When it comes to keeping your body running smoothly, your hormones play a larger role than you may think. Hormones affect your metabolism, your reproductive system, your growth, your mood, and even your complexion.
To put it simply, when your hormones are out of balance, your face is likely to break out. Read on to discover how your hormones can impact your skin, and what you can do to keep them in check.
How Your Hormones Cause Acne
Hormonal acne affects both men and women. However, it’s more common in pre-menopausal women, as their hormones go through significant changes each month during the menstrual cycle. If you’re a woman suffering from acne, you’re not alone. In fact, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, acne affects up to 15% of adult women.
Acne occurs when there is either a surplus or deficit of certain hormones. When your body makes too much testosterone, for example, it also produces more sebum—an oily film that causes acne. Too much estrogen can also cause acne, as can an imbalance in thyroid hormones. Progesterone imbalances and the inability to clear toxic hormones from the body also lead to acne.
Common Signs of Hormonal Acne
Acne can have many different sources. Most people associate acne with those dreaded breakouts during their teenage years, but acne can strike at any age. If you are experiencing acne in your 20s, 30s, and beyond, this could be a sign of hormonal acne. Here’s a look at a few other telltale signs that hormones are to blame for your breakouts:
- You notice pimples mostly along your chin and jawline. The oil glands stimulated by testosterone and other hormones are mostly located in the lower part of the face. So, if you notice pimples mostly pop up along the chin and jaw, hormones are likely a root cause.
- Your breakouts are cyclical. Even during and after menopause, women experience monthly fluctuations of progesterone, which can cause breakouts on a monthly cycle.
- You’re dealing with chronic stress. When you experience stress, your endocrine system produces more cortisol, which is also known as the stress hormone. Cortisol triggers a chain reaction of hormonal fluctuations that can throw your body out of balance. In addition to issues like trouble sleeping, changes in your appetite, and a bad mood, you may notice acne as a side effect of chronic stress.
- You have painful cysts. Hormonal acne may cause breakouts that are more painful than your average blackheads and pimples. You may have deeper, more painful cysts that aren’t easily extracted. These types of cysts are much less responsive to topical treatments, which is why it’s so important to consult your doctor about hormonal acne and treat it from within.
How to Combat Hormonal Acne
To fight back against hormonal acne, it’s important to go straight to the source. Many dermatologists will prescribe topical creams that do nothing but offer a temporary, external solution to an internal problem.
The first thing you need to do is get your hormones tested. This will allow your doctor to see if you have any deficiencies or imbalances that could be causing your acne trouble. Once your hormone levels have been measured, your doctor can treat the problem using herbal supplements or natural hormone replacement therapy, or by supporting your body through a hormone detox. It is important to get a comprehensive hormone panel done that looks at all your hormones—including how your body detoxes hormones—to get to the root cause of the problem.
As your doctor helps bring your body back into balance, you can help soothe and repair the skin with natural skin care products, including gentle cleansers and lightweight moisturizers.
Why Your Hormones May Be Off Balance
As you’re exploring treatment for hormonal acne, you may wonder why your hormones are so out of balance to begin with. Hormonal imbalances are common, in part because they are often linked to environmental toxins, consumption of processed foods, and unmanaged stress—all common factors in our fast-paced lifestyles.
Unfortunately, hormonal imbalances often lead to other issues that can continue to worsen the problem. For example, you may experience immune system dysfunction, digestive issues, or sleep changes because of imbalanced endocrine production. Yet, your body needs adequate sleep and proper nutrition to function normally. So, hormonal deficiencies can continue to perpetuate themselves without appropriate testing and treatment. In other words, hormonal acne is just one of many health issues you may experience with hormonal imbalances.
At Vitality Wellness Clinic, we pride ourselves in helping patients nurture their bodies and love the skin they’re in. Remember that healthy skin starts from the inside out. We can help you balance your hormones and restore clear, glowing skin. Learn more about our holistic approach to hormone balancing by giving our Chandler Med Spa a call at (602) 388-1155.