Hormonal Acne Can Affect Everyone
When you get through the teen years, into your twenties and beyond, it can be very disheartening to suddenly find that acne becomes a problem.
Hormonal acne is often the type in question and one that can be more difficult to treat. It is often known as adult acne.
What is hormonal acne?
As the name suggests, this type of acne is caused by an imbalance in the hormones - and the specific hormones include those reproductive hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Of course adult acne can affect both males and females but is more common in females because it can be connected to the menstrual cycle changes - along with menopause and pregnancy.
How do you know when you have hormonal acne?
The signs and symptoms include:
- Developing painful cysts that feel like deep bumps under the skin’s surface.
- Pimples (and sometimes painful cysts) will appear around the lower face (especially the chin and jawline) as well as sometimes the neck, shoulders and back.
- The appearance of more oiliness and shininess on the skin.
- The appearance of pimples that usually show up at a specific time of the month to coincide with the menstrual cycle.
- Pimples that occur again and again in the same places when pores become enlarged and prone to infection and inflammation.
Cystic acne and hormonal/adult acne have many things in common, such as they both cause painful, tender pimples below the skin.
How to treat hormonal acne?
Top of the list is to work on balancing the hormones by eating healthily, managing any stress levels and ensuring regular, quality sleep.
- It is also important to use natural and gentle face products for cleansing, moisturizing and more. Fragrance-free is good too. Resist the temptation to over-wash or over-exfoliate your face, and moisturize regularly to keep your skin’s oil level balanced.
- Eating healthily means a diet which includes antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods that help support hormone balance, immune function and overall healthy skin is the way to go. These include probiotics ( yogurt, kefir and cultured vegetables); high zinc foods (grass-fed beef, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds and cashews); vitamin A and C-rich foods (berries, dark green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers and citrus fruits); fiber-rich foods (vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains); high-quality protein foods (grass-fed beef, organic chicken, wild-caught fish and free-range eggs); and liver-supportive foods (leafy greens and high-fiber fruits, such as berries, pears and apples).
- There are natural ways to manage stress including exercise, meditation, yoga and spending time in the great outdoors.
- Those same stress relievers will help you to sleep more soundly too.
- There are supplements you can take for balancing hormones. These include probiotics, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and a product known as Vitex which is a specific herbal remedy for women who have hormonal acne.
- Our own H-Acne Formula which is designed to naturally treat acne symptoms without any harsh chemicals. It can be used safely on pimples, whiteheads and blackheads, allowing the natural blend of pure ingredients to go to work. The Formula is perfect for all skin types whether oily skin, dry skin, combination skin or sensitive skin.
Sources
Rakel D, ed. (2018). Acne vulgaris and acne rosacea. In: Integrative Medicine. 4th ed. Elsevier. https://www.clinicalkey.com.(Accessed February 7 2021).
Acne. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/acne. (Accessed February 7, 2021).
Kraft J, et al. (2011). Management of acne.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3080563/ (Accessed February 7, 2021)
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.