for this problem I would have certainly ended up going that way. But thank goodness it isn't necessary to risk the accumulated damage of long term accutance, read this thread and follow some of the protocols. If it can work for me "the Oilyist Jedi in StarWars" then surely it can work for you too.
That PDT looks way to risky, go in the direction of excellent health towards fixing this. Step away from the Hammer approach.. I've been there and its the Dark-Side!
Keep me posted!
On 5/1/2017 at 5:24 PM, MyBody101 said:Ok, reporting back on some interesting hormone findings...
First, the connection between diet (carbs) and exercise is important -
http://supernaturalacnetreatment.com/insulin-important-acne-hormone/
Second, resetting your body's response to stress -
Saw palmetto controls the conversion of testosterone to dht inside your body, which will lessen the amount of oil on your face because of there being less dht, but it may not be the best plan of action for helping oily skin. Green tea extract applied topically does a far better job of controlling the conversion locally, and it doesn't carry the potentially extreme side effects that comes with less DHT elsewhere. Your body, especially if you're a male, NEEDS DHT to behave normally, so anything that effects it throughout your entire body can be damaging.
A better solution is to support the HPA axis. HPA axis consists of your hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands. This is your master control for handling stress, and regulating testosterone in your body. When you have oily skin, chances are your fight or flight response is hypersensitive, meaning you react with extreme amount of hormones to not so extreme situations. It makes way more sense to get the brain that controls these hormones working correctly to release a tempered amount than try to deal with a body full of unnecessary hormones.
The support has to be tailored to the individual for specific help, but I highly recommend adaptogenic herbs for this part of the process. Adaptogenic herbs help bring balance regardless if you're body is producing too much OR not enough hormones, which really make them universally beneficial. Ashwagandha was the first herb I tried and my skin went from reacting to just about everything to surprisingly normal in what seemed like a week. From there I've used supplements like Phosphatidylserine to support support the hypothalamus as well as vitex (which has side effects for males, so beware). The goal was to get the feedback loop where the body responds to stress working normally again, and proper support of the HPA axis did wonders for that. It will seriously help skin that tends to freak out.
Adaptogenic herb info - https://draxe.com/7-adaptogen-herbs-to-lower-cortisol/
Phosphatidylserine info - http://www.blueprintfitness.co.uk/phosphatidyl-serine-memory-and-cortisol-a-primer/
I'd also like to add I created a free 8 week course that goes over this and other types of in depth oily skin stuff at the site: http://www.oilyskindetox.com/
Holy Smokes you've been busy.. Made a website!! Yoda will be pleased..yesss!
I will sign up when I've got a minute:)
For Insulin I intermittent fast 16hours no eating and 8 hours eating window. Especially as I enjoy my big Pasta every day, I find it helps to wack my insulin only during the window. So then atleast there is a big rest period to recover.
Ashwagandha does look very interesting, I've had a history as a kid of fight of flight being triggered constantly for years. So this does connect with my massive chronic oil and hyperactive HPA axis.
As of now my Oils are at 80% to normal imo from following the protoxol, which is great for me!,
do I dare push for 100% ... will have a think about thse herbs.
Cheers Pal! And may the force be with you!
Quick update, Oils still at 80% to normal. My stress lvls and sleep have recentlty been disrupted, along with a few bad meals. But seem to be hanging on to acceptable oil lvls much longer than I would otherwise. There is certainly some extra wiggle room now since starting this protocol in terms of how much negative exposure I can take before mount Oil erupts, going to try and tail it back before I lose my advantage.
Oil seems to be like an elastic band, the healthier and more balanced I am the more the elastic can stretch.Focusing on raining things back in now.
Hope you guys are having good luck with this all.
Another update!
Hopefully anyone that's followed along with all the suggestions so far, this next update just adds to it.
While trying to figure out why someone was experiencing extreme oily skin despite a good diet (fish, veggies, no sugar, no processed anything, etc.), the issue seemed to be an inability to utilize the good fats in their diet. Even after adding supplements (like beets, ginger and ACV), there was no improvement. Something didn't seem right, so after investigating, the issue seemed to be the small intestine wasn't behaving properly. This could be for various reasons, but something worth mentioning has to do with SIBO (small intestine bacteria overgrowth), SIYO, and biofilm.
