Your skin totally reflects what’s going on within you. Believe it or not, your hormones can cause Acne. Have you observed that your acne outbreaks at the same time as your period, when your hormones are taking a toss? Hormonal Acne is quite common, affecting 29% to 49% of women, depending on age. Study says that 50% of women between 20 to 29 years of age and about 25% of women between age 40 and 49 suffer from Acne problems.
Hormonal Acne is especially common in women because of hormonal fluctuations their body goes through at several stages – puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, menopause etc. Hormonal Acne is usually the result of male hormones and androgens that are produced in women. And, the biggest culprit is testosterone.
Hormonal Acne can be treated using effective medication and following a healthy diet and lifestyle. Let’s look at it in detail:
Hormonal Acne is a type of Acne caused due to hormonal imbalance in your body. Certain hormones (usually testosterone) stimulate the production of sebum in your skin. A normal amount of sebum keeps your skin fresh, smooth and healthy. However, the extra sebum can clog hair follicles and cause you to develop acne and inflammations.
Hormonal Acne evidently increases when you’re going through:
Every woman has small amounts of male hormone – testosterone running throughout your body. This hormone helps keep your energy levels up useful for strength and fitness. A tiny increase in this hormone can bother your health and appearance.
Hormonal Acne occurs when your female body produces more male hormones than needed. This is why you observe Acne right before your periods when your androgen levels rise. Likewise, hormonal acne is quite common in puberty too.
Here’s how increased levels of testosterone cause hormonal Acne:
Mild acne caused by hormonal imbalance usually goes away in 4 to 5 days after they initially become clogged and inflamed. Some become severely cystic.
Hormonal Acne just like regular acne can vary from mild to severe and one can’t judge the cause of Acne by just looking at it.
Hormonal Acne has the following characteristics:
✔ They tend to happen on your nose, chin and forehead. But, hormonal Acne can also affect other parts of your face.
✔ Hormonal Acne also affects your jawline, your cheeks and the areas around your lips.
✔ Mild Acne includes non-painful whiteheads & blackheads.
✔ Moderate Acne are infected inflamed ones.
✔ Severe ones can lead to Acne nodules and pus-filled, cystic lesions.
Most of the time, mild hormonal acne resolves itself with no need for medication. Moderate and severe acne surely needs help from a Dermatologist before it worsens.
Get an Acne-treatment kit from a Dermatologist for your skin type and conditions.
Based on the severity of hormonal Acne, they are treated differently.
✔ In case of mild hormonal Acne, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to treat it without medication. A mild anti-acne ointment (under doctor’s prescription) can clear up the skin as well.
✔  In case of severe ones, it’s best to use oral medication prescribed by a Dermatologist such as oral retinoids or antibiotics that treats acne. Without a proper prescription from a Dermatologist, acne sometimes leads to cystic bumps which are out of reach for most ointments.
Note: Self-medication using over-the-counter (OTC) products and home-remedies usually won’t work on Acne. They may worsen the situation too.
Certain lifestyle and skin care modifications come as a great help to improve mild to moderate hormonal Acne.
Here’s what Dermatologists advice you:
Seek help from a Dermatologist who specializes in skin conditions if:
Suffering from hormonal Acne?
See what Dermatologists prescribe for your skin
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