ELI5: Why is the skin on bald men’s heads shiny but skin everywhere else on the body is dull?

explain-like-i-am-five:

Answer 1:

Your head secretes an oil called sebum and it still does so even after you lose your hair. Not washing your hair for a few days will make it oily, the same oil makes your bald head shiny without the hair. (source)

All skin does this, but the top of the head does it more. Fun fact: the reason you get acne around puberty is because we used to have way more hair on our bodies but the sebum oil glands never quite got the memo that the hair is far less prominent. The glands are producing excess oil which can clog pores and traps dirt/dead skin/dust (blackheads) or harmful bacteria (white heads)

Explain Like I`m Five: good questions, best answers.