There's several interesting reasons why this could contribute to oily skin. First, SIBO (depending on which type of opportunistic bacteria is present) breaks down the proper digestive process causing loads of stress throughout. Diminished stomach acid almost always results, which makes fat absorption more challenging and less efficient. Second, the bacteria that has traveled to your small intestine may be the type that specifically prevents fats from being absorbed properly, which, again, is vital for trying to get good, inflammation reducing fats back into your system. If your body doesn't have an efficient ways to get the proper fats, there's almost no chance of them getting to your skin.
Plus, other aspects of this seem to make sense in the grand scheme of things. Some people swear by peppermint tea (which is great for regulating the bacteria in the small intestine). Certain probiotics also help people with oily skin (which, again, CAN repopulate the small intestine with the proper bacteria - if you get lucky). An altered microbiome can be inherited from parents, making oily skin a generational thing. The biofilm surrounding this bacteria could be reasons why it isn't effected by almost any diets or clean living either, meaning the gluten free, paleo type diets you've been doing to rid yourself of oily skin don't have a lasting effect, because the moment you slip up, your oily skin comes back.
There are many protocols in which to see success, but they all seem to involve variations of the following:
- Enzymes, cloves, NAC, etc. to break down the biofilm
- chlorella or EDTA to pull the heavy metals from the biofilm, further exposing the bacteria
- Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal or anti-whatever-you're-fighting-in-your-gut agents to kill off the offending microorganisms, can include peppermint capsules, colloidal silver, oil of oregano, and countless others
- Fermented foods to repopulate the gut properly, lactic acid based (sauerkraut, kimchi). Sometimes probiotics can cause more harm than good, depending on the strands which is why fermented foods seem to work.
- Low FoodMAPS diet
Many different opinions, and plans, exist so find one that works for you.
Currently there's no directconnection between oily skin and SIBO, but it's not exactly a stretch to believe they're related. The small intestine is one of the most important organs for fat absorption, and getting it behaving properly gives anyone trying to overcome oily skin a better chance to get back on track. Definitely an interesting avenue to explore.
Best of luck if you decide to try it out, and remember that any extreme detox/cleanse will cause your skin to get MORE oily at first, so be prepared for that.
And be sure to report back!
A few hard truths:
The good news is that Oily skin can be "controlled" by using a broad approach , however there is unfortunately a certain amount of egg-shells that you will end up having to walk on all of the time in terms of having to constantly be mindful of what you eat, what time you go to bed, are you holding any excess fat, did you exercise, are you stressed, will I be wearing this second helping of pizza on my face tomorrow.. etc..etc,
Does this sound like fun? No it isn't, but its what I do (and much much more) to control my oily skin.
Yes it works, but its also slavery at the same time.
No less than everything under the sun needs to be done for me to simply control my oily skin, and to be frank. Its a fking pain in the ass! Pardon my french. Yes it works, but the price is expensive.
Now, there have only ever been 2 treatments that have removed the need to walk on egg-shells entirely for me and those were Accutane and mega dose B5 (During a positive cycle). Yes they are both unhealthy, and that's not in dispute.
Now Accutane we all know of, it shrinks the sebaceous glands and obviously that's how it works for oily skin,
now B5 works IMO by recycling the hell out of the liver, fatty liver does not apply while on high dose b5. There is a lot of other opinion's on how it works exactly, most is different to the next. But I gathered my info from real experiments done on.... mice that were fed very high fat diets vs those that weren't. Those that had high dose b5 administered stopped the fat fed mice from developing a fatty liver, there markers for fatty liver were excellent. And yes the opposite was true for those that didn't receive the b5. Further to this old experiment, in recent years b5 has been compared to statins for lowering cholesterol lvls in humans this time 
. So I'm happy to label b5's method of working for oily skin in a lowering the supply chain for oily skin.
To sum up ,Accutane shrinks the leak, and B5 drastically lowers the supply.
Now in my experience, if I am very low in body fat down to very visible Abs. I get a very similar effect to my experience on B5. Which suggests to me that at this point the Liver is getting sucked dry of fatty deposits and other nasty's. But where as the B5 seemed to go straight for the liver, my natural weight loss process goes for it once all other fatty tissues have been depleted.
I certainly don't wan't to mega-dose B5 again due to the health risks associated, but instead find a method to mimic the effect. And sustaining a 6-pack isn't any fun that I assure u.
In the past I have tried NAC and Panthenol, but they couldn't match the b5 megadose effect at all.
