Why Is My Nose So Oily?

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You’re cleaning out a shelf in your closet and you come across that fake nose-glasses-mustache combo you panic-bought a few Halloweens ago. You look at it almost wistfully and decide you would feel less self-conscious wearing that around than showing your face in its current condition. But the disguise would probably just slide off anyway. Why is your nose so oily – even compared to the rest of your face? And apart from other disguises you might snag from the gag gift bin, what are your options?

Where Does the Oil Come from?

That oil is called sebum, thank you very much. It comes from sebaceous glands who want you to know that today’s sebum first entered production eight days ago, so your nose has been patiently working on its current oily state for over a week. You’ve got about 2,000,000 sebaceous glands, charged with moisturizing the skin and protecting hair follicles. 

A lot of articles on sebaceous glands like to lead in with the fact that there aren’t any hair follicles on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet, which means no sebaceous glands there! That’s probably to take the edge off the news that there is an extra high concentration of sebaceous glands on your nose, even though your proboscis doesn’t seem to be pulling its weight in terms of facial hair. Not to mention that the pore openings of the nose are often larger than anywhere else. The idea of extra-large pore openings might be disquieting, but just imagine what clogged extra-large pore openings look like. If you can’t take that imaginative leap, your sebaceous glands are happy to provide a PowerPoint presentation on blackheads and breakouts. 

What Can You Do?

You don’t actually want to get rid of the oil – your skin really does need it. If you get rid of the oil on your skin, your nose will decide that you can’t be trusted to take care of your own body. Just to be on the safe side, it will ramp up oil production in the event that you persist on this path of self-sabotage. So you need to find a routine that addresses your current snout situation without throwing the sebaceous glands off their game. 

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So drop the costume party accessory. Swap in a peel-off face mask for blackheads. You don’t have to wear it for more than 15 minutes and it doesn’t set off any alarm bells with the sebaceous glands. The last thing you want is to escalate the kind of sebum meltdown that has you reaching for those emergency oil wipes.

Keep your nose out of trouble with a cleaning routine that keeps your skin ready for the sebum that’s making its way out a week from now. Few things are more annoying to sebaceous glands than an outsider telling them how to do their job, so reduce skin irritation with a charcoal face wash that removes unwanted toxins without interfering in the skin’s natural process. 

And if you do want to show your sebaceous glands some appreciation, give them something that shows you recognize the vital work they are doing literally right under your nose. This bamboo facial exfoliant breaks down pore-clogging oils with a diplomatic fruit basket of pineapple and papaya extracts.

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What if Your Nose Is Still a Little Oily?

Just think how hard those sebaceous glands are working. 

Don’t worry. There’s always more that can be done. 

It’s obviously important to make sure you protect your nose with sunscreen since it takes so much of the heat. But some sunscreens contain oils that clog your pores and no one wants to sit through that sebaceous gland PowerPoint on clogged pores again.  Keep your eyes peeled for non-comedogenic sunscreen. 

Monitor your nose’s response to the spicy foods in your diet. And make sure you drink plenty of water. You probably got that same hydration advice from the guy at the costume shop, but that doesn’t make it any less true.