Hormonal acne in women: How to treat it

When we think of acne, we immediately visualize a teenager affected by the major hormonal changes of puberty ! Yet acne affects nearly half of all adult women, even those who never had acne pimples as teenagers ! Mission Santé explains what hormonal acne ishormonal acne and how to treat it !

What is hormonal acne and why does it affect women? ?

As its name suggests, hormonal acne is caused by the body’s own hormones hormonal fluctuations. This adult acne is characterized by pimples or cysts due to a excess sebum. Generally, hormonal acne remains localized on the neck, chin and jawline.

Throughout our lives, our hormone levels vary. Puberty, pregnancy, menstruation, menopause… so many upheavals that have a direct impact on our skin hormonal balance.

And it is these hormones that are responsible for the development of the sebaceous glands. If the body produces too much male hormone, it stimulates the production of sebum. Men and women are subject to the same hormonal upheaval at puberty.

But in men, hormones stabilize afterwards. This is why hormonal acne, which affects 40% of adults, mainly affects women (between 75 and 85% of those affected are women) !).

Why does hormonal acne occur? ?

Hormonal acne appears when the hormone levels are unbalanced. A level of testosterone in the blood that is higher than the level of estrogen can cause an acne outbreak. The link between hormones and acne has not yet been proven, but the cause and effect are closely related.

Most often, hormonal acne appears a little before the menstrual periods. At the beginning of the cycle, estrogen predominates over testosterone. From the 14th day of the cycle, the level of estrogen begins to drop. Then, shortly before bleeding, testosterone is in greater quantity than estrogen.

This causes the production of sebum and is the appearance of hormonal acne.

The pregnancy is another time when hormonal acne can occur. Nearly half of all pregnant women suffer from this problem. The particularity of this acne is that you don’t need to have acne-prone skin to see pimples appear.

The last major hormonal upheaval for women is the “late acne” period menopause. Many women experience dry skin, increased sensitivity and acne breakouts.

How to know if you suffer from hormonal acne ?

Acne can be caused by several factors such as pollution, an overly oily diet, stress… Having pimples after the age of 25 does not necessarily mean that the skin is not getting better either hormonal cause.

However, hormonal acne is easy to identify, because :

• It appears cyclically and is linked to the menstrual cycle.
• Acne is always located around the chin and jawline, because the lower part of our face is directly connected to the reproductive organs.
• Pimples have all the same typology: they are painful and inflammatory cysts.
• It is an acne that resists treatment and it can leave scars.

How to treat hormonal acne naturally ?

If you suffer from late acne, make an appointment with your doctor or a dermatologist. These two specialists can also advise you to see an endocrinologist (hormone specialist) or a gynecologist.

Medicated treatments

There are adapted treatments that will allow you to regain hormonal balance:

• For a mild acne It is generally a local treatment of benzoyl peroxide type.
• For a moderate to severe acne The : treatment consists of an antibiotic (doxycycline) and a local treatment.
• For thesevere to very severe acne If the above treatment does not work, as a last resort, your dermatologist will prescribe an oral treatment, Curacne ©, formerly Roaccutane ©. This is a rather heavy treatment, which requires medical follow-up and compulsory contraception.

Some birth control pills also work by lowering testosterone levels in the body.

However, if you are when pregnant, medical treatments are not recommended. They contain chemical substances that are harmful to your baby.

Natural treatments

Fortunately, with natural treatments, it is possible to get rid of hormonal acne.

• The essential oils To treat hormonal acne,
  • The Tea Tree a green clay mask will deeply cleanse your skin.
  • The true lavender is a powerful anti-inflammatory with soothing and healing properties (beware, if you are pregnant, ask the advice of a naturopath).

  How to prevent it ?

  But to avoid treatment, here are a few tips for prevent adult acne :

  Start with daily skin care

  By adopting a skin care routine simple and regular, you will avoid the imperfections to come to blur your complexion:

  • Cleanse your skin well with a PH neutral soap in the morning and evening after removing your makeup.
  • Moisturize the epidermis with a day cream that will absorb excess sebum and in the evening with a purifying and cleansing cream.
  • Gently exfoliate your skin once a week.
  • Avoid cosmetic products that are too rich or too drying, as well as comedogenic skin care products that end up creating imperfections.

  Adopt the right gestures

  Do not Never touch your pimples and acne pustules. Not only will you create scars, but you will see other pimples bloom around the pimple that was pierced. Indeed, the more you touch your skin, the more you stimulate the production of sebum !

  Change your lifestyle

  There is nothing like a a balanced diet and sports activity to reduce hormonal acne !

  • Avoid fatty and sugary foods, as well as dairy products.
  • Practice a sport and try yoga to get rid of stress, which is an aggravating factor in late acne.
  • Protect your skin from the sun with an anti-comedogenic sun cream.

  To conclude Acne, whether hormonal or not, can be very difficult to deal with. If you are in this situation, know that you are not alone and that there are effective solutions. Do not hesitate to consult a specialist in skin problems, he will be able to listen to you !