I'm not saying I'm abandoning my current protocol as I've discussed in this thread. I simply can't even if I wanted to, and that's the entire problem. In a perfect world, accutane would shrink the sebaceous glands and be safe for long term use. And that would be the end of the Oily story.
Do I wan't a magic bullet? Yes!
As my current regime looks like this....
Pre meals - Ginger & ACV
Separate eating and drinking by 30-40min
Daily exercise including HIIT/bursts for growth hormone release & insulin sensitivity & sucking stubborn liver fat.
Intermittent fasting 16hours fast /8 eat. Helps with Insulin resistance, empties Glycogen stores.
3 cold baths a week post workouts, promotes sympathetic nervous system sensitivity and lymph drainage.
Keep visible abs, if they diminish visibly then I have too much fat and must rectify diet or exercise. Abs to skin balance.
Red low light laser therapy, (I have a lamp). Mixed info, but basically decreases inflammation. ("Maybe" shrinks the sabs too).
Once a month derma roller, a ton of skin benefits on this one.
Daily 1ltr green smoothie, (incl red cabbage.. the king of sucking pollutants out of the body).
Eat Good fats daily, eat only whole wheat never white flower. Always walk after meals to down play initial insulin spike.
Avoid eating anything with cooked oils. If u do, then load up on omega 3's .
Liver & gallbladder flush, spoon of oil and spoon of lemon once or twice a week before bed. Unsure, if this is really legit but I do it.
Skin care is sunflower-Oil wash, and Clay for pulling impurities. Vit c home made at 20%, and green tea at 3% infused into moisturiser.
Retinoid cream, apparently this reduces oil so I use it before bed.
Twice daily facial acupressure and sweeping. I favour this over massage.
I Sleep before 11pm, if after 12 then this screws with cortisol and about a dozen other bodily processes.
Avoid emotional stress, I try to!
Drink at-least 2ltrs of filtered/spring water a day, (I used to drink 10-15ltrs a day when i was a teenager in absolute desperation for less oily,acne skin) Thinking back to those days, it was very dangerous indeed to drink that amount of water per day, My doctor wouldn't help me at all with my skin, so I discovered water seemed to dampen my oil down. Desperate days! Never knew any better back then.
In terms of pills its the usual suspects ..
Omega 3's
Vit D (Get ur Vit D lvls checked, this hormone may well cure allot of you)
Calcium
Zinc
B complex
Ashwagandha
(I may get an all in one, Zinc + Magnesium+ Calcium shortly though)
In my experience, this regime 100% works.
But still not as well as accutane or b5 had done, for little to no effort. And that's the real kicker!
Just venting my thoughts with all of this.
Oilyonecanobe,
Your hero's journey and willingness to bare all, good and bad, to the world is inspiration to us all. You may feel like you havent accomplished much, but you experience something that many people are still desperate to achieve - ANY results at all. Just because you haven't reached the top of the mountain, it doesn't mean you wont get there.
For me, the holy grail or (top of the mountain) when I first set out to solve oily skin was understanding something I refer to as The Shift. The Shift is something that's been documented in NIH studies as a distinct change in the sebum between those with normal skin and those with oily skin. The chemical makeup of oily skin sebum changes to something that's much higher in squalene and much lower in linoleic acid (which is why I've always recommended an all linoleic acid skincare line). Research has observed the shift, but never solved the question, why does this change happen? More detailed observations of this shift includes sebum that's thicker, stickier and looks shiny on your face. If you have oily skin, you know exactly what's I'm talking about, it feels different sitting on your skin, and you can tell its there even in the tiniest amounts. This type of sebum also appears to have hydrophobic and steroidal properties, which would explain why it doesn't absorb into the skin.
With all the success I've experienced transforming my skin (no acne and no oil using nothing but water or a surfactant free cleanser on a daily basis), I was never able to completely understand this shift. And even though I had dry skin after being oily for so many years, I still wasnt at the very top of the mountain myself because the symptom of shininess (shiny but, not oily, skin) still lingered.
So I kept digging, and I finally got around to investigating the one element I knew was related, but could never connect directly to oily skin - cholesterol.
It seems obvious, now, after the fact, to see the connections. Cholesterol is a part of everything our body does, exists in every cell, its where our steroid hormones come from, its hydrophobic in nature,and squalene is a precursor to cholesterol. Cholesterol is complicated, and I still dont fully understand it (so disclaimer, the information below may not be 100% accurate), but there was one piece of information I pulled from my research that changed the game for me. The liver, and other organs have the ability to create cholesterol, but so do the cells, and WHERE cholesterol is synthesized matters more than anything else for anyone with oily skin.
