Top 5 Natural Treatments For Hormonal Acne

Acne runs in the genes. Contrary to the popular belief, acne doesn’t occur because of wrong eating habits or lifestyle but it just happens to some people who are genetically prone to it. Though one cannot avoid it completely, one can definitely reduce its severity by following some steps. Pimple marks, boils, zits or acne appear on a person's face as soon as they hit puberty. These marks are nothing but excess oil which is secreted by the tiny glands on the skin. This oil along with dirt gets trapped on the skin pores resulting in inflammation. Acne don't only look very unsightly but they also pop up at the most unexpected time. Teenage boys and girls often get them by making their faces look reddish and scarred. Acne is at times painful and also very annoying. Young girls often try to cover up their acne marks with makeup which only worsens the condition in the long run. Sometimes the acne is so severe that it leads to embarrassment and even depression. Acne marks hinder a person's natural beauty and many a times people avoid going out in public. There are two kinds of acne: hormonal acne and cystic acne. In this article we shall learn in depth about hormonal acne, the difference between the types of acne, symptoms, chemical treatments and will largely focus on natural treatment for hormonal acne. By following a simple and nutritious diet, one can greatly reduce the occurrence of acne. Eating oily and spicy food in large quantities aggravates the acne. Read on further to know all about acne.

Before you learn in depth about acne, here are some 5 golden rules that you must follow to reduce the severity of your acne. You might be unknowingly aggravating your condition. Make sure you avoid these at all costs: 1. Never pick your acne. Never try to forcibly pick or squeeze your acne as this will cause the clogged dirt to push deeper into the skin and elongate the healing time. Picking at your skin around the chin or jawline often will result in the bacteria to spread and also the dirt present on your hands to get deeper inside the open skin pores. This increases the inflammation. You might unknowingly carry the bacteria and spread it to other parts of your face resulting in newer breakouts. Never try to squeeze out the fluid from the acne as this would leave an unsightly scar on your skin which could remain for forever. 2. Many people think that scrubbing the face will lessen the occurrence of acne but over scrubbing will lead to inflammation and increased irritation of the skin. It will also rub the skin of its natural oils making it very dry. The PH balance of the skin can also get disturbed. Getting acne on dry skin may be very painful and irritable. Your skin starts peeling from a certain area and eventually breaks out. The PH level of the skin will horribly be disturbed. While you might not consider applying a moisturizer on your acne prone skin, it might become necessary to soothe out your dry and itchy skin. Consult a good dermatologist to recommend a non-oily moisturizer for your skin. 3. Do not apply topical steroids until advised by your physician. Steroids do not treat the root cause of the acne. Some antibiotics like tetracycline also largely annoy the condition as they destroy the good and bad bacteria on your skin. Good bacteria like acidophilus promotes clear skin and one should not take antibiotics which harm such good bacteria. Eat probiotics in your diet to maintain the balance of good bacteria in your system. 4. One has to monitor what food increases the acne on their skin. Sometimes acne gets bothered by oily food and sometimes by chocolates. Monitor your food habits and maintain a journal for a few weeks to arrive to a conclusion as to what food triggers your acne. Sometimes you might notice that in spite of eating a healthy diet, you have acne which means that you have hormonal acne. We will learn about natural ways to treat hormonal acne further. 5. Stress is a major factor in triggering hormonal acne. You need to avoid stress if you desire a clear skin. Stress causes inflammation and degeneration. If you are stressed about something in life you might find your skin suddenly breaking out in bouts of acne. Meditate, exercise and practice yoga to relieve stress.

The hormones present in some birth control pills can reduce the occurrence of acne. This is because the pill reduces circulating androgens, which in turn decreases the production of sebum. The birth control pills must contain both estrogen and progestin in order to be effective against acne. The mini birth control pills only contains progestin, hardly has any effect on acne. Some people consider birth control pills as the best treatment for hormonal acne. But not all birth control pills help in controlling acne. Those birth control pills containing androgen-based progestin can actually promote the acne. Having said so, can an adult woman take birth control pills to treat her acne on regular basis? Well, it is certainly not harmful for an adult woman who has an active sex life to take the birth control pill regularly if advised by her physician. These pills help to reduce androgens and male sex hormones like testosterone in her blood stream. These androgens cause an excess sebum secretion which clogs the skin pores and results in acne breakouts. On taking birth control pills which contain estrogen and progestin, the androgen levels reduce and the woman would generally get a clearer skin after taking these pills continuously for three months. Women with acne prone skin who start taking birth control pills might face problems when they stop it. The hormonal imbalance again might trigger their acne again and they should consult a doctor before stopping their pills. Women whose skin was never acne prone might not face any problems on stopping the pills.

