Acne Myth No. 8
Hormones Are Related to Acne – RIGHT
The fact the hormones have something to do with acne is not longer a myth, it’s reality. Acne is directly related to hormones, as these ones are some of the most sensitive and important elements from the human body, which influence or cause a lot of disorders and health problems, if imbalanced.
As you’ve just read, hormones have something to say about acne too. The high levels of the androgen and testosterone hormones are some of the most frequent facts that lead to acne and to other disorders too. The hormonal imbalances between the androgen and estrogen female specific hormones are known to affect the health of your skin. On the other hand, testosterone, the male specific hormone, has its own influence on acne and other (skin) disorders. However, you must know that these hormones are found in all people, men and women, but in different quantities, which determines their gender specificity.
As hormones are the regulators of our body’s every function, such as growth, sleep and many others, your skin’s health depend also on these elements. If they are in a normal balance, you’re a healthy person with no skin problems; but if they are not in balance, you can easily become an acne sufferer.
The skin problems caused by hormones generally start once the child becomes a teenager. The puberty period starts when the child is nine or ten years old, when the adrenal glands start to secrete androgen and dihydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS). Then testosterone and dehydrotestosterone (DHT) join in at the onset of the puberty.
All these hormones tend to stimulate the skin’s sebaceous glands to produce more sebum. As boys have more male hormones, the teen acne tends to affect and to be more severe in males.
You should also know that treating teen acne is a difficult thing, as the teenagers’ hormones are in continual fluctuation. They could firstly respond to certain medication and antibiotics, but then they could also stop reacting to them. That is why the doctors have to continually change the medications, for accommodating the hormonal changes.
Anyway, this hasn’t been the only period when hormones could cause acne. Starting with the age of 19-24 years old, young people can experience this skin disorder too. They will get specific acne lesions on the lower face, mainly on the chin and the jaw line, although the lesions could affect also the people’s chest and back. In fact there is even a name for the acne that appears on your back: it’s back-acne!
However, you should know that there are women who are mainly affected by adult hormonal acne starting with their mid 20s or 30s. They are usually experiencing constant breakouts the week before their period. The doctors’ advice for these women is to see a dermatologist, as the problem is not temporary, as it might look like.
Treating acne caused by hormonal imbalances is somehow difficult, as the imbalances aren’t constant. However, in the case of women the doctors could prescribe birth control pills for suppressing the androgens, or small amounts of corticosteroids when the inflammation is severe. In some cases the corticosteroids could actually aggravate the skin disorder.