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Breakouts don’t necessarily end when your teenage years end. In fact, for some people, acne breakouts don’t even begin until their adult years. For many individuals with adult acne, the idea that their acne could be hormonally based doesn’t make sense. After all, puberty and the teenage years are when your hormones accelerate and in some cases “go crazy,” causing the over-production of sebum (oil) and skin cells that clog pores and lead to acne blemishes. However, the truth is that adult acne can be, and often is, driven by the same hormones that cause breakouts during puberty and the teenage years.
The acne myth that adult acne isn’t hormonal can lead to misguided attempts to clear your skin and eliminate acne by looking for other causes such as skin allergies and environmental factors that simply aren’t the cause of your breakouts. Today, we’ll take a look at the hormonal reality of adult acne.
First, a Quick Review of How Hormones Cause Acne
If you’re suffering from adult acne and aren’t sure if it’s hormonal, the first step is to review how hormones cause acne so that you fully understand what symptoms to be looking for. Your hormonal fluctuations are due to an accelerated state of the adrenal gland. When the adrenal gland speeds up, it over-produces androgens. Androgens are, essentially, male hormones, though they are found in both genders. When there are too many androgens in your system, they send messages to your body to increase the production of both sebum and skin cells. Primarily, it’s the overproduction of skin cells that ultimately clogs your pores and leads to blackheads, the build-up of acne-causing bacteria and inflamed blemishes. However, excessive sebum can also contribute to this process.
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So What Would Cause Over-Active Androgens in Adults?
Whether your hormones were over-active as a teenager or not, subtle shifts in your body, lifestyle and, in some cases, even diet can shift hormone activity as an adult. Here’s a list of the potential causes of hormonal shifts in adults that may lead to acne breakouts.
Menopause: One of the most under-anticipated causes of adult acne later in life is menopause. During the years leading up to and immediately following menopause, women’s bodies undergo a significant reduction in estrogen. This hormonal shift can trigger a subsequent hormonal shift that results in acne breakouts when you’re least expecting them – at the same time that you’re experiencing anti-aging concerns! While menopause related acne is less common than skin concerns dealing with a loss of collagen, it’s does exist and may require treatment within your skin care regimen.
Reproductive Cycle Changes: For women, other hormonal shifts happening during pregnancy, post-partum or even simply as the menstrual cycle shifts with age can also result in acne breakouts. Pregnancy acne, in particular, is a surprise to some women. However, unlike pregnancy acne, which typically is a temporary condition, the shifts in your reproductive cycle as you age may not be as easy to “wait out” and may even be long-term or even permanent shifts in your body. Even more frustrating, they may not be hormonal shifts that are obvious to you through other signs. For women in particular, exploring whether adult-onset acne is related to hormonal shifts is always a priority.
Stress: Stress does cause acne, though it does it by ultimately by altering hormone behavior. While high levels of teen and young adult stress is a growing concern, most individuals begin to experience their most overpowering Cultural Stress™ as adults. When financial, social, professional and environmental stresses all collide during the adult years, the stress can have a physical impact. Stress can trigger activity in the adrenal gland, which as we covered above can result in acne breakouts. Of course, it’s often easier said than done to control stress in your life, but Dr. Murad provides many tips on his Inclusive Health™ blog.
Diet: The link between diet and hormonal activity is a growing field and almost any information we provide will almost certainly be outdated sooner rather than later. However, significant research between a diet high in refined carbohydrates and hormonal acne exists. It’s always a good health idea to reduce the amount of refined carbohydrates in your diet. Doing so may provide the additional benefit of creating a reduction in your acne breakouts.
The Body Has Its Own Calendar: Finally, sometimes the body simply has its own internal calendar and timeline. We call this Genetic Aging and it simply means that some things that will happen with your body are determined solely by your genes and aren’t related to any external factors. For some people, the hormonal activity that causes acne blemishes and breakouts simply begins to happen later in life. There may not be any overt change in lifestyle, reproductive cycle or even diet. Your body may simply be “wired” to begin producing more hormones.
The Best Call? Combine a Skin Care Regimen with a Doctor’s Visit
Much adult acne can be treated effectively with a proper skin care regimen. However, it never hurts to pay a visit to a medical professional for baseline hormone counts. Especially if you are experiencing other symptoms such as fatigue or weight gain, it’s better to seek the advice of a professional while also topically treating your acne.
Related Information
Treat: All Murad Adult Acne Products
Treat: Murad Hormonal Acne Products
Learn: Murad Acne Resource Center
Photo Credit: Marius Dollinger via Flickr