Adult Acne & Hormones
For numerous females, it happens like clockwork every month: cramping, bloating, moodiness, and acne. Experts understand that hormones affect acne, but research on the subject has long been relatively limited, until recently. A recent study by dermatologist Alan Shalita, MD, established that nearly half of all females experience acne flare-ups during the week preceding their menstration.
This particular kind of acne, hormonal acne, may fail to be affected by traditional therapies, such as topical Retinoids and systemic or topical antibiotics. Numerous clues can help your doctor identify hormonally influenced acne:
- Adult-onset acne, or breakouts that appear for the first time in adults
- Acne flare-ups preceding the menstrual cycle
- A history of irregular menstrual cycles
- Increased facial oiliness
- Hirsutism (excessive growth of hair, or hair in unusual places)
- Elevated levels of certain androgens in the blood stream
While hormonally influenced acne normally begins around age 20-25, it may strike teens and mature women as well, and is most persistent in women over the age of 30. These patients typically experience lesions on the lower face, especially the chin and the jaw line. Although some may have breakouts on the chest and back, most have pimples exclusively on the face. Hormonally influenced acne is often moderate and limited to inflammatory papules and small inflammatory nodules and occasional comedones. But how does it start? Will some of the best acne products prevent it?
Adult Hormonal Acne
Puberty is where it all begins. Starting sometime before adolescence (around the age of nine or ten) the adrenal glands begin to produce dihydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), an androgen. Other androgens, the “male” hormones at work in a woman’s body, such as testosterone and dehydrotestosterone (DHT), join in at the onset of puberty. All of these hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands to secrete more of the skin’s natural oil, or sebum. This is why oily skin and acne are so common among teenagers.
Naturally, since boys have more “male” hormones, teen acne tends to be worse in males .
The treatment of acne in teenagers can be challenging, because their hormones are in a consistent state of flux. They might initially respond very well to first-line treatments, such as topical Retinoids and Benzoyl peroxide, perhaps accompanied by an oral antibiotic. As their bodies develop, however, they may undergo severe hormonal shifts, and stop responding to the existing medications. Courses of acne treatment might need to be adjusted more regularly with teenagers to accommodate these hormonal adjustments.
Adult hormonal acne can be a vicious cycle. Many women pass into adulthood without “outgrowing” their acne. Others may not acquire it until their 20s or 30s, experiencing persistent breakouts the week before their period. Why? Throughout the course of a standard menstrual cycle (if a woman is not taking any kind of hormonal birth control pill), estrogen levels peak at mid-cycle, then decrease as she nears her period. After ovulation, the ovaries commence to produce progesterone, an additional hormone that stimulates the sebaceous glands.
And with the additional oil comes acne. Hormones are also responsible for acne in a percentage of women that are pregnant, as well; the sebaceous glands go into high gear through the third trimester, creating oily skin and numerous breakouts. A number of women sometimes experience acne breakouts just after menopause, when estrogen levels start to taper off and testosterone becomes the prominent hormone.
What you can do? According to Dr. Shalita, the “wait and see” attitude is particularly ineffective for hormonal breakouts: “Acne that worsens during a woman’s monthly cycle isn’t something that women will grow out of as they get older. Visiting your dermatologist to determine the best treatment plan for acne flare-ups is advised for the most productive result.”
The best adult acne treatment is not necessarily going to be a prescription or medicated product. Thousands of men and women are finding that natural acne products work just as well and sometimes much better. Natural acne support systems are safer for the body and health.
