Hormonal acne is, as the name itself suggests, acne due to hormonal problems. It is also called adult acne.
Hormones are a main part of the processes in your body throughout your lifecycle. Along with many other complications, imbalances in hormonal levels can cause lesions on your skin which we call acne.
Hormonal acne is particularly common in the puberty stage but can appear anytime in an adult's life stage. It frequently occurs in women, although affects both men and women. It is mainly due to excess sebum production and clogged pores.
Like any other problem, adult acne can be tackled in two steps; first understanding and then treatment. Following are the life phases, when you become more prone to acne:-
Adolescence
The stage of puberty in human life is associated with boosted androgen hormones, which are the secretion of adrenal glands, ovaries and testes. Androgens are a group of sex hormones responsible for growth and reproduction in human beings. These are the reason why most of you get cystic acne in your teens.
The sebaceous glands, present on our skin, contain numerous androgen receptors. On reaching their receptors, these hormones create an increased quantity of thick sebum which ends up in greasy skin with clogged pores. This scenario makes your skin prone to acne, particularly cystic acne.
Amongst the androgens, testosterone is specifically well-known for contributing to acne.
Perimenopause
Perimenopause refers to an intermediate stage in a woman's lifecycle when her body is about to enter menopause. It is a period of length ranging from a few months to several years.
The levels of estrogen in a woman, which fluctuate systematically in reproductive years, become dubious as she goes close to her menopause. Along with uneven menstruation, switching cholesterol levels, mood changes, and vaginal and bladder problems; perimenopause is linked with adult hormonal acne. Hence this critical life stage of a woman sometimes results in those unwanted lesions.
Menopause
Menopause is a period of no menstruation. Scientifically, it starts after one year since your last period. Along with several other changes in your body, it is responsible for significant collagen loss in your skin. It is proven by studies that women drop around 30% of skin collagen during the initial five years of menopause. Moreover, skin becomes more prone to internal and external nuisances.
A decrease in collagen leads to major skin concerns including lean skin, wrinkles and fine lines, lessened capacity to retain moisture, slow wound healing, increased irritations and hormonal acne.
Prevention instead of cure
While being natural processes; puberty, perimenopause, or menopause can't be halted. Instead, what we should do is to routinely treat our skin with great care so that it remains stable to any internal or external stressor. An adequately hydrated healthy skin will be way less likely to build acne or other complications.
Rather than waiting for the problem to appear and then cure, we can carefully "prevent" to avoid any mess. All you need to do is to make sure that the following steps are incorporated into your daily life.
Hydration: Drinking lots of water flushes the toxins out of your body and help your skin keep hydrated and fresh.
Healthy Diet: Eating the right food and the right portion fulfills the nutritional requirements of your body, maintaining its health and immunity. Sound health from within reflects off your skin.
Sweat it out: Work out to sweat those unnecessary endorphins out of your body.
Meditate: Spending some time being mindful and focused helps you stay emotionally calm and clear. It quiets your stress hormones which can be the cause of acne once get accumulated.
Beauty Sleep: Another noteworthy aspect that often gets unnoticed is the quality and quantity of your sleep. That seven-hour sleep is not only necessary to calm your muscles but your skin too.
Personalized Skin Care: Last but not least, you should define a personalized skincare routine that best fits your skin type and targets all of your skin problems. It may not be as easy as you'll need to test and try, but believe me that effort of yours will be worth the results.
Treatment of Hormonal Acne:-
Acne is basically about excess oil or sebum on your skin. So, to prevent acne, you need a simple skincare routine that ensures proper oil removal and true cleansing. It would help if you avoid some obvious skincare mistakes like using excessive acids or harsh scrubs, skipping cleansing your make-up, or not wearing sunscreens.
Adopting a regime of toxin removal off your skin will fight hormonal acne as well as nuisances related to free radicals. Adapting your approach towards skin care according to various phases of hormonal acne is advised by Shelly Leggins, Timeless' Serum Product Knowledge Advisor.
You can add the following products to your skincare game:-
Vitamin B5 Serum: A serum containing Vitamin B5 and hyaluronic acid is an absolute solution for hormonal acne as it balances oil production and boosts the skin's healing capacity. You can apply this serum twice daily to calm any irritations or redness.
Coenzyme Q10 Serum: Coenzyme Q10 is a naturally produced substance in our body. As our body ages, levels of CoQ10 start to decrease in it. To compensate for this natural loss, you can apply Coenzyme Q10 serum. This serum acts as a compelling antioxidant, hence fighting free radicals and helping skin to develop collagen and elasticity.
Squalane Oil: Another option for you is to use100% pure Squalane oil after your serum. It will lock in moisture and act as an anti-inflammatory agent, aiding in the treatment of acne and eczema.
