Adult Hormonal Acne and How to Treat it
It is generally accepted that acne occurs during adolescence. It comes with the territory in the teenage years, but it doesn’t seem fair to suffer with acne during adulthood. The responsibility of paying bills should entitle someone to blemish-free skin, shouldn’t it?!
Unfortunately, that isn’t true. Adult acne is estimated to affect 25 percent of adult men and 50 percent of adult women. While the cause of adult acne varies from person to person, for women, the cause is often hormonal.
Adult hormonal acne can be prompted by a variety of medical conditions. Usually, the presence of elevated levels of androgens in the bloodstream is the primary cause of hormone-induced acne. Androgens stimulate the production of sebum (skin oil) which in turn can lead to acne breakouts.
The role of hormones in acne production should be obvious to most women. Many experience acne just before their periods due to changing hormone levels at that time. One particular condition that leads to elevated androgen levels in women is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In addition to acne, PCOS is normally accompanied by irregular periods and weight control problems. However, only about 10% of women suffer from PCOS.
Whatever the cause, there have been many treatments developed for people suffering from adult hormonal acne. These medications are used to balance out the hormone levels that can stimulate acne production. Among the more common treatments are anti-androgens, oral corticosteroids and oral contraceptives.
Anti-androgens control the body’s production of certain hormones and minimize the overproduction of sebum (skin oil) that leads to breakouts. Oral corticosteroids act to reduce inflammation and are generally prescribed to patients whose main problem is unregulated androgen production. Contraceptive pills work by replacing androgens in the body with progestin or estrogen and therefore making the skin produce less oil.
Accutane is a prescription medication which is available to treat severe adult hormonal acne when other treatment types have failed. Accutane is essentially a high dose of vitamin A. It is important to note that this medication is very dangerous for use in pregnancy as it is known to cause birth defects. Women of child-bearing age are generally required to use two forms of contraception while taking this treatment. (Update, please see Accutane Lawsuit)
Two natural treatments that may be useful in treating adult hormonal acne are zinc and saw palmetto. Zinc is a fantastic healer and people suffering from acne often present with low zinc levels. Saw palmetto regulates testosterone (an androgen), which is present in differing levels in men and women. Essential fatty acids have also been shown to have a positive effect on adult acne in some sufferers.
If the cause of your acne is hormonal, antibacterial skin treatments will likely not prevent acne outbreaks by themselves. It is important to maintain clean skin by following an appropriate skin care regimen, but hormone-induced acne will probably respond better to treatments provided by a dermatologist. If you are concerned about adult hormonal acne, consult a dermatologist for proper diagnosis and treatment advice.
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