Hormonal Acne: What to Do About It
Hormonal Acne, as the name signifies, is a type of acne that is unresponsive to conventional treatments. Anyone can be affected by hormonal acne, from teenie-boppers to menopausal women. You or your doctor can find out if your symptoms fall under the category of Hormonal Acne when you suddenly have outbreaks for the first time during adulthood or when breakouts reappear after it has cleared up previously in the past.
Other indications that might suspect you to have Hormonal Acne are that you are unresponsive to the conventional treatment or when the condition worsens during pregnancy or during menstruation. Hirsutism or excessive hair growth in unusual places may also indicate you might have hormonal acne. Increased facial oil is also associated with this type of acne. When you have a blood test and it shows an elevation of androgens from the normal, you may have acne induced by hormones. All these indicate hyperandrogenism that have been shown to relate to hormone induced acne.
Hormonal Acne all begins during puberty when different hormones of the body are activated this is why it is also known as hormone-induced acne. These hormones influence your sebaceous glands to be hyperactive, causing teenagers their characteristic oiliness and facial acne. For women later on in the age of 20-25, outbreaks are characteristically seen on the jaw line and chin. Women after menopause can still experience Hormonal Acne as the estrogen level begins to decline and the male dominant hormone, testosterone, takes over.
Since Hormonal Acne does not respond positively to traditional treatment, medications that address surges of hormones can. These medications include oral contraceptives, antiandrogens, and oral corticosteroids. These medications should be taken with caution as they have side-effects unique to each. Antiandrogens may cause menstrual irregularities and tenderness of the breasts. Oral contraceptives usually cause nausea, menstrual spotting, and weight gain. Oral corticosteroids can also cause weight gain as well as bone thinning. It is important that you know the side-effects if you are given one of these medications as it may influence your decision as to which one to use.
Hormone-induced acne is not something you will grow out of. If not properly treated this could persist for the rest of your life since a woman’s life is filled with dynamic changes in hormones. It is hard to treat hormonal acne in teenagers as their hormones are constantly fluctuating. They would still be prescribed the necessary medications and they should adhere to the instructions in order to see satisfactory results. For women whose acne is caused by an underlying condition with her exocrine glands, her hormonal acne will be treated conjunctively with the correction of the underlying disease.