This may be the missing piece between you having "non oily skin that you have to work your butt off to keep looking that way", and having skin that's non oily without really trying.
Or, it may be just another step up the mountain, but either way its important.
Think of all the people that eat impeccably, low carbs, good fats, high protein, exercise, avoid stress, do everything right, and still have skin they have to blot 2 hours after washing it. I hear so many people say, Im not doing anything! How is my skin oily?!? or even the evolution, my skins not oily if I do everything perfectly, but one slip and it comes roaring back!
Next, think about how cholesterol is involved with every part of oily skin, from individual cells, to the hormones that trigger oily skin, to the makeup of the sebum, to decreased bile salts that make it hard to get the good fats you need.
Now, whats the difference between a person that has normal skin and a person that has oily skin? Simply put, ones body is creating and utilizing cholesterol properly and efficiently, and the others is out of control and unregulated. And when its out of control, we cant just fake it til we make it by eating a good diet and doing everything that seems right, we have to FIX the system.
Without going into all of the details (more details at www.oilyskindetox.com), heres the short of it -
First off, if you have oily skin, theres too much cholesterol being synthesized in the cells, regulated by some kind of mechanism thats on a hair trigger, and the result is squalene is pumped out in abundance from a source that doesnt have a proper feedback loop to shut it off when its supposed to. The first goal of anyone with oily skin is to turn off the signal (aka hormone) that tells the cells to produce cholesterol from within. That signal is none other than insulin! If you have oily skin, you have a problem with insulin. Even if you think you dont, you do. We all know carbs and sugary delights cause insulin surges, but theres so much more than that. For instance, not eating (especially protein) and skipping meals (intermittent fasting) causes the pancreas to release insulin as well to supply the brain with glucose. You eat a lot: insulin, you dont eat enough: insulin. Your brain needs consistent glucose regardless of if we eat food or not. We need insulin to be released in moderation, at the appropriate times, and right now its doing anything but that.
Also, when insulin is imbalanced, a whole bunch of neurotransmitters are affected, so besides your oily skin, chances are you battling either depression, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness or lack of interest, insomnia, brain fog, or some other brain related condition, or unfortunately, will be soon. (And before taking it for oily skin, consider B5 also has a big effect on certain neurotransmitters, like acetylcholine, which when supported promotes normal brain function, controlling things like excessive sweat gland production. Removing the cause of neurotransmitter imbalance (insulin) may be more of a solution than trying to overpower what's hindering it through excessive B5...)
Too much insulin in your blood also comes with a fun little bonus: your cells desensitize to the effect of insulin, so more is needed to perform the typical actions theyre involved with, which means more in your blood stream. This is called insulin resistance, and even non-diet factors like stress can contribute to becoming insulin sensitive. Insulin sensitivity is not fixed by diet alone for a lot of people (although its maintained and prevented by diet just fine once corrected), so if youre one of these unlucky ones, it almost doesnt matter that you eat as well as you do, youre body is still responding like youre eating junk.
The way this relates to oily skin...
The part no one ever talks about, is your bodys insulin response creates a system which is triggers your cells to synthesize cholesterol from within the cell, and as long as this keeps happening, your oiliness will be seemingly unstoppable.
The main fix to this part of the equation is somewhat simple though!
Consistent protein, every 2 - 3 hours like clockwork, including before bed, and knowing your carb limit. Protein stimulates the hormone, glucagon, that does the opposite job of insulin, which is what signals cholesterol to be taken from the blood. The more this happens, the less the endless cholesterol synthesis is allowed to take place (although, some of you will need to a little to help with insulin resistance, but fortunately there are a lot of reliable, proven and cheap supplements out there for this. Just google it!).
Cholesterol, when released into your blood, seems to be somewhat regulated through proper signaling from your brain. Lipoproteins carry it through the blood, and theres a system for cleaning it up when its time to shut the party down (albeit an imperfect system). Cholesterol synthesized from within the cells, however, doesnt seem to have nearly the same regulation, and the slightest trigger (even unrelated to food) leads to an cascade of oil. This may explain why you can starve yourself from all food and still be a greasy mess, your cells are still getting the signal to keep the grease (synthesizing) train going!
