Hormonal Acne: What Is It and How Can I Treat It?
Hormonal acne, also known as adult-onset acne, is incredibly common among adult women between the ages of 20 and 40 and hits right when you think you have banished your teen acne years forever. This type of acne can also reappear when your hormones fluctuate during pregnancy or menopause, making you feel like a teenager all over again.
To help you identify if you’re experiencing hormonal acne, I’ll walk you through what to look for, along with a few ways you can help balance your hormones and reduce your breakouts. I’ll also share some of our favorite products to help keep hormonal breakouts at bay.
What Are Hormonal Breakouts?
As the name suggests, hormonal acne is directly correlated to your hormones. While it can affect anyone regardless of gender or age, it has been linked to changes during a woman’s menstrual cycle when estrogen and progesterone fluctuate. However, this is not limited to the week of menstruation only. These changes occur throughout the month, often reaching a peak the week before menstruation begins. This is why you may notice those pesky pimples rearing up a few days before your cycle starts.
Hormonal fluctuations also affect testosterone and other androgen levels, which increase sebum production and, hence, breakouts. In addition, raised cortisol levels (our stress hormone) trigger sebaceous glands and inflammation. Naturally, an overproduction of oil can cause clogged pores, contributing to breakouts.
Of course, hormonal changes don’t just occur during menstruation; they fluctuate during other times, such as pregnancy and menopause. This form of acne can also be a side effect of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition in which women have higher-than-normal androgen levels.
Signs You May Have Hormonal Acne
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You’re No Longer A Teen
If you’re past the teen puberty phase and well into your twenties and beyond, then your breakouts may be hormonal acne. Your twenties are peak child-bearing years, so it’s during this time in your life when your hormones are going to be at their most active, leading to more hormonal breakouts.
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Your Acne Is Primarily Around the Chin And Jawline
As excess hormones stimulate oil glands, hormonal acne typically manifests around the chin and jawline, where oil glands are more present; although it can also flare up on the cheeks and down the neck. Hormonal acne generally presents as deeper nodules and cysts that last for long periods. Due to the spread of bacteria, whiteheads and small pustules can also appear around the cysts.
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You Are Experiencing High Levels Of Stress
Stress causes the adrenal glands to release cortisol. Cortisol increases internal inflammation, which then contributes to external breakouts and severe acne. To read more about stress and acne, check out our blog here.
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Your Breakouts Get Worse Around Your Menstrual Cycle
This is a sure way to know that your acne is hormone-related. It may be beneficial to keep a diary, tracking your hormonal fluctuations throughout your cycle. You’ll soon notice a pattern emerge when your acne flares up.
How To Balance Hormones
It’s natural to want to immediately start reaching for topical solutions to clear our acne, but many times, that just masks the underlying issue. Here, I’ve outlined some key ways you can naturally balance your hormones to manage your acne.
Modify Your Diet
Your first line of defense is to make adjustments to your diet. Incorporating fresh, whole foods, including leafy greens, a rainbow of fruits and veggies, healthy fats, nuts and seeds, and plenty of water, is a great place to start. The antioxidants and fats will help to flood your cells with nutrients to help reduce internal inflammation, which in turn balances hormones. Additionally, cutting dairy out of your diet may be a helpful step toward healing your hormonal acne. Dairy, among other foods, can throw off your natural hormone levels, as well as increase inflammation. Small changes will begin to clear up those breakouts and blemishes from the inside out. Read more about eating for clear skin here.
Find Healthy Ways To Manage Stress
Finding ways to manage stress and prevent the release of excess cortisol is key in managing hormonal acne. Meditation, long soaks in the tub, and reading a good book are all great ways to unwind. Gentle exercise is also an excellent way to balance your hormones by reducing stress hormones and releasing endorphins. All this allows you to get a better night’s sleep, which will greatly improve stress levels as well.
Incorporate Hormone Balancing Supplements
Supplements can be a great way to help restore balance to your hormones. We have several great options available, such as: CLEARSTEM MINDBODYSKIN®, Delgado Protocol Estro Block Pro, Delgado Protocol DHT Block, Delgado Protocol Liv D-Tox, and EnviroMedica Grass-Fed Beef Liver Supplement.
Best Skincare Products for Hormonal Acne
CLEARSTEM is a unique skincare brand founded in 2017. It’s the first of its kind to wholly focus on healing breakouts and preventing premature aging across the entire line. Their mission is to provide acne solutions without hormone disruptors and healthy aging benefits with no pore-clogging ingredients. We find CLEARSTEM products to provide the calming, healing benefits hormonal acne needs. Some of our favorites are listed below.
CLEARSTEM GENTLECLEAN Cleanser: The antioxidant-rich formula contains vitamin C and green tea to provide anti-inflammatory properties while working together to brighten and calm the skin. Added goldenseal has powerful antibacterial benefits to keep acne at bay.
CLEARSTEM CLEARITY Serum: This magic, silky serum gently exfoliates and reduces breakouts with rockstar mandelic acid. The unique formulation combines vitamin C and citrus extracts with a specific pH balance to dissolve away excess oils and brighten the complexion with supporting antioxidants and turmeric to calm inflammation and reduce redness and hyperpigmentation.
CLEARSTEM HYDRAGLOW Moisturizer: A light-textured regenerative moisturizer with stem cells that are like superfoods for your skin with hydrating ingredients to help restore your skin barrier. It provides the perfect balance of healthy-aging ingredients in addition to acting as a support system to help heal acne and renew skin health.
Incorporate a Detoxifying Mask
Treat your skin twice a week to a soothing detoxifying mask as not only a way to reduce stress, but an effective treatment to help clear your skin. Some of our favorites are: Sorella Apothecary Purifying Powerclay Mask, Face Reality Soothing Clay Mask, NeoGenesis Volcanic Ash Mask, or Michele Corley Purifying Mask.
Hormonal acne doesn’t have to rule your life. If you need help understanding the contributing factors of your acne or need help creating an effective skincare routine, try our free Skincare Check-Up or sign up for our Acne Coaching Program. Our licensed estheticians are here to help you create the perfect path to clear skin.
