Understanding The Root Cause Of Hormonal Acne
The most important thing to know about hormonal acne is that it is caused by inflammation.
Now, at its core inflammation is a good thing. Its a necessary and natural process that is designed to protect us from the side effects of short term stress .
However, when we face chronic stress, then we have chronic inflammation. This combo is what really sends our hormones, and skin, into a downward spiral.
For most people, chronic stress and inflammation comes from one or more of these sources:
- Unhealthy ingredients and toxins in food.
- Harsh and toxic skincare or cosmetics.
- Busy lifestyle.
Best Homeopathic Medicines For Acne
Acne is not merely pimples appearing on the face that will just fade away. Though commonly known as pimples, Acne is a skin condition that needs medical help. This skin problem occurs in young people at the onset of puberty when they are around 12-13 years of age and continues till they reach the age of 18-19 years. Since young people who are growing up are particularly self-conscious, Acne can have a huge effect on their confidence levels. Homeopathy can be of great help for Acne patients and natural Homeopathic remedies for acne offer a very safe and effective treatment course for Acne. At the onset of puberty, hormonal changes activate the sebaceous glands present in the skin and the production of sebum or oily secretion from these glands triggers Acne formation. Acne can appear in various forms on the skin like small red-coloured elevations , eruptions containing pus , fluid containing deep sac like eruptions , or thick, hard eruptions . The intensity of Acne varies from person to person, from the mild to severe forms that leave scars behind.Natural Homeopathic treatment for acne help in the treatment of this skin problem with zero side effects.
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Get A Good Skincare Routine
Again, theres only so much you can do from a topical standpoint at home when it comes to treating hormonal acne. As long as you have a good skincare routine , the only other powerful cystic-zit fighter to try is benzoyl peroxide. Benzoyl peroxide not only kills acne-causing bacteria, but it also decreases oil production by decreasing lipid and fatty acid production, and has mild whitehead and blackhead-fighting abilities, Dr. Imahiyerobo-Ip has told Cosmo.
As a rule, always start off with a low dose of 2.5 or 5 percent benzoyl peroxide . That being said, this stuff can still be highly irritating, so if you have sensitive skin, try starting with a benzoyl peroxide face wash before trying spot treatments.
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What Is The Prognosis Of Cystic Acne
Immediate resolution of the acne, even with the best and most effective treatments, is unlikely. The skin cells have a six-week life cycle, and it usually takes several weeks before optimal results may be reached. The prognosis for eventual control is good, although there will always be some remaining scarring long after the condition has been treated or gone into remission.
How Should I Manage My Acne Papules
If you have papules, be careful managing them to avoid irritation. The following will help you avoid irritating your papules:
- Avoid touching or picking at them.
- Be careful shaving around them.
- Regularly clean items that touch your face, including your cell phone, sports helmets, sunglasses, clothing and pillowcases.
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How Does Hormonal Acne Affect Women
For women, hormone levels fluctuate throughout their monthly cycle. Estrogen is what some dermatologists call “the happy skin hormone” – it helps the complexion stay young, clear, and firm. Balanced levels of estrogen typically mean glowing skin! However, this pesky hormone peaks during the second week of a woman’s cycle, during ovulation, and dips just before their period begins. During this dip, a progesterone surge happens, which causes many women to experience breakouts. Women in perimenopause or past menopause may also experience hormonal acne symptoms since estrogen tends to diminish with age.
How To Prevent Acne
While theres no completely foolproof way to get rid of acne forever, there are habits you can add to your routine that may help keep breakouts at bay. Here are some ideas:
- Wash your face properly: To help prevent pimples, its important to remove excess oil, dirt, and sweat daily.
- Use a moisturizer: Even if you have acne, keeping your skin hydrated is essential. When skin is dry, it produces oil to counterbalance, which may result in excess sebum and clogged pores.
- Limit makeup: Using a lot of makeup may clog pores and trigger breakouts. If you do use makeup, make sure its noncomedogenic and fragrance-free to prevent skin irritation. Always wash makeup off, especially before bedtime.
- Resist touching your face: Touching your face can transfer bacteria and pore-clogging impurities onto your skin.
- Limit sun exposure: Frequent sun exposure dehydrates the skin, which, over time, causes it to produce more oil and block pores.
- Dont pop pimples: Popping pimples may cause bleeding, severe scarring, or infection. It may also increase inflammation and clog surrounding pores, making your pimple problem worse.
People with moderate to severe acne should seek professional help to find relief. Prescription-strength acne treatments are available.
It may be time to seek professional help from a dermatologist if you:
Even if you have a mild case of acne, it may be helpful to visit a doctor regularly to see how your skin progresses with treatment.
