Hormonal Acne Treatments

Coming Into Balance In Order To Clear Your Skin

Hormones almost always play a major in role in acne breakouts, so the term “hormonal acne” can be considered an oxymoron.

More specifically,the hormones that are responsible for acne are androgens, and although these hormones are associated with men and male sexual characteristics, obviously women also suffer from acne. In fact, because women’s hormones (androgenic and estrogenic) ebb and flow much more than men’s hormones usually do a strong case can be made that women are especially prone to hormonal acne.

These bouts of hormonal acne that women endure generally revolve around a women’s menstrual cycle, and can be exacerbated by stress encountered during and before a women’s period. Of course, puberty, pregnancy, and even menopause cause sudden spikes and drops in a women’s hormones, so these factors can also play in a role in creating hormonal acne.

In order to fight female hormonal acne in teenagers and women under the age of 25, the common birth control pill is often prescribed. It’s thought that a low dose of estrogen (released from birth control pills) balances out and drops androgen levels in a women’s body, reducing their acne breakouts dramatically. Of course, this doesn’t work for all women, it’s best to speak to your doctor if you’re likely to consider this option.

Fighting hormonal acne during pregnancy and menopause is a bit more tricky, in this case more natural treatments are recommended, such as eating antibacterial foods like turmeric or eating more green vegetables. Also, increasing your intake of essential fatty acids is very balancing for a women or a man’s hormones.

Because men almost always have higher levels of androgens in their bodies in comparison with women, acne is a more widespread in men than in women, despite all the fluctuations in a women’s hormones due to menstruation, puberty, or menopause.

Puberty, when androgen levels spike especially high in males, is the prime time for male hormonal acne. Natural acne remedies which have helped many men with this imbalance include eating a lot more “cooling” foods such as fruits and vegetables.

Unfortunately most Americans, and those from industrialized nations eat too much acidic or “heating” foods, such as meat and grains. Achieving a more balanced diet my increasing vegetables and minimizing bread and meat is often critical to a person’s successful treatment. However, it’s also a good idea to seek out multiple acne remedies and treatments that will work in concert to alleviate your acne.

Spironolactone is a powerful medication that has been singled out by some doctors and health care practitioners as an effective cure for hormonal acne. However, it should be noted that this medication carries the risk of fairly serious side effects like – headaches, leg cramps, constipation, bone pain, racing heartbeat, and extreme thirst.

For some people, treatment with spironolactone has been the only that has worked to treat their severe acne. It’s generally recommends for people with severe cystic acne who have had difficult achieving success with any other hormonal acne treatments. The dose amount for Spironolactone is generally 25mg to 100mg per day. Again, it’s best to try a variety of natural and traditional acne treatment methods in order to see what works best for your unique body.