The oily and waxy substance that makes your skin look so shiny is called sebum. It is produced by specialized cells in the sebaceous glands called sebocytes. The sebocytes accumulate lipids until they eventually burst, resulting in the release of sebum into the lumen of the sebaceous glands and from there into the hair follicles.

Sebum over-production causes enlarged skin pores

As it turns out there is a correlation between the amount of sebum produced and the diameter of the skin pores. Sebum over-production results in enlarged pores. Thus, people with oily skin often also have large pores.

This relation between oily skin and pore size has been studied extensively by Roh and coworkers from the University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea [Ref 1]. In one study they measured the pore diameters from 30 female and 30 male volunteers. They did this by taking pictures with a special dermoscopic camera and then measuring the size of pores using image analysis software. They also measured the sebum production of the skin using a sebumeter [Ref 1]. Health history and hormonal status were also taken into account.

The results show that there is a statistically significant correlation between pore size, amount of sebum produced, sex and age. The average production of sebum turns out to be significantly higher in males than in females of comparable age. On the other hand, the average pore size of females tends to be larger as compared to males. In females sebum production is significantly higher during the menstrual cycle and skin pore size increases around the ovulation phase. The graph shows how the pore size increases with increased sebum output (figure based on data from Ref. 1).

Correlation of sebum output and skin pore size.

In addition to hormones, there are also a number of environmental factors that can increase sebum production, such as temperature, humidity, and exposure to ultraviolet light (photo aging due to excessive sun light). As a result, there are seasonal changes in sebum production. Hereditary factors also can play a role. The good news is that large pores does not appear to be related to the severity of acne.

Is it possible to shrink large pores?

Treatments for enlarged pores include oral isotretinoin (e.g. acutane), various retinoic acid creams, iontophoresis, strong pulsed light, and chemical peels. Unfortunately, such treatments have only had mixed success. A really effective treatment for large pores is not yet available. So, is there anything else that can be done?

One of the best clues comes from the correlation of sebum output and pore size during the female cycle, where both sebum output and pore size go up and down in sync. Another clue comes from what happens as people get older, where both sebum output and pore size decrease with age.

Thus, it is clear that reducing the oil production of your skin will result in a reduction of pore size over time, although this may not be a fast fix. Therefore, until better treatments specifically for enlarged pores become available, your best bet is to normalize your oily skin which then should cause the pores to shrink over time.

The problem is that it takes a long time to shrink pores. Many of the products that can reduce oily skin and pore size are really designed to treat acne and can be quite harsh to your skin (for the topical products) or tough on your body (for the oral acne treatments). But the biggest issue is that these products are not really suitable to be used long term, precisely because they can be so tough to take.

Tangerine Anti-Shine Cream

We have developed a treatment for oily skin that contains a special tangerine peel extract.
Citrus peels, and in particular tangerine peels, contain large amounts of a natural compound called nobiletin, which recently has been shown by researchers to reduce sebum production. Contrary to other oily skin products on the market, our Tangerine Anti-Shine is very gentle and soothing to your skin and thus is suitable for long term use. If you are interested to learn more about nobiletin or about our products, check below in the For Further Reading section.

References

1. Roh M, Han M, Kim D, and Chung K (2006) Sebum output as a factor contributing to the size of facial pores. British J Dermatol. 155: 890–894

For Further Reading

Learn more about how nobiletin reduces oily skin

Nobiletin reduces oily skin

Our Tangerine Anti-Shine Cream is being discovered by more and more people with oily skin issues. As is discussed elsewhere on this blog, citrus fruits, and in particular tangerines, contain relatively large amounts of Nobiletin. This compound has been shown to reduce the amount of oil that is produced by the skin. Our exclusive patent pending Anti-Shine Cream contains a special extract from tangerine peels that is enriched in nobiletin.

