Is Acne Caused by Hormonal Imbalance in Women?

Sarah Valentini, the director of The Family Apothecary, has had many women come to her for hormone balance treatment to help them with hormonal acne and other menopause and perimenopause symptoms. Learn more on this subject below with our guide to perimenopause and menopause-related skin changes.

What is Hormonal Acne?

Hormonal acne is a type of acne that is caused by an increased amount of the hormones that rouse the production of sebum, which is a type of oil that lubricates skin to keep it healthy and smooth. When these hormones tell a woman’s body to increase how much sebum it produces, all this extra sebum can cause hair follicles to become clogged, which leads to acne developing. Many women experience hormonal acne and other perimenopausal symptoms due to hormone imbalances that affect their skin’s natural defences and triggers acne. Unfortunately for some women, perimenopause symptoms can be similar to adolescence!

When Do Women Experience Menopause Related Skin Changes?

Although most people associate acne with the teenage years, hormonal acne can affect adults of any age, especially women. There are various factors that contribute to this, including menstruation and menopause. However, this acne usually develops when women go through perimenopause, which happens to women in their mid-forties and usually lasts between 3-4 years.

Hormonal acne is a very common phenomenon that affects between 29-49 per cent of women, depending on their age. This type of acne often breaks out when a woman is on her period, making it easier to determine when a break out may occur. Unfortunately, these outbreaks can be very annoying, as they can understandably impact a woman’s appearance and her confidence.

What Can Be Done to Combat Hormonal Acne

Many women are concerned about the unsightly acne that has appeared on their body and search for methods they can use to clear it up. If there is a hormonal imbalance Sarah will ask a series of questions to establish the imbalance, and then prescribe homeopathic remedies, supplements and give nutritional advice to help support the healing process. Sarah at The Family Apothecary can provide you with hormone balance treatment at her clinic, but she also recommends following some good hygiene practices as well.

Wash Your Face Every Day

Whenever you wash your face, you should use a mild cleanser that doesn’t dry the skin out, and also moisturise your skin with a facial cream or lotion. Do your best not to scrub too hard while exfoliating, as this can cause your skin to experience irritation.

Don’t Pick or Pop Your Acne

It’s understandable why you might want to try to pick or pop your acne to make it go away quicker. However, doing so can actually make the acne worse and possibly also cause scarring.

Replace Your Old Cosmetics

Replace any cosmetics you currently have, at least the cosmetics that you have used during the time you’ve had acne. Avoid using any oil-based cosmetics, and opt to use mineral or water-based products instead. Ensure that you wash your face to remove the makeup you’ve applied before you go to bed. Sarah recommends Dr Hauschka Homeopathic Skin care or Rasasara Ayurvedic skin care. Skin care products are renowned for containing many chemicals that act as endocrine disruptors in the body. This means that these chemicals act as hormones and may throw out your hormonal balance.

You can refer to the Environmental Working Group Skin deep project that tests many products here: https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/
For Dr Hauschka Products: https://www.drhauschka.com.au/
For Rasasara ayurvedic skin care: https://rasasara.com.au/

Book an Appointment with Sarah Today

Women’s health is an area that Sarah is very interested in. She may be able to assist women experiencing perimenopause symptoms with a hormone balance treatment to resolve outbreaks of hormonal acne. You can get in touch with Sarah by calling 0408 542 762 or by sending an email to info@thefamilyapothecary.com.au