Acne In Women, Hormonal.

Acne in women can be considered a hormonal disease.  Hormones are responsible for the maturation of the oil glands in our skin.  Female acne can occur throughout a woman’s adult life:  in early adulthood, in the late twenties and thirties, during pregnancy and during menopause.  More than half of all adult women experience at least occasional breakouts.

A study showed that 63% of acne-prone women experience premenstrual flares, normally the increase in acne comes about seven to ten days before the onset of menstruation, and often subsides when menstruation begins, this has something to do with the intricate hormonal changes involved in the menstrual cycle.  Any time we see a change in hormones for example puberty, your menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause, we can see a breakout of acne.  Hormonally-induced acne can be hard to treat but low-dose estrogen and progestins birth control pills and androgen (male sex hormones) receptor blockers may help with regulating hormones, as women with acne tend to have higher levels of androgens.  Birth control pills that only contain progestins may make acne worse.

Certain types of makeup may cause an allergic reaction and you can get acne breakouts, this is called cosmetic-induced acne or a more familiar term is Acne Cosmetica.  Cosmetic acne can be stubborn and last for years as the person wearing makeup cover the breakouts, which lead to further breakouts and thus causing a vicious circle.  Cosmetic induced acne can take months to form and this leads to confusion as a breakout seems to come from nowhere, but actually cosmetics slowly caused the acne to form over time.  When you buy cosmetics to use on your skin or hair, look for ones labelled “non-comedogenic” or “non-acnegenic”, be careful while choosing cosmetics, especially oily or greasy products as they promote acne.

Acne in women

Acne in women can be a warning sign to an underlying medical condition.  When woman’s acne is accompanied by excessive facial hair, thinning hair or bald patches on the scalp, or irregular periods, it may be a sign of polycystic ovaries or adrenal hyperplasia.  It is also possible that you have a hormone-secreting tumor located in your adrenal or pituitary glands or your ovaries.  Testing can find the cause and it will allow the doctor to determine the best treatment.  Your acne won’t clear until the medical condition is treated.

It is very embarrassing for women to have a skin condition, especially something like acne that everybody can see and make you feel very exposed.  Do some research or go to your doctor or a dermatologist if you suffer from any of the conditions mentioned above.