OILY SKIN

At puberty the male hormones that make a boy a man also increase the amount of sebum produced. But men produce small quantities of female hormones and vice versa so it’s oil time for more or less everyone as a teen­ager. No-one who has a greasy skin needs to have it described. Constant shine, enlarged openings where sebum pours out, possibly a regular tussle with blackheads and blemishes and for the female  make-up that melts away almost as soon as it’s applied. On the plus side, the oil is a natural moisture retainer and, with care, this skin looks younger longer. When the oiliness continues into the twenties and beyond, it often accompanies Mediterranean looks dark hair and eyes, an olive skin which, when protected, can take the sun and look super.
While this type of skin is more resilient than drier ones, don’t be lulled into a false sense of security and neglect it or treat it with harsh cleansers that may strip the oil and could encourage flaking and extra oil production to compensate. From the twenties onwards, take care of the eyes and neck which can fall into the dry skin category even when the rest of your face is oily.