Acne strikes both men and women equally. However, the problem of acne exerts greater emotional pressure on women because of our society's expectation that young women should always look beautiful. Indeed while acne breakouts are considered part of growing up, young adult females are especially more subjected to a stricter scrutiny of their appearance and thus are subjected to greater psychological distress.
When the standard acne protocols of over the counter medications and antibiotics have been tried and acne still persists, it is perhaps time to consider hormonal acne treatment.
Before undertaking this type of treatment, you need to educate yourself on the possible causes of acne and the pros and cons of hormonal acne treatment. Factors that are known or suspected to provoke breakouts include:
- hormonal fluctuations
- cosmetics that irritate and block your pores
- poor diet
- too much stress
- pollution
By identifying and avoiding potential triggers of your acne, you can lessen their occurrence and severity and may not need stronger treatments altogether. If despite being careful to avoid known triggers your acne still does not resolve, it would be appropriate or even necessary to consider taking hormonal acne treatment.
Doing your homework on looking for patterns which provoke acne breakouts would be extremely beneficial when you decide to seek a competent dermatologist for hormonal acne treatment. Some experts estimate that up to 60% of women suffering from acne do not respond to standard acne treatment but will probably benefit from hormonal treatment.
One important clue that your acne may be hormonal in nature is when it occurs at a regular time period within your menstrual cycle, such as before menstruation. A normalization of hormone levels would lead to acne resolution and a return to a clearer complexion.
Hormonal acne treatment deals with acne from the inside by striking at the root of the problem, namely hormonal imbalance which triggers excessive oil production, which in turn produces those big ugly pimples. However, hormonal acne treatment has its risks of side effects and is therefore not to be taken lightly.
Three types of drugs are used to normalize hormones. These are:
- oral contraceptives (birth control pills)
- antiandrogen medications
- oral corticosteroids
The first two medications reduce the blood levels of androgens in the body while the third lessens the inflammation. Your dermatologist should be able to guide you through your treatment options as well as explain to you what side effects might be expected to occur.
Acne may prove to be a stubborn skin condition for many women but fortunately you have several treatments available to choose from, ranging from simple OTCs to antibiotics, to isotretinoin, and to hormonal acne treatment. You may just need to try and evaluate which one works for you.