Hormonal Acne Tutorial

I used to think that acne was a teenager's problem, and was so happy that I did not have that problem. During my puberty I had a pimple, here and there every couple of months and that was it. Then I had the shock of my life when I started having serious acne on my body, mostly on my back. I was around 21 which means I was way out of puberty. I got adult hormonal acne „thanks“ to a group of hormones known as androgens.

Androgens go wild during teenage years and that is why most teenagers have problems with hormonal acne. Apparently due to genetics, some of us are a lot more sensitive to fluctuations in androgens.  Actually, in most cases the main cause of acne is body`s hormonal imbalance. In other cases it is a dermal issue, but these cases are extremely rare.  Hormonal acne have also been associated with stress and bad feelings which then leads to hormonal imbalance.In times of stress, our body produces cortisol as a way of dealing with stress causing agents. Cortisol also represses generation of cells. And therefore because our body is coping with constant stress and high levels of cortisol, at the same time it is unable to focus on other vital processes all of which results in symptoms such as depression, hormonal acne and so on.

In addition, research have showed that hormonal acne is connected to oscillations in blood sugar levels. The body responds to blood sugar swings by releasing hormones like insulin, IGF-1 and some androgens and all of them are able to lead to hormonal acne. Hormones such as previously mentioned androgens and insulin stimulate skin glands to create more sebum which then blocks your pores. They also make the skin cells grow fast and die fast as well, thus you have more dead skin cells which block the pores.

Unfortunately, women are twice as much likely to suffer from hormonal acne as oppose to men because they are twice as much more sensitive to hormonal imbalances. We all know that women tend to have acne during PMS (Premenstrual Symptoms). Also, it is not rare for women to suffer from PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) which is a rather serious condition that leads to infertility, hair loss, irregular or even lack of menstruation. PCOS is a hormonal disease and hormonal acne are just one of its symptoms. Sometimes women who are near menopause experience acne breakouts even though they have never had any acne troubles before. Why? Because going through menopause means going through a hormonal imbalance which then triggers the acne.

• You can use garlic which has active sulphur to obtain your hormonal acne from spreading. You can use garlic in two ways. First one includes eating one clove of garlic daily. This will also stop any type of flu as well. The other way includes applying the garlic on hormonal acne areas. Squeeze one clove of garlic until it is a pulp and then apply it on affected areas and leave it like that for 5 minutes. The wash it off with water. Do this every day before going to sleep.  Maybe you will feel some burning but that is very normal.

• One of the most effective natural cures for hormonal acne is rubbing papaya pulp on acne affected areas, then leave for around 30 minutes and rinse it off. Use this method religiously and you will see some great results.

• Almond oil is a strong natural antioxidant which helps you fight hormonal acne. By using almond oil you will improve the texture of the skin and make it soft and smooth. Apply the oil wherever you have acne and leave it like that for about 15 minutes and then rinse it all off. You can do this as much as twice a day if you like, for best results apply it when you wake up and before you go to sleep in the night.

• This is more of a prevention measure but you can use ice to prevent hormonal acne. If you see an acne breaking out, then get some ice and rub it on the acne. That will restrict the blood flow in the acne itself and minimize the inflammation and redness.

They are prescribed in cases of severe hormonal acne, when nothing else works. Medicine and drugs which are often prescribed in this case are antiandrogens (Spironolactone) and birth control pills such as Diane 35, Yasmin, Tri-Cyclen and Alesse. These days doctors are a lot more careful when prescribing Yasmine due to the fact that there have been reported death cases. Now they are doing a lot more tests ( which should have been done in the first place) prior to prescribing Yasmine.All of these drugs are created to get your hormones in balance by stopping the action of some hormones (antiandrogens) or by introducing synthetic female hormones into the system (birth control pills).

However, this type of treatment for hormonal acne has a disadvantage. You may experience some side-effects such as weight gain, appetite increase, mood changes, changes in your libido (some women report increase, and some decrease). You may experience all side-effects or none, it really depends on the person. I myself, have used Diane 35 and now I am acne free. However, I did experience one of the side-effects: I gained 5 pounds because my appetite increased. But when I stopped using Diane 35, and lost those 5 pounds. Some girls not only they did not experience any side-effects, they actually experienced positive symptoms such as less greasy hair and a significant increase in their bra size.

• Change your pillow cases 3 times a week

• Drink more water and eliminate carbonated beverages

• Eat raw vegetables and fruits as much as possible

• Take 30-40 mg of Zinc a day

• Take 1000 mg of vitamin C a day