This, of course, is an overly simplified way of looking at this whole process, and there are still a bunch of factors that contribute to the cholesterol-oily skin game which I wont get into the details of (like, too much cholesterol in the blood and how HDL helps solve it, conditions like SIBO, chronic inflammation signaling to produce more cholesterol, proper neurotransmitter function etc.), so this isnt by any means the top of the mountain, but its a CRUCIAL step in the process and will definitely get you one step closer to the top.
So the next time your sitting there, and out of the blue your face starts getting oily, think of your body getting a signal to synthesize cholesterol (in response to something inflammation related), your cells getting a signal to synthesize it internally instead of taking it from the blood (insulin), and your sebaceous glands getting the message loud and clear, kicking into gear a process that has doesn't have a way for us to shut it off.
Thats oily skin for so many people.
Once you can win this cholesterol game, however, you can dictate how cholesterol is utilized in your body. Now your body behaves more like it should, and its THEN that your healthy lifestyle reenforces normal behavior, and you reap the benefits of your hard work.
All without the life long side effects accutane.
There are still a few steps still left to accomplish, but keep at it oilyonecanobe, were all routing for you!
Both of you, a huge thank for your awesome feedback and share of advices. If anyone could be like you, i'm pretty sure we would have found the cure for a long time !
As for me, i'm taking accutane 5mg a day for 3 years now... My skin is OK except for my nose which is still a little oily and need blotting every 4 hours. The real problem is side effects : my skin is becoming more and more sensitive, more and more thin, that's why i want to stop.
MyBody101, i'm amazed by your post, because it's absolutely me !
Quoteif youre one of these unlucky ones, it almost doesnt matter that you eat as well as you do, youre body is still responding like youre eating junk.
This may explain why you can starve yourself from all food and still be a greasy mess, your cells are still getting the signal to keep the grease (synthesizing) train going!
Oh my god it's me ! 3 years ago before accutane i tried a very hard diet (paleo). Lost 10 kilos (it was awfull because i was already not fat at all), when i go to the blood test, i had basically the lowest cholesterol possible. You could see a perfect 6 packs but still, my skin was sooooo oily.
That's why i gave up on diet (it was paleo).
So basically, you advice to eat protein every 2/3 hours ? Is there anything else ? How much protein and what kind ?
Thx a lot again.
Hi WarrantedAide,
Everyone will respond differently to protein, so you have to find the one that work best for you. If you have low cholesterol, you may benefit from eggs (especially) yolks. It doesn't take much either, so a couple bites of shredded chicken, low sugar protein bars, organ meat jerky, nut butters (not peanut), etc. will all do.
This article talks a little about what to do for low cholesterol -
http://www.beyondmthfr.com/protocols/cholesterol/
The thing is, when your body is doing extreme things, it's not a simple fix. There's a lot out of balance, so the answer to your problem isn't something I can pull out of my head without hearing everything (history, current regimens, blood work, etc.). Even then I probably would still be guessing.
My advice would be look into blood sugar to see what's going on, then look into your thyroid. It sounds like you may be hyperthyroid, which is another thing that keeps the "grease train" going (and makes you unable to gain weight). Those two are connected it seems.
Read through this entire post and grab all you can from it. There's a lot of great topics already covered about proper fats and supporting your HPA, and even something like SIBO can be a problem for you.
Piece things together slowly, trying to get anything you address back to a (gently supported) normal state. Don't do anything extreme, because it takes a while for the dust to settle when you do, and ultimately you want your body to be normal without the support of anything but smart living.
I know how to tackle the acne caused by oily skin but I do not know how to treat oily skin. I used to have many blackheads and closed comedones but mandelic acid got rid of all of them. Right now, I'm just left with super smooth, shiny, oily skin. When I leave the oil on my face, I just look like a wet seal. Those of you who struggle with many comedones and blackheads should use mandelic acid. Although it does not combat the oiliness, it doestake care of the acne pretty well. Right now I'm just looking for a solution to shrink my sebaceous glands without megadosing.
Hi Exning,
If you're looking for a DIY option (cheapest!), I'd purchase something like this -
It's STRONG! So you'll have to dilute it with a carrier oil. If you have oily skin, make sure you stick to the oils high in linoleic acid, like grapeseed, hemp, rosehip seed, or even pumpkin seed. Mix 5 to 25 drops of carrier oil for every one drop of the extract, and leave it on for only a short period of time at first (like 10 mins the first day, 20 mins the second day,etc. ) to let your skin get used to it.
