Submit your skincare questions to Dr. Agnes, CEO of Herborium and natural medicine expert
I understand that when entering menopause, I may have to deal with these unwanted hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings and even bone loss, but acne?? You have got to be kidding!
Unfortunately it’s not a joke, the changes in estrogen and progesterone levels are responsible for many of the symptoms associated with menopause, and are also often culprits in causing women to experience acne break outs during this changing phase.
This should not be too surprising since fluctuations in hormone levels are one of the key drivers in teenage acne. The fluctuations in hormone levels at menopause will also cause an over secretion of sebum by the sebaceous glands. This over production of sebum may initially manifest itself as oily skin but can eventually lead to clogged pores.
At the surface of the skin, these clogged pores are seen as “white heads” and “black heads.” Once the pores of the skin are clogged with sebum they accumulate dead skin cells and provide a perfect ground for the growth of bacteria. This combination of clogged pores and growth of bacteria is responsible for acne. Does this sound familiar? It should since the cascade of events leading up to an acne breakout for women approaching menopause is nearly identical to what happens during adolescence.
Since the cause of acne and the symptoms seem similar between perimenopausal and teenage acne, you might think the treatment options are also the same. The answer is yes and no! Topical treatments for acne are age independent for the most part; they treat existing pimples and target drying out pimples and unclogging pores in the skin. Care needs to be taken for women in menopause to make certain these topical agents do not dry out or irritate your skin.
Young girls with acne are often prescribed oral contraceptives to reduce the impact of fluctuating hormone levels on sebaceous gland secretions leading to an improvement in the control of acne. For menopausal women, use of oral contraceptives containing estrogen and progesterone are not recommended due to the increase risk of clots and stroke. AcnEase is one of the most natural and effective ways to reduce the impact of fluctuating hormone levels on causing acne. It is an all-natural herbal-based medicine that inhibits the impact of fluctuating hormone levels on increasing sebaceous gland secretions and helps the glands return to a normal activity. It does this without chemicals, and has the clinical results to prove it. AcnEase has one of the highest success rates for a natural medicine (96%) and can be taken short or long term to get the best results.