If you ever wondered what other things Nobiletin can do, this post is for you. As it turns out, Nobiletin also has several other important beneficial properties. This post illustrates these, and you will find that this compound has the potential for great future medical applications. There are a number of papers that describe the anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties of Nobiletin. This post describes some of the work of Akira Murakami and co-workers (Ref 1).

Nobiletin reduces the generation of free radicals

Free radicals are molecules that can be produced by white blood cells during an immune response. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules and can damage cells and cause inflammation and even cancer. Because the consumption of citrus fruits has been found to be beneficial for cancer prevention, Muarkami’s group decided to study various extracts of satsuma mandarins, one of the most popular citrus fruits in Japan. When they tested the various fractions, they found that the fractions that contain Nobiletin were able to reduce by up to 58% the production of free radicals by cells that had been stimulated to produce them. They found that this inhibitory action of Nobiletin was about as potent as compared to resveratrol, the compound that is responsible for the famous health benefits of red wine.

Anti-Inflammatory activity of Nobiletin

The researchers also looked at the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative activity of Nobiletin on skin. When skin gets severely irritated, activated white blood cells accumulate in the affected area. This in turn causes inflammation. The researchers showed that if they treated the skin with nobiletin they could reduce by 3-fold the number of white blood cells that accumulate in the skin, significantly reducing the amount of inflammation.

Nobiletin reduces tumor-formation

As one would expect based on it’s  suppressive effects on free radicals and inflammation, Nobiletin is quite effective in the prevention of a variey of skin tumors. Indeed, the researchers were able to show  that topical applications of Nobiletin at very low concentations were able to reduce skin tumor incidence by up to 43% and the number of skin tumors per incidence by up to 76% (Ref 1).

Summary

In summary, Nobiletin is quite a powerful compound with several beneficial medicinal properties. It will be exiting to see whether further research will confirm these beneficial properties for Nobiletin and whether such research will eventually lead to further Nobiletin-based products. In the mean time, let’s spread the word on the oily skin reducing properties of this exiting substance!

For further reading:

If you enjoyed this post, click here for additional posts on Nobiletin
More information on our Anti-Shine Cream

References:

1. Murakami A, et al (2000) Inhibitory effect of Citrus Nobiletin on Phorbol Ester-induced Skin Inflammation, oxidative Stress, and Tumor Promotion in Mice.  Cancer Research 60: 5059-5066

Anybody who has the misfortune to suffer from it will be able to attest to the fact that having oily skin can cause a substantial psychological drain and have a significant impact on quality of life, happiness, self confidence and general well-being.

It is very clear that how one perceives one’s own physical appearance can have a profound impact on one’s psychological state and on social interactions. Sufferers with poor self image tend to interact less with other people and in extreme cases can isolate themselves from social interactions all together.

But let’s go back to basics for a moment. What is a terrible oily mess for one person might be looking pretty good for somebody else. So, the question is how does one judge as objectively as possible what level of oiliness the skin of  a given person is?

How your dermatologist measures oily skin

Dermatologists use a Sebumeter to measure the amount of oil produced by somebody’s skin. This device gives a direct readout  of the amount of oil that has been collected on a special plastic strip (Sebutape) by touching it to the skin for a set amount of time (usually 30 seconds). The tape becomes transparent where it absorbs oil and the Sebumeter measures the variation of light transmission through the strip.

Determine your own oily skin level

Most people don’t have a Sebumeter lying around, so apart from going to the dermatologist, what can be done to get a better idea as to how oily your skin is?

In 2007 Segot-Chicq and coworkers published a paper in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (1) in which they demonstrate that a simple questionnaire with 18 questions was remarkably accurate in distinguishing the oily skin group from the normal skin control group.

They defined the normal skin group as having Sebumeter readings in the range of 70 to 150 micrograms per square centimeter (males tend to have higher numbers as compared to females), whereas the oily skin group was defined as having readings of over 150 micrograms per square centimeter.