Here are some 5 tips generally followed for the treatment of hormonal acne: 1. Exfoliate your skin weekly and rinse your face twice everyday using a mild facewash or soap especially areas like your chin and jawline. As we all know that acne occurs due to oil clogged pores, using a gentle exfoliator or scrub clears the pores. The accumulated bacteria and oil gets cleared and the skin pores open up. It is advisable to use a mild scrub to avoid skin abrasion. Scrubbing once in a week or fortnightly will also remove the dead skin cells and make way for newer and healthier skin beneath. 2. After scrubbing it at its best, use a good astringent like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid as these cause the skin pores to close or contract after cleaning. It is alright to use astringent only on your chin, jawline and other acne prone areas of your face only. A clean and healthy skin with closed pores will discourage accumulation of dirt and dust keeping your skin acne free. Some people have sensitive skin and for them, it is advisable to go for natural astringents instead of chemical ones. Natural astringents like banana peel, witch hazel, tomatoes and green tea are best in reducing acne without causing any side effects. 3. Some other easily available home treatments for acne include aspirin powder, toothpaste or ice massage. All these work in closing or contracting the open pores. The mint present in the toothpaste cools the skin thus reducing inflammation. A mixture of aspirin and water also provides relief against the pain. 4. Acne also occurs due the presence of dandruff on the scalp. This dandruff when when falls on the face leads to acne. Use an anti-dandruff shampoo to cure your dandruff and also make sure that you do not touch your skin on the face after touching your scalp to prevent spreading the infection. 5. Indulge in some physical activity regularly. Exercising to generate sweat will help the clogged pores to open up and release the accumulated dirt or toxins on the chin and jawline. 6. Keep yourself well-hydrated. Water is the universal medicine and many a times, leading a stressful life, we sometimes forget to drink sufficient amounts of water. One must drink 8 glasses of water every day to maintain the balance of water in our systems. Also drink plenty of natural fruit and vegetable juices, tender coconut water and vegetable soups to replenish your systems and provide the essential amounts of vitamins and minerals.

It may take a while for you to depict whether you really have acne or just that time of the month that starts showing up on your skin. While normal acne might occur as a result of stressed lifestyle and wrong eating habits, hormonal acne comes due to the estrogen, androgen and testosterone levels in the body. These hormone levels fluctuate in the body throughout the 30-days cycle and an increase in testosterone and decrease in estrogen. Due to these fluctuating levels, the skin produces more oil and this overproduction of oil, usually around the chin, jawline, nose and mouth creates congestion which is a perfect condition for breeding of acne-causing bacteria. Hormonal acne occurs to adult women too and is not restricted to teenage only. Generic acne products do not always work on hormonal acne because of the internal condition of the body rather than external. What one needs for hormonal acne is ingredients which help balance out hormones. Your physician might advise you to change your skincare regimen and incorporate products with phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are plant-based natural hormones that are very effective in treating hormonal acne. These do not enter the bloodstream and help in regulating the oil production, eliminating bacteria and bringing balance back in the skin. It is best advised to go for natural products for the treatments of hormonal acne. One should try and use products which will provide a healthy boost of anti-inflammatory properties and anti-oxidants to the skin. Natural and organic products like red clover and yucca are very effective.

Cystic acne is slightly different from hormonal acne. Although, it does occur due to hormonal changes in the body, sometimes, it is also caused by humidity, poor-quality cosmetics and genetics. An acne is called cystic when the bacteria thriving below the skin's surface multiples causing inflammation. This inflammation leads to rupture of the nearby hair follicles thereby leading to a chain reaction. The result is wider inflammation and the bacteria spreading and causing more breakouts. One should exfoliate weekly. Also, try to get some sunlight everyday for a few minutes as the UV rays of the sun will help kill the bacteria. Try to incorporate probiotics into your skincare regime. Also take probiotics internally which will help maintain a healthy balance of good bacteria in your body. And, most importantly, wash your face with cold water as this helps soothe the inflammation and pain.

Almost all acne have a bit of hormonal component to them, but hormonal acne occur only when the balance between the sex hormones - estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and androgen is disturbed. But the important question here is how do we come to the conclusion about the type of acne we have. While there are some tests to be 100% sure, there are also some signs which help us depict whether we have the adult female hormonal acne. Normal acne is generally mild. Moreover, hormonal acne occurs due to an imbalance of the hormones in the body and hence the result may not always be just acne. The adult might face a host of other hormone related issues too. Adult women who have severe hormonal imbalance also experience anxiety, mood swings, irritability, bloating, tender or sore breasts, particular food cravings and others. While some adult women might such brush these off as PMS syndromes, not all have to go through it. Adult women with hormonal imbalance might also have problematic periods with cramps, pains, irregular or heavy periods. Such women might face problems getting pregnant, lack of libido, fatigue and many such other symptoms. If the acne is mostly starts around your mouth, chin or jawline then mostly, it is hormonal acne. As it progresses, it spreads to other areas of the face. If the adult gets acne at other areas of the body apart from the mouth, chin or jawline then probably it is not hormonal acne. Another important characteristic of hormonal acne is that it occurs primarily throughout the adult's monthly cycle. The sex hormones undergo significant swings throughout the month preparing the body for pregnancy. Approaching menstruation, this imbalance either gets cleared or aggravated depending upon person to person. Hormonal acne mostly breakout during ovulation or just before the period begins and for some women the occurrence might be just opposite. Adult women suffering from PCOS - Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome suffer from hormonal acne all the time. Not all hormonal acne turn into cystic acne. Only in severe cases, the acne become cyst like hard and filled with fluid which take ages to disappear. Women who have mild hormonal acne might have them in the form of papules, pustules clogged pores or whiteheads which go away in 3 to 4 days. Hormonal acne does not go away even if you start following a healthy lifestyle because these erupt due to an underlying hormonal imbalance and have nothing to do with the food you eat or the life you lead.

