Acne and Your Hormones
It is has been an established belief that acne is caused
by hormones, or more specifically, a hormonal imbalance
as well as hormonal changes. Basically, people easily inflicted
with acne possess oily skin due to the high level of androgens
and testosterone in the body. Keep in mind, however, that androgens
and estrogens are essential in keeping a healthy skin.
It becomes a factor of balance to have good skin free of acne.
Acne usually appears during the teenage years up to the age
of 24 for women. Generally, people get lesions on the face,
the chin, cheeks and the forehead. However, a number of individuals
are observed to have acne on the back or chest (primarily men).
To further prove the point, the hormone androgens are known
to trigger the onset of this skin disorder. It stimulates the
enlargement of sebaceous glands, and so gives way to the production
and secretion of the sebum, an oily substance found only in
the skin. Studies show that there is not yet any concrete use
for this substance except that they are typically synthesized
by the cosmetics manufacturers to adopt the skin to the natural
condition given by the sebum.
Once the sebum is produced by the sebaceous glands, it gets
accumulated in the hair follicles. It then goes up to the hair
shafts until it reaches the external layers of the skin. During
the process, dirt and bacteria mixes with sebum, plugging the
follicles which provide a breeding ground for the bacteria,
ultimately causing acne.
Hormones basically regulate a number of bodily processes.
A slight imbalance in the hormones can result in complications
and may disrupt body processes. In contrast, a good hormonal
condition will even decrease the possibility of developing this
skin disease.
At puberty, the adrenal gland secretes hormones such as dihydroepiandrosterone
sulfate or DHEA. Combined with testosterone, these hormones
induce the sebaceous glands to produce extra sebum. This is
the explanation why the skin disease is more prevalent among
teens.
Moreover, males have a greater presence of the hormone
testosterone. This results in more severe cases of acne breakout
in boys. Acne-inflicted teenagers are much harder to treat because
of the constant flux in the level of their hormones.
Initially, their body may respond to a specific topical medication,
but later on as their body develops, their body may experience
hormonal shifts and cease on reacting to recent medications.
To accommodate the changes in the hormones of teenagers, doctors
often keep on changing their prescriptions.
In women, adult acne cases often appear a week before menstruation.
This condition generally affects those who are in their mid-twenties
and thirties. Women are said never to outgrow this natural process,
but this is only true to some special cases. Experts advise
that women experiencing this should seek the help of their dermatologists
and doctors to determine the real cause. Under certain situations,
many acne breakouts in adult women may be due to their hormonal
imbalance.
It is considerably harder to treat acne patients at this
point in time. Once the doctor successfully identifies the relationship
of hormones to acne, he normally prescribes certain medications
for treatment. For women, he may provide birth control pills
for these may suppress the androgens in the body. Corticosteroids
may be prescribed for the more severe cases of acne; however
it may aggravate the acne condition in a number of patients.
Women need to see a doctor for this condition.
|