OSSIQ questionnaire

The questionnaire is called the OSSIQ which stands for “Oily Skin Self-Image Questionnaire”. The 18 questions are grouped together in the categories of Symptoms, Behaviour and Emotional Status.  One additional question is considered Neutral. Each question has five possible answers that are scored as follows:

0 – Never

1 – Rarely

2 – Sometimes

3 – Often

4 – Always

The higher your score, the oilier your skin.

The OSSIQ questions are (freely translated from French):

Symptoms

1. My skin makes me feel uncomfortable

2. I have sensitive skin

3. My skin is irritated

Behavior

4. My skin condition makes my social life problematic

5. I tend to stay home because of what my skin looks like

6. My skin condition affects my interactions with relatives

7. The appearance of my skin affects my relations with others

8. I try to hide my skin from others

Emotional Status

9. My skin is not pretty

10. I feel depressed about my skin

11. I don’t like to look at my face

12. I don’t like to touch my face

13. I am not happy with the way my skin looks

14. I am frustrated about  the condition of my skin

15. I often obsess about my skin

16. My skin problem is stressful to me

17. I think my skin makes me feel unattractive

Neutral

18. I feel that taking care of my skin constrains my life

The researchers showed that this combination of questions that address perception, behavioral and emotional consequences that are associated with an oily skin condition clearly distinguished the oily skin from the control group. They also showed that improvements in oily skin condition were accurately reflected by an improved (lower) score in a repeat of the questionnaire.

The OSSIQ is thus a valuable tool that you can use to monitor the improvements of your skin.

We are interested in your feedback!

Do the OSSIQ questionnaire before and after you use our Tangerine Anti-Shine Cream (or whichever product has your preference) for a week or two and let us know by how many points your score improved. We will report back in this blog with your collective experience!

If you enjoyed this post, please let others know using your social media of choice below. Thank you!

Also, if you would like to read more about the science of oily skin, see the other posts on this topic.

(Picture courtesy of matchstick)

References

Segot-Chicq E, et al (2007) Development and validation of a questionnaire to evaluate how a cosmetic product for oily skin is able to improve well-being in women. JEADV 21: 1181-1186

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17894702

Sebocytes are more than skin deep

Scientists used to think that sebocytes (the cells inside the sebacious glands, see the diagram on the right and the Skinny on Acne post),  were only involved in producing sebum (oil) for lubrication. However, it is now becoming clear that these cells are much more sophisticated than that.

Neuropeptide Receptors

The cells have now been shown to express several important receptors for neuropeptides on their cell surface. Binding of neuropeptides to these receptors cause the cells to respond by producing cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-8 (Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-8). These are signaling molecules that are involved in inflammation and help to stimulate immune responses. For an introduction to cytokines, see this Wikipedia post

TOLL Receptors

Sebocytes now also have been shown to express TLR2 and TLR4. These are so-called TOLL-like receptors and are components of the innate immune system. Your innate immune system does not make antibodies and does not require exposure to pathogens to learn which antibodies to make. Instead, it relies on pre-existing receptors (the TOLL-like receptors) that recognize certain classes of micro-organisms. As a result, this part of your immune system can respond very quickly to an infection, and does not first have to make antibodies. The innate immune system is your first line of defense, so to speak. TLR2 and TLR4 recognize certain bacteria directly, as well as indirectly due to the endotoxin and other molecules that these bacteria produce.

Bactericidal agents

Researchers now also have found that that sebocytes secrete bactericidal substances such as defensins (small proteins that are active against bacteria, fungi and viruses), as well as oleic acid and palmitic acid. The latter two are fatty acids that are known to kill Gram-positive bacteria. The major culprit associated with acne, Propionibacterium acnes, is Gram-positive.

Conclusion

So, you can see that the skin is well equipped to defend itself against all sorts of bacteria, including acne bacteria. Unfortunately, in the process of eliminating the infection, a temporary inflammation is created that manifests itself as acne.

The good news is that new scientific insights in how skin functions, such as the ones discussed above, eventually will lead to new treatments. It will take time, but more effective acne treatments may be on the horizon.