While it is easy to come to a conclusion that we have hormonal imbalance, many of us feel quite frustrated. But hormonal imbalance could be genetic ( which is not in our hands at all ) and it also could be due to some other reasons. Following are the basic culprits of hormonal imbalance: • If you have a poor digestion and constipation then it could only aggravate your condition. It is best to eat fermented foods to cure your digestion. • If you are going through chronic stress then it might just show up on your skin. Although it is easier said than done, try to relieve yourself from stress. Practice yoga and meditate to relax your mind. • Low quality sleep also imbalances the hormones in the body. An adult person needs at least 8 hours of sound sleep. • Indulge in moderate exercise daily.

Sometimes, although your skin is breaking out, you fail to recognize the symptoms of acne. You might brush off your erupting blackheads, whiteheads and pimples thinking that they might have erupted due to unhealthy food. But the sooner you diagnose the symptoms of hormonal imbalance, the sooner you can seek treatment. Acne appears due to excess sebum - the oil secreted by the oil glands on the skin but there are two main causes of excess sebum secretion: 1. Increase in toxicity in the body 2. Excess sex hormones secretion If you have excess toxicity in the body, then you might also have frequent allergies, particular food intolerances and candida. These should be diagnosed at the earliest and one should take medicines for the treatment of candida. One also needs to monitor one's body patterns to study about food intolerances or allergies. If it is none of the above, then probably it is excess hormonal secretion.

While there are many chemical treatments available for treatment of hormonal acne, it is best to go the natural way and cure your hormonal acne with natural treatments. Below, we have listed the top natural treatments for hormonal acne: 1. Lower your stress to balance the hormones in your body. Stress has an enormous impact on the hormones and acne. An adult might take stress too lightly and also get into the habit of living in a stressed lifestyle. But whenever a person is stressed, the body releases more cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that increases androgens in the body thereby resulting into more acne. 2. Eat a healthy diet. Do not indulge in sugary foods as these create sugar spikes in the body. Include foods with low Glycemic Index and are also organic. This means less potatoes, starchy foods, white flour, processed foods and rice. Include more of greens, whole grains like quinoa and sweet potatoes in your diet. 3. Eat a lot of Essential Fatty Acids which help in reducing inflammation, reducing androgens and balancing hormones. Foods like primrose oil, borage oil, flax oil, coconut oil, fish and fish oil, nuts and seeds, avocados and algae are all very rich in essential fatty acids. 4. Load up on your vitamins and minerals. Make sure that your diet has sufficient quantities of vitamin A, C, B-complex, zinc, magnesium and other such minerals. Green leafy vegetables, whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds are all good foods that promote healthy bacteria in our bodies and also provide the body with essential nutrients. Although your hormonal acne might not be food related but eating a healthy diet will reduce the severity for sure and will help you treat it quickly. A sugary diet creates a sugar imbalance in the body which in turn disturbs the hormonal levels in the body. Stay away from processed food items as these are only empty calories and do not provide your body with anything useful. 5. If you lead a stressed lifestyle, try incorporating some essential stress-relieving herbs in your diet. Herbs like Holy Basil, Ashwagandha, Rhodiola and Gynostemma have stress relieving properties. For general cleansing of the body, incorporate Milk Thistle, Burdock Root and for maintaining hormonal balance in the body include Licorice Root, Maca, Schizandra Berry, Red Clover, Dong Quai, Black Cohosh and Vitex Berry in your food. Also try and eat foods which are anti-androgens like green tea, spearmint tea and pumpkin seed oil. Try to stay away from stress as much as possible. Practice yoga and meditate daily to relieve yourself of stress. Also if possible, simple exercises like walking and jogging will help you sweat out and open up the closed pores in your skin.

There are several over-the-counter and prescription medications used to treat hormonal acne, including many birth control pills, topical retinoids, and other oral or topical antibiotics. Alternative treatments for hormonal acne include chemical peels, microdermabrasion, topical tea tree oil, and changes in diet. It is best to consult a dermatologist before you seek any chemical treatment for your hormonal acne.

These above mentioned tips may help to reduce your acne eruptions but it may not completely cure it. Remember never let anyone make you feel inferior about your acne problem as you are not responsible for your acne. It will eventually cure. By following a few basic steps, one can easily let go of the dirty acne and give way to healthy and glowing skin. Acne is curable whether cystic, hormonal and regular. No one should live with acne marks as these are very distressing , embarrassing and depressing. Acne creates an unnecessary hindrance to one's beauty and also leads to some major skin infections if not treated on time. Take steps to remove them to appear confident from inside and outside. Remember, hormonal acne is curable and no one should live with the condition.