Why Does My Oily Skin Smell? How to Prevent Body Odor?

Why does my oily skin smell?“. If you have wondered this, read on!

Oily skin is a common skin type. It is usually the combination of increased secretion from sebaceous glands and dead cells that can’t slough off quickly enough due to a high number of oil ducts, which means an excess of surface lipids on your skin’s surface.

Oily skin usually has a greasy appearance and it may also have enlarged pores. If you have oily skin, more than likely you’ll need to wear makeup or foundation because of the extra shine. You may have heard someone say “My T-zone is so oily!” And what they mean by this is their forehead, nose, and chin are very oily places on their face – probably where you tend to get blemishes too!

Whatever, in this blog post we’ll answer the question: Why Does My Oily Skin Smell?

Why Does My Oily Skin Smell How do I stop my oily skin from smelling thevenusface pinterest

Why does oily skin smell?

Oily skin smell is often associated with an increased number of sebaceous glands. These glands are responsible for the secretion of sebum, an oily substance that keeps your skin moisturized and lubricated. Unfortunately, these glands overproduce sebum when they get clogged, so if you have a dirty or plugged pore it can cause your skin to smell. To be precise, sebum itself has no smell, it is bacterial that leads to the formation of body odor.

How do I stop my oily skin from smelling?

There are 3 options to prevent the smell of your oily skin:

Using perfume

Obviously, this is a bad idea as it can cause further irritation and is also counterproductive as your skin naturally has a stronger body odor when it is exposed to regular perfume. Moreover, the mixing of your body odor and perfume usually leads to a more terrible smell than the body odor alone. Consider this as a temporary method to get rid of the smell in a couple of hours.

Being clean

Frequently wash your face and body, frequently take a shower, and also use a deodorant in order to reduce the number of bacteria in your skin pores. This option requires you to take your time and effort. Besides that, it is inconvenient. For example, 9-to-5 job workers will be unable to wash frequently whenever it smells. You simply cannot ask your boss to let you take a shower in the middle of your workday.

Reducing the production of sebum

In another word, the idea is to reduce the oiliness of your skin, and keep it clean and odor-free. It may sound simple, however, treating oily skin is not that easy, it requires a good skincare routine and suitable skincare products.

Can oily skin cause body odor?

Yes, it can. As mentioned above. It is the bacteria trapped in the sebum that causes body odor. Sebum itself is odorless, but when bacteria that live on your skin break down the sebum, it produces a strong smell.

And this is not just smelly armpits, as mentioned above, people who have oily skin usually have an oilier T-zone where sebum glands are most concentrated.

Final thought

Oily skin has a number of causes, but the most common cause is excess sebum secretion. This can lead to clogged pores and body odor when bacteria break down the oil. There are many options to prevent and treat body odor. However, the most effective way is to treat the root cause of the problem, which is oily skin. Don’t worry, there is plenty of helpful information to help you on this website, just check it out!

F.A.Q

How do you get rid of smelly pores?

You need to unclog your pores and make them smaller. This is another story and needs a dedicated post. In short, the idea is to follow a good routine along with suitable skincare products that can help to unclog those pores and reduce their size.

Why is there a smell coming from my skin?

The cause of the smell from the skin may come from:

  • The foods/drinks that you eat.
  • Viscera problem: liver, kidney, Diabetes
  • Medicine
  • In case you have oily skin, your skin smell may come from the excessive sebum production at the skin pores.

References:

Halle Jackson
Halle Jackson
My name is Halle Jackson and I am a dermatologist, skincare specialist, and makeup artist. I am also a content writer for TheVenusFace.com. Through my writing, I aim to educate and inspire readers to take control of their skin health and beauty. I believe that everyone deserves to feel confident and comfortable in their own skin, and I am committed to sharing my knowledge and expertise to help make that a reality.