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Does Hormonal Acne Go Away
If you have hormonal acne now, know this: Youre not doomed to live with it forever. All forms of acne, including hormonal acne, can improve over time as your body adjusts to hormonal or physiological changes, Dr. Rodney says. However, in many cases, its a chronic problem that will be tough to get rid of without personalized treatment.
What Is Hormonal Acne
Acne is caused by a combination of factors includingbut certainly not limited toexcess sebum production, clogged pores, inflammation, and bacteria buildup on the skin. In some folks, however, hormones are the main culprit. As Joshua Zeichner, M.D., board-certified dermatologist in New York City, explains: “Hormonal acne refers to breakouts that occur in women around the time of their menstrual cycle, as the fluctuations in hormones stimulate oil glands, leading to acne flares.”
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Few More Tips To Combat Adult Acne
Avoid touching the acne, scrubbing, or over-washing your face.
Do not use chemical ladened cosmetics or soaps on your skin.
Change your pillowcase frequently if you are suffering from acne. The oil from your hair and face gets absorbed into the pillowcase which makes your pillowcase a breeding house of bacteria.
Cleanse your face twice a day with a very gentle herbal soap.
Be diligent about your skincare routine and do not try different things that will aggravate your skin issues.
Take care of your stress with relaxation techniques, meditation, pranayama, and massage.
Make sure to get uninterrupted sleep for 7 to 8 hours every night. Unhealthy sleep patterns can also aggravate your acne.
Stay away from fried, processed, and unhealthy food. The ama accumulated from such foods can also result in acne.
What Causes Hormonal Acne
While any menstruator can have hormonal acne , , M.D., board-certified dermatologist in New York City, says it can be associated with certain medical conditions, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome . Hormonal acne typically occurs on the lower third of the face, often affecting the jawline and chin, but can also contribute to breakouts on the chest and back, she explains. Typically it appears with deeper, cystic breakouts, which may be stubborn and cyclical.
Theres no one best treatment or cure-all for hormonal acne, so Dr. Garshick tends to suggest a combination of therapies. Its important to also treat other potential causes of acne with a retinoid as well as benzoyl peroxide, she says. But for the hormonal component, its often most effective to treat with certain oral contraceptive pills or spironolactone, a blood pressure medication that can be safely used off-label for the purpose of treating hormonal acne.
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You Might Also Notice It Popping Up Down There
Seeing any kind of lump anywhere near your vaginal area can set off some major alarm bells. Before you panic, know that some people do report vulvar breakouts before their period.
Hormones can be to blame for breakouts in this area, but there are other possible period-related causes, too.
Menstrual pads, for instance, can rub against your skin, irritating your hair follicles and leading to ingrown hairs and folliculitis.
Other period products can also cause contact dermatitis, which is a reaction to something that touches the skin. Scented tampons, pads, and wipes can do it.
The deep pimples and cysts that sometimes come with periods can be pretty painful for some, but there are things you can do to ease the pain.
To get relief during a painful breakout, try:
- a warm compress for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, three or four times a day to soothe pain and help draw out pus
Period-related acne can be particularly stubborn. You can help speed up the healing process with a mix of over-the-counter products.
Hormonal Acne: The Root Cause And How To Treat It Naturally
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The big red bumps start on your jawline. They spread all around your mouth and on the lower half of your face. Then they start appearing on your forehead, cheeks, and back.
Its embarrassing, its painful, and long after the bumps are gone, the scars stick around.
Hormonal acne is different from the breakouts you had as a teenager or when you dont wash your face before bed. First, treating hormonal acne is really hard to do with conventional topical skincare treatment. Hormonal acne is more complicated than a special cream .
And then, when a blemish finally goes away it doesnt feel like its truly goneit just recedes a bit. You know it will be back .
While most people only deal with acne on their face, hormonal acne often spreads to the shoulders, back, and butt. This makes most people painfully aware of its presence, especially when its summer and youre excited to wear that cute sundress or tank top.
Thats the reality of hormonal acne, and having many clients deal with it personally, I can tell you: it really sucks.
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How To Treat Hormonal Acne Without Medication
Eating properly can help you treat hormonal acne without medication. To combat hormonal acne effectively and promote healing of the skin, it is very important to pay attention to your daily diet, since there are certain ingredients that can help eliminate pimples more quickly and others, that can aggravate the imperfections already present on the skin. Take note of these significant dietary recommendations to control hormonal acne:
- Follow a balanced and healthy diet, rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Include nutrients such as omega 3, beta-carotene, zinc and vitamins B6 and C in your daily diet.
- Drink plenty of water during the day.
- Avoid the consumption of foods rich in fats and sugars, as well as red meat and whole milk products.
