While there are a many things that may be causing your breakouts, hormonal acne is a main factor and can be difficult to control. Although it’s typically associated with hormone fluctuations during puberty, hormonal acne can affect adults of any age. It’s especially common in women. A number of factors may contribute to this, including menstruation and menopause.
Often it can be difficult to tell the difference between hormonal acne and other breakouts. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone fluctuations cause an influx of oil in your skin, which leads to clogged pores.
While regular breakouts can also be caused by a fluctuation in hormones, hormonal acne in particular is a repeated return of acne due to regular hormonal imbalances. An increase in androgenic hormones (i.e. testosterone) can increase skin oil production.
Our hormones are always in flux. Whether it’s because of your menstrual cycle, birth control, diet, stress levels, sleeping patterns, or even your environment, there are many factors at play—and each one influences how much of a certain hormone your body produces (or doesn’t produce). Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are specifically referenced when discussing hormonal acne.
Hormonal acne tends to occur in the same spot due to oil production patterns. Hormonal breakouts tend to appear on the lower part of your face. This includes the bottom of your cheeks and around your jawline. For some people, hormonal acne takes the form of blackheads, whiteheads, and small pimples that come to a head, or cysts. Cysts form deep under the skin and don’t come to a head on the surface. These bumps are often tender to the touch.
Acne occurs when the body makes excess sebum, an oil that stops the skin from drying out, and this clumps together with dead skin cells, bacteria, and sometimes hair and block the pores in your skin. Once the pores on your skin are blocked, the immune system reacts to the bacteria, resulting in inflammation and the pore becomes irritated and will swell into a pimple or bump. Not all acne is inflammatory, but picking at a non-inflamed lesion can cause inflammation and results additional stress on the skin.
The relationship between stress and acne has been misunderstood by many. Studies have shown stress hormones like cortisol can also affect our skin’s oil production, which can cause breakouts and acne. Researchers have found that wounds, including acne, are much slower in healing when a person is under stress. Slower healing of acne means that the pimples stay longer and are more susceptible to increasing in severity. It can also mean that more acne is visible at one time because it takes longer for each pimple to heal during a breakout.
Learning to reduce and manage your stress can be important in the treatment of your acne since stress can make your acne worse. Even if your environment or job isn’t stressful to you, sometimes an acne breakout can cause emotional stress.
Some simple steps you can take to reduce stress include:
practicing meditation or yoga
getting a good night’s sleep
taking a few deep breaths
exercising regularly
maintaining a healthy diet including supplements* to help reduce cortisol levels and balance hormones
talking about it to a friend, family member, or a counselor
Acne is treated on an individual basis, there is no “one cure all” method. There are many factors that are considered when developing an acne treatment plan. There is no quick-fix treatment for acne. All treatments take weeks to show effect.
There are tips to help in the treatment of acne. These include:
Gentle washing your skin no more than twice a day and after sweating. Remember to cleanse your skin at night. Your skin does the most healing at night and so it is important to cleanse to remove the dirt, pollution and makeup at the end of the day.
Using cleansers properly formulated for your type of acne with warm water, (not hot water) and a soft wash cloth to rinse.
Avoiding harsh or exfoliating scrubs.
Avoiding scrubbing, picking, or scraping pimples, as doing so can make them worse and can cause inflammation.
Over-washing is not good for acne. Too much washing and scrubbing can remove oil from the skin and irritate it more. The skin can respond by producing more oil and so worsening the acne.
Professional treatments and consistent home care are vital to achieving results with acne skin. When it comes to acne conditions, it’s important to catch it at the first signs of lesions to help prevent scarring and restore the skin to optimum health. Treating acne is a three-step approach:
Reduce bacteria and inflammation. Bacteria leads to the formation of acne lesions, which increases inflammation in the skin and the potential of infection. To support in reducing bacteria and inflammation in acne skin, look to ingredients such as salicylic acid, green tea extract and totarol. Find these ingredients in the Beta Green Tea Cleanser and the All Purpose Cleansing Pads.
Increase cellular exfoliation. Boosting exfoliation and cellular turnover in acne skin will help reduce buildup and increase oxygenation to further inhibit bacteria growth. Look to enzymes, scrubs and acid formulas, like the Pumpkin Parfait Enzyme or the Perfection Clay Mask or retinols like SynergyA or PM Retinol Redux to increase cellular turnover, reduce inflammation and bacteria, and promote healing.
Support proper wound repair. Acne lesions are cellular wounds, and if left untreated, the wound may become a breeding ground for bacteria and increase the risk of permanent scarring. Ingredients like epidermal growth factors and vitamin E will support in rebuilding and repairing skin. Find these ingredients the Growth Factor Gel and the Therapy E Serum.
When it comes to skin, there is no one-size-fits all. While the three-step acne management system is a good place to start for home care, keep in mind, effective acne management starts with proper diagnosis and frequent check-ins with your skin care professional to ensure proper management and effective treatment.
*Supplemental recommendation are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provide before adding any supplement to your diet.