References

(1) Kurokawa et al (2009) New developments in our understanding of acne pathogenesis and treatment. Exp Dermatol. 2009 Jun 23. [Epub ahead of print]

For further reading

If you liked this post, you may also be interested to read:

New acne viewpoint paper published

Why do skin pores get plugged and cause acne?

Acne Treatment

… or visit the Sana Fela Store

But the question is: how and why exactly do the hair follicles get plugged?

The answer is found in one of the properties of the bacteria (Ref 1, 2).

Acne bacteria secrete a glue-like substance

How bacterial biofilm causes acne

It turns out that the bacteria secrete a bio-film (glycocalix) of sticky polymers. The bacteria produce this bio-film to attach themselves to the walls of the hair follicles.  Some of this “glue” also ends up in the sebum (oil). This causes dead cells that are being sloughed off from the walls of the hair follicles, as well as bacteria and dirt to clump together.

Plugging of pores

The clumpiness gets worse and worse until the hair follicle is completely plugged. Now the mix of sebum, bacteria, dirt and dead cells (keratinocytes) cannot go anywhere. The hair follicle starts to swell and the infection gets really started. The end result is an acne break-out. First a whitehead is formed. More advanced stages are blackheads and actual acne lesions.

The sticky polymers also protect against antimicrobial agents

Incidentally, the sticky polymers not only causes everything to clump together and plug the hair follicles, but they also function as a protective shield that protects the bacteria from antimicrobial agents such as the ones that are being used to treat acne (Ref 2). This makes such agents less effective and is one of the reasons why acne is so hard to treat.

Use essential oils to unplug pores

Oil and water don’t mix. On the other hand, oils and oils do. The active ingredients in Sana Fela Acne Treatment are essential oils of Tea Tree and Eucalyuptus that have strong antibacterial and transdermal properties.

But there is more to it than that.  Since they are essential oils, it makes sense that these extracts also can dilute and help prevent the clumping together of sebum, bacteria, dead cells and dirt! This is one of the reasons why Sana Fela Acne Treatment works so well.

See  the pages on Sana Fela Acne Treatment and on Tea Tree Oil to learn more or visit the store to purchase your own!

References

1. Burkhart CG and Burkhart CN (2007) Expanding the microcomedone theory and acne therpeutics: Propionibacterium acnes biofilm producesbiological glue that holds corneocytes together to form plug.  J. Am. Acad. Dermatol 57:722-724

2.  Coenye T et al (2007) Biofilm formation by Propionibacterium acnes is associated with increased resistance to antimicrobial agents and increased production of putative virulence factors. Research in microbiology 158: 386-392

An awesome new paper on current understanding of the causes of acne and how it can be treated was recently published in Experimental Dermatology (1). This is like a consensus paper that was written by 14 scientists from all over the world — USA, Japan, China, Germany, Taiwan, Hungary, Italy, South Korea, Lithuanina, and Switzerland. The paper is not yet in print and only available as an e-publication. It was published online on June 23 and you can find it here. Unfortunately, as for most scientific papers, you can only see the abstract for free. You will have to pay to get access to the whole paper as a PDF file.
Or you can just read all about it here at sanafela.com

What’s in the paper?

The paper addresses pretty much the gammut of the current thinking about acne.
Some of the topics below may sound quite foreign to you, and I will do my best to explain it all in future posts. For now I just wanted to let you all know that this paper is out there, and then I’ll explain more as we go along.

• Biology of sebaceous glands
• Role of neuropeptides
• Role of innate immunity
• Stem cells for sebaceous glands
• Properties of sebocytes
• Role of hormones
• Hyperkeratinization
• Bacteria and sebum
• Role of nutrition
• Role of cytokines
• Role of Toll-like receptors
• New acne drugs
• Plant extracts with anti-acne properties

References

(1) Kurokawa et al (2009) New developments in our understanding of acne pathogenesis and treatment. Exp Dermatol. 2009 Jun 23. [Epub ahead of print]