If you want to try a skincare product with it, which tempers the bluntness of it some, there are several available. I'm biased, but I like this one the best -
Hey MyBody, you seem to have a very strong knowledge about how the oily skin works and how it can be cured or at least handle.
May i get your opinion on this ? If i get drunk (in a party for example), the next morning my skin is not oily at all ! I have noticed this every time and i cant see how it is possible !
How can you explain that ?
It's probably because you're hung over and your vision is impaired
I really don't have an answer for it. I can guess... maybe your alcohol consumption is causing a drop in blood sugar, which effects your body's sebum output. Are you hypoglycemic by chance?
Just a guess, but I'll think on it and see if anything else comes to mind.
On 27/07/2017 at 10:18 PM, MyBody101 said:Oilyonecanobe,
Your hero's journey and willingness to bare all, good and bad, to the world is inspiration to us all. You may feel like you havent accomplished much, but you experience something that many people are still desperate to achieve - ANY results at all. Just because you haven't reached the top of the mountain, it doesn't mean you wont get there.
For me, the holy grail or (top of the mountain) when I first set out to solve oily skin was understanding something I refer to as The Shift. The Shift is something that's been documented in NIH studies as a distinct change in the sebum between those with normal skin and those with oily skin. The chemical makeup of oily skin sebum changes to something that's much higher in squalene and much lower in linoleic acid (which is why I've always recommended an all linoleic acid skincare line). Research has observed the shift, but never solved the question, why does this change happen? More detailed observations of this shift includes sebum that's thicker, stickier and looks shiny on your face. If you have oily skin, you know exactly what's I'm talking about, it feels different sitting on your skin, and you can tell its there even in the tiniest amounts. This type of sebum also appears to have hydrophobic and steroidal properties, which would explain why it doesn't absorb into the skin.
With all the success I've experienced transforming my skin (no acne and no oil using nothing but water or a surfactant free cleanser on a daily basis), I was never able to completely understand this shift. And even though I had dry skin after being oily for so many years, I still wasnt at the very top of the mountain myself because the symptom of shininess (shiny but, not oily, skin) still lingered.
So I kept digging, and I finally got around to investigating the one element I knew was related, but could never connect directly to oily skin - cholesterol.
It seems obvious, now, after the fact, to see the connections. Cholesterol is a part of everything our body does, exists in every cell, its where our steroid hormones come from, its hydrophobic in nature,and squalene is a precursor to cholesterol. Cholesterol is complicated, and I still dont fully understand it (so disclaimer, the information below may not be 100% accurate), but there was one piece of information I pulled from my research that changed the game for me. The liver, and other organs have the ability to create cholesterol, but so do the cells, and WHERE cholesterol is synthesized matters more than anything else for anyone with oily skin.
This may be the missing piece between you having "non oily skin that you have to work your butt off to keep looking that way", and having skin that's non oily without really trying.
Or, it may be just another step up the mountain, but either way its important.
Think of all the people that eat impeccably, low carbs, good fats, high protein, exercise, avoid stress, do everything right, and still have skin they have to blot 2 hours after washing it. I hear so many people say, Im not doing anything! How is my skin oily?!? or even the evolution, my skins not oily if I do everything perfectly, but one slip and it comes roaring back!
Next, think about how cholesterol is involved with every part of oily skin, from individual cells, to the hormones that trigger oily skin, to the makeup of the sebum, to decreased bile salts that make it hard to get the good fats you need.
Now, whats the difference between a person that has normal skin and a person that has oily skin? Simply put, ones body is creating and utilizing cholesterol properly and efficiently, and the others is out of control and unregulated. And when its out of control, we cant just fake it til we make it by eating a good diet and doing everything that seems right, we have to FIX the system.
Without going into all of the details (more details at www.oilyskindetox.com), heres the short of it -
First off, if you have oily skin, theres too much cholesterol being synthesized in the cells, regulated by some kind of mechanism thats on a hair trigger, and the result is squalene is pumped out in abundance from a source that doesnt have a proper feedback loop to shut it off when its supposed to. The first goal of anyone with oily skin is to turn off the signal (aka hormone) that tells the cells to produce cholesterol from within. That signal is none other than insulin! If you have oily skin, you have a problem with insulin. Even if you think you dont, you do. We all know carbs and sugary delights cause insulin surges, but theres so much more than that. For instance, not eating (especially protein) and skipping meals (intermittent fasting) causes the pancreas to release insulin as well to supply the brain with glucose. You eat a lot: insulin, you dont eat enough: insulin. Your brain needs consistent glucose regardless of if we eat food or not. We need insulin to be released in moderation, at the appropriate times, and right now its doing anything but that.
