Hormonal Acne Treatments – Do They Work As Promised?

You may not realize it, but acne is fundamentally a hormonally caused problem. It is triggered by a set of hormones in your body called androgens, of which the hormone testosterone is chief. Don’t be fooled into thinking that only males have testosterone, it is actively present in females as well, albeit in much lower concentrations (around a tenth).

Poor dietary habits, hygiene practices and unmanaged stress levels contribute to acne problems because they can affect your body’s hormonal system. This often leads to the belief that hormonal acne treatments are the best way of controlling acne, but this articles discusses that later.

In brief, testosterone sets acne into motion by triggering your sebaceous glands to produce sebum or oil on your skin. Some pores may then become blocked by a combination of sebum and dead skin cells. This subsequently leads to pimples, blackheads or more severe forms of acne, depending on the extent of blockage.

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As you would expect, when your body undergoes significant hormonal changes, this often results in an increase of sebum production and naturally an expected increase in acne occurs. The following are 3 examples where acne gets worse during hormonal changes:

Puberty :- It is commonplace knowledge that teenagers universally experience acne breakouts during this period of their life. This can be attributed to a surge in hormonal levels during the developmental phase.
Menstrual or pregnancy cycle :- Women often report that their acne gets slightly worse around when they have their monthly period. While exact causes are unknown, this may be related to a rise in testosterone, particularly mid-cycle.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) :- A condition where women suffer hormonal disorders, several testosterone -induced changes are observed, such as acne and abnormal body and facial hair growth.

Hormonal Acne Treatments available

As expected the following treatments work by either rebalancing hormonal levels. This is achieved either by inhibiting the action of certain hormones (such as the anti-androgen drug) or by replacing androgen levels with female hormones (estrogen, etc.). Hormonal acne treatments that are commonly available include the following:-

Anti-androgens :- Originally developed to control blood pressure, it has been found to be effective in controlling acne as well. It blocks the hormone aldesterone, which is responsible for raising blood pressure, but also manages to block testosterone, since they are similar in chemical structure. Normally used in conjunction with oral contraceptives.
Oral contraceptives (OCs) :- These treatments work because they focus on lowering free testosterone in the body. A variety of these are commercially available such as Yasmin, Alesse and Diane-35. However, a word of warning as some carry a particular safety risk, such as Finasteride. It is best to consult either your pharmacist or gynaecologist also well versed with using OCs as an acne control method.

An inevitable side effect of using hormonal acne treatments is that there are many side effects associated, all in varying degrees. A majority of people using this report great results for acne, but also complain of issues such as increased weight gain, mood swings, changes in sex drive as well as uncontrolled appetites. This unpredictability is a natural consequence of tampering with the body’s hormonal system with results varying from person to person.

Long term solutions

While using hormonal acne treatments can produce stunning results skin wise, they often negated by detrimental effects on other systems in the body. Acne is something that needs to be managed holistically and sustainably. While these treatments above can form part of your arsenal in getting rid of acne, it is not realistic to solely rely on them. Your strategy to combat acne should consist of the fundamentals- carefully managing your diet and lifestyle while ensuring your emotional and stress levels are healthy.

Using hormonal acne treatments are only meant to be temporary measures, don’t be fooled into thinking these are be all and end all solutions. If you want to be serious about managing your acne for the long run, it must be earned. There is no substitute for a blueprint that is both balanced and sustainable. Trust me taking this approach will be more than worth your while.

Click Here for The Best Guide on Getting and Maintaining Acne Free Skin