It does not seem fair that along with the other challenges of Menopause such as hot flushes and sleepless nights, that those adolescent spots and pimples can also reoccur.

The hormone connection

It is the androgens such as testosterone that are involved in acne and scattered throughout the skin, and it often related to increased androgen production and hormone imbalance where anovulatory cycles are present.

This is often common in young women and at peri/menopause When although a monthly bleed may occur, there may be no ovulation and so no progesterone is being produced.

The other factor that can be important is oestrogen dominance and this can occur when oestrogen levels are actually quite low, but it is the balance between the two that is important so if progesterone levels are even lower than oestrogen then that is when oestrogen dominance can occur.

So low progesterone, and any increase in weight related to oestrogen dominance, will increase testosterone.  The late John Lee, MD who was the pioneer of progesterone cream usage, suggested that applying a small amount of Serenity directly to the acne as an additional one of the daily application sites can help clear the skin.

Androgens such as testosterone are more common around the hairline, nose, and ears, where there are are follicles that make an oily wax known as sebum – this is what keeps our skin smooth and supple.

Extra androgens stimulate excess sebum production; the drying sebum then blocks the gland outlet at the skin surface, causing sebum to be retention

A common benign bacteria then multiplies there, causing low grade inflammation and acne.as progesterone is also an anti-inflammatory it is important to have good progesterone levels here too.

Aggravating factors can be a deficiency of vitamin A and zinc so addressing these will also be helpful If you are not getting sufficient from your diet, or Supplements.

Contributing factors to adult acne

However, it’s not just your hormones that can be to blame as these other factors can also play a part:

1. Stress 

There is no doubt that stress impacts virtually all areas of the body, including your hormones, and when you’re stressed, the adrenal gland makes the stress hormone cortisol.

It releases it out into the body to help the body deal with stress, BUT  a tiny bit of testosterone leaks out with it. For a woman, this male hormone can drive the oil glands to produce more oil and that is the root cause of breakouts.

2. Pollution 

Air pollution is real – just check when you have been outside in traffic or in a city for half an hour. When you come home, wipe your face with a toner pad or face wipe, and see what colour it is.

Exposure of the skin to air pollutants has been associated with skin ageing and inflammatory or allergic skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis and acne.

3. Wrong products

If you have oily or combination skin and are prone to breakouts, you should be using skin-care products labeled oil-free, or water-based as they aren’t going to clog your pores and make matters worse.

If the acne is severe, then there are a number of over-the-counter products that can help or speak to your doctor for a specific prescription to help you deal with it.

4. Cleansing too frequently and intensely

Over washing your face can make acne worse so cleansing more than twice a day is too much. That can just dry out skin and can cause it to produce more oil to overcompensate.

If you are also using a sonic/electric cleansing device then make sure it is very gentle as the coarse ones can be almost like giving yourself microdermabrasion twice a day, which can cause a breakout.

Exfoliation is the most important thing you can do on a regular basis to be fighting acne both in terms of preventing it and treating it, but  again make sure it is a gentle one as anything that rubs skin will, to a small extent, promote acne.

Look for glycolic acid as a main ingredient but any treatment that really soaks into your skin is what will give you the results you want.

5. Is it something you ate? 

There are many things that allegedly cause acne—chocolate, fried foods, pizza, caffeine, nuts. But those are simply theories as in large, statistically significant studies, these have not been proven to cause acne, but there are always exceptions.

Check for yourself and if you break out when you eat chocolate, don’t eat chocolate and the same with dairy, which again, has been shown in some cases to have an effect but no concrete cause-and-effect relationship exists.

BUT one thing that may be an issue is iodine which helps make thyroid hormones, which help keep cells and the metabolic rate healthy. But eating too much is related to having acne’s so check your diet.

You can find it in shellfish, like lobster, shrimp, crab, and some greens like kelp and spinach. The difference between iodine and other “acne-causing foods” is that iodine builds up over weeks and months before it starts to affect skin.

6. Blame your sweet tooth 

Another potential skin saboteur is sugar, because it raises your insulin level. More and more evidence shows that insulin may boost those oil-triggering male hormones.

Stick to low-glycaemic foods—ones that have complex carbs like whole grains, which break down more slowly in the body and cause less of an insulin spike.

How to  help yourself

Unfortunately, you can’t change the relationship between acne and hormones. But there are some things you can do to make those breakouts less severe.

Inflammation is always involved when you have a breakout, causing that swelling and redness we all work hard to cover up with our best concealer. Progesterone is a natural anti-inflammatory which is why it is helpful for acne.

Check for a deficiency of vitamin A and of zinc in your diet as low levels can be an aggravating factor.

You already know this, but never try to pick and prod at spots as it really will make them worse. If they are big and painful, you may need some help from your doctor with a topical cortisone cream.

Helpful information:

The good news here is that most of the steps are simple and you can do a lot to help yourself.

Diet is certainly important and so is hormone balance and reducing stress so if you can get all those factors under control you should see a reduction in the condition.

What can be immediately helpful is looking at whether or not your diet could help you reduce your stress levels as that will have a positive effect on your skin and your health generally.

if you know that stress is a factor for you, then this article will also be helpful.

https://anna.blog.wellsprings-health.com/how-your-diet-can-help-keep-you-calm/