- Limit the consumption of drinks with caffeine and alcohol.
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Stay Away From Cows Dairy :
Research shows that dairy can cause acne due to high levels of iodine. While milk itself does not naturally contain iodine, farmers give their cows iodine-fortified feed to prevent infection. They also use iodine solutions to sanitize cow udders and milking equipment. As a result, the iodine gets into the milk itself.
According to research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology consuming dairy specifically, low fat/skim milk is much higher in teenagers who have acne. Safer options are goat and sheep milk.
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Editorial Sources And Fact
What Are The Best Oral Contraceptives For Women With Hormonal Acne
We know that dealing with hormonal acne can be super frustrating, so the idea of taking a birth control pill sounds like an appealing way to help to regulate hormones and get breakouts under control. However, before you start taking birth control pills, you should know that not all contraceptives work the same way and that some birth control pills can actually make acne worse. Seriously. Talk about a bummer. But knowledge is power, and hereâs what you need to know.
The best oral contraceptives to control hormonal or adult acne are the ones that contain Ethinyl estradiol and one of the following: drospirenone, norethindrone, or norgestimate. Beware that oral contraceptives are contraindicated in women with a history of blood clots, high blood pressure, breast cancer, and women that smoke.
A study recently published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology categorized the different types of contraceptives by their efficiency in clearing acne. These are the birth control pills the study said significantly improve hormonal acne: Yaz, Ocella, Yasmin, Trinessat, MonoNessa, Apri, and Reclipse. Pretty long list, right?
There are also some contraceptives that the study found to have little or no effect on acne. Those are Nuvaring, Microgestin pills, and Orthoevra . The study also found that some contraceptives can actually make acne WORSE. That list includes Depo-Provera , Skyla, Lylema, Implanon, and Nexplanon .
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Consult Your Doctor About Oral Medication
areeya_ann / Getty Images
So what exactly do hormones have to do with your skin? To answer that, Benjamin first gives us a quick biology lesson for those who experience a menstrual cycle. A 28-day menstrual cycle can be broken down into three sections. During the first seven days, estrogen levels are high. On days seven to 14, estrogen begins to drop. Day 14 through day 28 is when estrogen reaches its lowest levels. Benjamin explains that breakouts are most likely to occur seven to 10 days before your period because thats when estrogen, which helps keep your skin clear, is lowest. Also during this time, testosterone increases, leading to an increase in sebum production. Progesterone levels increase, too, causing your pores to constrict. So, youve got low levels of the skin-clearing hormone, plus excess oil and constricted poresthe perfect storm for an acne flare-up.
If your cystic breakouts dont respond to topical spot treatments, talk to your doctor about different oral medication options. Depending on your specific circumstances, they might suggest birth control or spironolactone to regulate hormones and oil production or an antibiotic to target bacteria.
Best Vitamins And Minerals For Hormonal Acne
A. Vitamin A
Topical medication containing Vitamin A is frequently used for the treatment of acne. Consuming Vitamin A improves the condition of your skin and is also beneficial in reducing inflammation caused by hormonal acne.
B. Vitamin B6
Studies have shown the positive effects of Vitamin B6 in regulating estrogen and testosterone levels in your body. Furthermore, including Vitamin B6 in your diet can help reduce the harmful effects of the DHT hormone that causes hormonal acne.
C. Vitamin B3
Niacin or Vitamin B3 is a great stress relieving hormone. If stress is causing you to develop hormonal acne then including Vitamin B3 in your diet can be beneficial. Vitamin B3 is also known for regulating excess sebum production and improving blood circulation which can prevent further development of hormonal acne.
D. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a well known antioxidant that strengthens the epidermal barrier and improves your overall skin condition. It is also known for balancing progesterone levels.
E. Magnesium
Magnesium is a good balancer of both estrogen and testosterone levels. This is why magnesium supplements are often included in hormonal acne diets.
F. Zinc
A deficiency in zinc can put your testosterone hormone levels in turmoil. It is also known for reducing inflammations and regulating oil secretion. Further it assists in healing hormonal acne by preventing the growth of Propionibacterium acnes bacteria.
G. Omega 3 Fatty Acids
The Last Word
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How Can I Treat Hormonal Acne Naturally
Hormonal acne is exactly what it sounds like – acne caused by hormonal imbalances and changes. Hormonal acne is prevalent in women who go through hormonal fluctuations during menstruation and menopause. The standard treatment of hormonal acne includes prescription birth control pills, oral antibiotics, spironolactone, or Accutane prescribed by dermatologists. People looking for natural treatment of hormonal acne should look for treatment creams with salicylic acid , tea tree oil, and green tea extract combined with oral DIM cruciferous supplements to improve hormonal balance.