Also, when insulin is imbalanced, a whole bunch of neurotransmitters are affected, so besides your oily skin, chances are you battling either depression, anxiety, feelings of hopelessness or lack of interest, insomnia, brain fog, or some other brain related condition, or unfortunately, will be soon. (And before taking it for oily skin, consider B5 also has a big effect on certain neurotransmitters, like acetylcholine, which when supported promotes normal brain function, controlling things like excessive sweat gland production. Removing the cause of neurotransmitter imbalance (insulin) may be more of a solution than trying to overpower what's hindering it through excessive B5...)
Too much insulin in your blood also comes with a fun little bonus: your cells desensitize to the effect of insulin, so more is needed to perform the typical actions theyre involved with, which means more in your blood stream. This is called insulin resistance, and even non-diet factors like stress can contribute to becoming insulin sensitive. Insulin sensitivity is not fixed by diet alone for a lot of people (although its maintained and prevented by diet just fine once corrected), so if youre one of these unlucky ones, it almost doesnt matter that you eat as well as you do, youre body is still responding like youre eating junk.
The way this relates to oily skin...
The part no one ever talks about, is your bodys insulin response creates a system which is triggers your cells to synthesize cholesterol from within the cell, and as long as this keeps happening, your oiliness will be seemingly unstoppable.
The main fix to this part of the equation is somewhat simple though!
Consistent protein, every 2 - 3 hours like clockwork, including before bed, and knowing your carb limit. Protein stimulates the hormone, glucagon, that does the opposite job of insulin, which is what signals cholesterol to be taken from the blood. The more this happens, the less the endless cholesterol synthesis is allowed to take place (although, some of you will need to a little to help with insulin resistance, but fortunately there are a lot of reliable, proven and cheap supplements out there for this. Just google it!).
Cholesterol, when released into your blood, seems to be somewhat regulated through proper signaling from your brain. Lipoproteins carry it through the blood, and theres a system for cleaning it up when its time to shut the party down (albeit an imperfect system). Cholesterol synthesized from within the cells, however, doesnt seem to have nearly the same regulation, and the slightest trigger (even unrelated to food) leads to an cascade of oil. This may explain why you can starve yourself from all food and still be a greasy mess, your cells are still getting the signal to keep the grease (synthesizing) train going!
This, of course, is an overly simplified way of looking at this whole process, and there are still a bunch of factors that contribute to the cholesterol-oily skin game which I wont get into the details of (like, too much cholesterol in the blood and how HDL helps solve it, conditions like SIBO, chronic inflammation signaling to produce more cholesterol, proper neurotransmitter function etc.), so this isnt by any means the top of the mountain, but its a CRUCIAL step in the process and will definitely get you one step closer to the top.
So the next time your sitting there, and out of the blue your face starts getting oily, think of your body getting a signal to synthesize cholesterol (in response to something inflammation related), your cells getting a signal to synthesize it internally instead of taking it from the blood (insulin), and your sebaceous glands getting the message loud and clear, kicking into gear a process that has doesn't have a way for us to shut it off.
Thats oily skin for so many people.
Once you can win this cholesterol game, however, you can dictate how cholesterol is utilized in your body. Now your body behaves more like it should, and its THEN that your healthy lifestyle reenforces normal behavior, and you reap the benefits of your hard work.
All without the life long side effects accutane.
There are still a few steps still left to accomplish, but keep at it oilyonecanobe, were all routing for you!
On 28/07/2017 at 8:52 AM, WarrantedAide said:Both of you, a huge thank for your awesome feedback and share of advices. If anyone could be like you, i'm pretty sure we would have found the cure for a long time !
As for me, i'm taking accutane 5mg a day for 3 years now... My skin is OK except for my nose which is still a little oily and need blotting every 4 hours. The real problem is side effects : my skin is becoming more and more sensitive, more and more thin, that's why i want to stop.
MyBody101, i'm amazed by your post, because it's absolutely me !
Oh my god it's me ! 3 years ago before accutane i tried a very hard diet (paleo). Lost 10 kilos (it was awfull because i was already not fat at all), when i go to the blood test, i had basically the lowest cholesterol possible. You could see a perfect 6 packs but still, my skin was sooooo oily.
