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Hormones and Acne
People suffering from acne often have oily skin. This is mainly because
of high level of androgen and testosterone hormones. Hormonal imbalances
could lead to acne. Androgen and estrogen balance is required to maintain
healthy skin.
Acne, which is influenced by hormones, begins around the age of 19-24,
and can affect teens and mature women. People usually get lesions on
the lower face, mainly in the chin and jaw line. Some people may get
affected in their chest and back, but the majority of people are affected
mainly on their face.
There is a direct relationship between acne and hormones. Acne usually
begins when the body starts to produce androgens. Androgens stimulate
the sebaceous glands to enlarge and secrete more sebum. The sebum gets
accumulated in the follicle, and moves up the hair shaft to the exterior
part of the skin. As the sebum moves up, it mixes with bacteria and
the hair follicle gets blocked. The blocked follicle becomes a breeding
area for bacteria, resulting in acne.
hormones regulate every body function. Sleep, growth and many other
things depend upon your hormones. When your hormones are out of balance
it can cause a lot of problems. If your hormones are in balance then
you won’t have acne.
Puberty: At the age of nine or ten, the adrenal glands begin to secrete
dihydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), an androgen. Testosterone and
dehydrotestosterone (DHT) join in at the onset of puberty. All these
hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum. This
is why teenagers are affected by acne. Since boys have more male hormones
such as testosterone, teen acne tends to affect and be more severe in
males. It’s not easy to treat teenagers because their hormones
are in a constant state of flux. They may initially respond to a certain
topical medication and antibiotic. As their bodies develop, they undergo
hormonal shifts and stop reacting to the current medications. The doctor
normally keeps changing the medications with teenagers to accommodate
these hormonal changes.
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Adult hormonal acne: Many women do get acne during their adulthood.
Some may start getting acne in their mid 20s or 30s, experiencing constant
breakouts the week before their period. According to Dr. Shalita, the
"wait and see" attitude is particularly ineffective for hormonal
breakouts: "Acne that worsens during a woman's monthly cycle isn't
something that women will grow out of as they get older. Seeing your
dermatologist to determine the best treatment plan for acne flare-ups
is recommended for the most successful result."
treatments: It’s very difficult to treat a young person with
acne because the hormones go into high gear at this point of time. Once
the doctor has identified the acne as hormonally influenced, the doctor
could prescribe a number of several different drugs. For women the doctors
normally prescribe birth control pills as they suppress the androgens.
Doctors also prescribe small amounts of corticosteroids if the inflammation
is severe. For some people corticosteroids, may actually aggravate acne.
Other Resources:
http://www.answerswithherbs.com/digestive_system.html
http://www.patblocknd.com/Digest.html
http://www.speednetllc.com
http://www.1st-health-products.com/special_report_on_acne.html
http://www.acne-help.net/accutane.html
http://www.acne-advice.com
http://www.answerswithherbs.com
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