You skin is dull, thick. You look in the mirror and see large, coarse pores. Your skin tends to easily get pimples, blackheads, or other blemishes. You always seem to have a greasy shine on your skin. Yep, you have probably guessed it by now.

You have oily skin. Less exciting to know is that you may even have chronically oily skin.

The problem is that your sebaceous glands, the glands that produce the natural oil for your skin, are simply way too active. They are producing more than enough oil for your skin, and instead of helping, the oil is only serving to hinder the natural balance of your skin.

You may have oily skin for any number of reasons. Most common factors for the cause of oily skin can be the cosmetics you are using, humidity, hot weather, heredity, and of course, hormone levels. Hormones are always wrecking havoc on skin when they fluctuate. Pregnancy, birth control pills, and menopause are usually contributing factors to unstable hormone levels.

There is also one other factor you may have easily overlooked that might be the cause of your oily skin. Your diet. You may be eating foods that do nothing to help with your oily skin problem. Now, do not let the thought of a bad diet confuse you when it comes to your oily skin. There is no proof linking certain types of foods and an overproduction of oil; that slice of pizza you had last night probably is not jumpstarting your sebaceous glands into making more oil. However, if you are eating nothing but pizza and junk food every night, there is nothing to help put the breaks on your sebaceous glands either.

While scientists are not yet sure of problematic foods, they do know that there are certain foods that contain vitamins and minerals that keep skin healthy. A healthy diet is essential to keeping anybody healthy. We already know that calcium is good for bones and teeth, and protein can help make hair shiny, so keeping up with good foods can aid in your fight against oily skin.

Eating a balanced diet is good for you in many ways other than just oily skin. However, here are a few things you might keep in mind when it comes to defeating your oily skin.

Protein. Our bodies need protein for numerous reasons; it is one of the essential things we need to stay strong and survive. Getting in plenty of protein while avoiding too much sugar and salt might be worth looking into.

Vegetables. You probably should have listened to your mother all those years ago when she told you to eat your vegetables. Green, leafy vegetables have plenty of nutrients to help nourish skin and have some vitamins you may not have expected; did you know that broccoli contains vitamin C?

Fruits. Naturally, just like vegetables, fruits have always been a good part of maintaining a healthy diet. Rich in vitamins and minerals, balancing your diet may help in aiding to balance your hormones as well.

Vitamin B2. This vitamin can help play a vital role in the cause of oily skin. Keeping your vitamin B2 level up may reduce your oil production. You can find this vitamin in whole grains, wheat germ, organ meats, beans, and nuts.

Iron. Iron can aid in revitalizing your skin if it is pale by helping to strengthen your blood. A better blood supply means better nutrition to the skin. Remember broccoli? It also has iron, as do whole rice and black beans.

Other Nutrition. Do what you can to steer clear of too many fats, alcohol, and excessive amounts of processed sugars. Instead, look into getting a little more vitamin A, vitamin B-6, and lecithin into your body.

For those with chronically oily skin, a good diet may not be enough. Combine your new diet with other methods, such as asking your dermatologist for help or buying special products. Such a combination may be lethal for your oily skin.

Reorganizing the way you eat also reorganizes the way you are treating your body. Putting good things into yourself will lead to seeing good things outside of yourself. The disappearance of oily skin can be just one of the many benefits you may see with your new eating habits.