That's why i gave up on diet (it was paleo).
So basically, you advice to eat protein every 2/3 hours ? Is there anything else ? How much protein and what kind ?
Thx a lot again.
Not had a chance to come on here and reply, work stresses and all.
Thanks guys for the words of support its really appreciated. And a very detailed reply! wow
I've thought about what u said, and have been working on retraining my insulin response, I did some digging and found this.. http://www.nhs.uk/news/2016/10October/Pages/A-ten-minute-walk-after-every-meal-effective-at-controlling-diabetes.aspx
So I started walking for 10 minutes straight after every meal. I notice that I no longer get eating sweats which I always used to at every single meal, as for my oily skin...it's difficult to tell because my crazy routine keeps it in check still. But I do feel different that's for sure.
I always knew that a 25min walk will deplete glycogen stores before it goes for your fat stores, but I never considered that a simple 10min walk post meal could make such a difference to blood sugar as it explains in that article. Well I intend to keep it up as it feels good and every little helps.
You've given me allot to think about mate, inflammation related and insulin response wise I'm hoping that my routine will have a cumulative effect in those areas. Constantly tweaking my routine here and there to try and cover everything I can with the least possible impact to my sanity, the latest is upping my water intake to 3-4ltrs. Tackling what u mentioned sibo in a kind of about way with several yogurts a day and tumeric+pepper+ginger+coriander combo.
My skin can always be dryer but it is certainly under control.
thanks for all the advise and support:) I'll keep soldiering on
On 09/08/2017 at 8:44 AM, WarrantedAide said:Hey MyBody, you seem to have a very strong knowledge about how the oily skin works and how it can be cured or at least handle.
May i get your opinion on this ? If i get drunk (in a party for example), the next morning my skin is not oily at all ! I have noticed this every time and i cant see how it is possible !
How can you explain that ?
If I can chime in... all things aside this sounds like the best oily skin solution yet lool kidding
I'v had this effect too, the only attribute I can think of is coenzyme A, see...
http://hams.cc/metabolism/
and reference this part....
"Acetic acid is the essential component of vinegar. The acetic acid radical is the combining form of acetic acid. This acetic acid radical combines with Coenzyme A to form acetyl-CoA. The acetyl-CoA then enters the Krebs Cycle, which is the basic powerhouse of the human body. Inside the Krebs Cycle this acetyl radical is eventually broken down into carbon dioxide and water. "
Coenzyme A is what is behind vitamin B5's megadose effect. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/pantothenic-acid
So it would make some sense that when the body utilises coenzyme A to perform the krebs cycle for alcohol metabolism it is then signalled to produce and replace the coenzyme A.... which then takes us to how b5 is explained to work
Very interesting!
I conclude that we all get pissed and enjoy oily free skin :))
Dehydrated skin due to alcohol or dehydration due to not drinking any liquids results in skin that is both wrinkly un-plump and almost papery dry, but its also oily glazed in my experience. This isn't the same as hydrated skin which is also non-oily, although the mistake is made by many. How can u have both dry and oily skin at the same time, well it's dry in regards to moisture lvls, but still oily due to overactive sebaceous excretions. Just look at the old me when I didn't drink for a day and night, dry yet oily glazed... like a roast beef lol
On another topic..
You guysever heard of DIM, something I'm knew to hearing about. Looks quite interesting
Hello Dr.Dray
i have very oily skin too!!!!
skin oil is all over my face.I wash my face before bed at night, and when I wake up in the morning, face oil and oil of my eyes get into my eyes and always make my eyes burning.It's really hard.
In the evening same again!
I have really nothing acne problem but just my skin is very oily
I suffer this problem almost 10 years
I think my oily skin is genetic from my parents
I tried a lot but it didn't work!
This stinging burning eye is causing my eye problem like this increase my eye floaters really
Do you have any of these symptoms?
I need your help! Thank you.
Looks interesting....
https://dermira.com/pipeline/olumacostat-glasaretil/
Finally something promising.
Huh.. after some Googling, this popped up:
medchemexpress . com / Olumacostat_glasaretil.html
(and some others like this site).
I'm not sure how legit it is. And perhaps not worth being a guinea pig. Thoughts?
EDIT: Nevermind, at the 7.5% concentrations from the study - that would be one very expensive experiment.