Hormonal Cystic Acne

Hormonal Acne – How Hormones Are acne triggers

Are raging hormones the cause of acne? They certainly contribute to this aggravating skin problem that affects over 90% of the world’s population. Most people think acne is a teenage problem, but that is false. It quite common for many of us in our 20’s, 30’s or 40’s to get the occasional acne flare-up. When it happens, it strikes a blow to our mood and self-confidence. Let’s try to understand the role that hormones play as acne triggers.

What Hormone Affects Acne

Hormones are our body’s chemical messengers, and they regulate and balance the workings of our organs and cells. It takes only a tiny amount to cause big changes in individual cells (or even your whole body). Too much or too little of a hormone can be a serious matter.

At the onset of puberty in both girls and boys, between the ages of 11 to 14, the hormone androgen kicks into play. Androgens are hormones released from the adrenal glands, ovaries and testes. Androgen production stimulates sebaceous glands and causes them to enlarge. These androgen-stimulated sebaceous glands produce more sebum. (Sebum is a natural oil that makes our skin soft and waterproof.) The oily sebum accumulates in the follicle as it moves up the hair shaft where it mixes with normal skin bacteria and dead skin cells. Under typical conditions, the dead cells would be pushed to the surface where they would be expelled. However, the more sebum produced, the greater the chances of clogged follicles that could turn into pimples. So, because this increased oil production occurs at the onset of puberty, acne is generalized as a teenage problem.

Only a Teenage Issue?

Androgen production also increases with the start of a woman’s menstrual cycle. This is why women may suffer from bouts of hormonal acne. Many women juggle jobs, friends, family, financial commitments and many other life stresses which make adrenal glands produce more hormones, setting the stage for acne flare-ups.

Testosterone is an androgen hormone. It is actually present in both women and men, even though most people think that testosterone is only a male hormone. Overproduction of testosterone in adult males can contribute to acne breakouts. It can also impact adult women. When the female body is lacking estrogen (typically known as a female sex hormone) there is often an increase of testosterone. Also, studies have shown that women who work in competitive environments under high stress levels can overproduce male hormones. Certain conditions, such as polycystic ovary disease, can stimulate testosterone production. Thus, higher levels of these male hormones are known to trigger acne outbreaks in adult women.

Keep in mind that these hormones are not all bad! An advantage of having these hormones present is that they maintain muscle tone and stimulate your sex drive. The disadvantage is that they also stimulate oil production in the skin. Side effects can excessive body odor or facial hair, oily skin, dilated pores, oily skin, or acne.

Taking the good with the bad, and learning how to balance and control acne flareups can be quite a confusing endeavor. To that end, there are certainly multitudes of acne treatments available, ranging from topical treatments to fasting programs to natural holistic methods.

If you or someone you love has acne, go to http://www.NaturalAcneTreatmentReviews.com to learn more about several natural acne and rosacea treatments available. Studies show that natural holistic treatments have the highest success rate and provide a foundation to control acne triggers over longer periods of time.

Author: Samantha O’Donnell

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Samantha_O’Donnell

Information on Natural Cystic Acne Treatment and Cystic Pimple Treatment.