Hormonal Acne
Most of us have suffered with hormonal acne at one point in our lives, it can be debilitating and frustrating and at times feel like nothing will make it go away. Although more prevalent during our teens and mature years (e.g. women going through menopause), hormonal acne can affect us at any age, during any time of our life. Hormonal acne is caused by an imbalance of hormones, such as the prevalence of testosterone or a decline of estrogen, and this imbalance results in a build up of dead skin cells, excess sebum or oil production and an increase in bacteria. This causes the skin to suffer from bumps, breakouts, excess oiliness or dryness, inflammation and redness, this can also be quite painful due to the inflammation in the skin.
As hormonal imbalances can be ongoing and it is difficult to put a time frame on when the changes will happen or cease, prevention is the best cure and adjusting your skin care regime to your skin’s needs can help to keep the breakouts at bay. Many acne treatments strip the skin of oil and leave the skins hydration levels and protective barrier compromised. This can contribute to dryness, irritation, inflammation, redness and improper healing of scarring. A good skincare regime is absolutely essential to treating acne skins; it will help regulate oil production, prevent break-outs, minimise scarring and maintain hydration and the overall health of the skin.
Proper, thorough cleansing of the skin is very important both morning and night, and cleansing twice at night is recommended to ensure makeup, pollution, dirt and oil is removed from the skin’s pores. Our Detoxifying Foaming Cleanser is perfect for deeply cleansing oil and impurities from the skin, Tea Tree is a powerful ingredient in treating acne, known for it’s antibacterial properties.
This can be followed up with our Detoxifying Serum, excellent for skin suffering from acne. Vitamin A works to regenerate skin cells and the cell renewal process, helping to lift dead skin cells that can contribute to blocking of the pores and blackheads and pimples. Vitamin A is a direct cell communicator, it tells skin cells to behave and function in a healthy way. This can help in many ways, to regulate oil production, maintain healthy hydration levels, collagen production and skin repair to help heal scarring.
For a targeted spot treatment, our Detoxifying Mask is a powerful acne treatment, pairing Ylang Ylang, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Chamomile, Lavender and Rosemary pure essential oils, help calm inflammation and promote a clear complexion. Natural green and white clays draw out toxins and exfoliate the skin.
Again harnessing the antibacterial properties of herbs and essential oils our AHA Face Polish is the final step in your skincare regime, also containing alpha hydroxy acids (AHA’s) to help slough away dead skin, leaving a smoother and softer skin texture. Phyto nutrients, chamomile and cucumber are also key ingredients, helping to heal, calm and soothe the skin.
Whilst skin care is an important part of the treatment of hormonal acne, a well-rounded approach is important. Diet, stress and lifestyle can affect hormones and in turn result in a decrease in the skin’s health, so it is best to stay healthy and active to help keep the breakouts at bay. A combination of supplements can aid the body to stimulate healing of the skin tissues. We have had excellent success with a combination of zinc, silica, vitamin C, B3, B5, B12 and E. By adding a powerful pro-biotic such as acidophilus and bifudus, will stimulate the healing of the digestive track and thus enable the body to better absorb vitamin, minerals and nutrients. A serving of any soy product adds naturally occurring phyto-estrogens to the diet and may help the body balance the bodies’ estrogens levels.
Finally beautiful skin is clean skin and a routine and proper cleansing and exfoliating will stimulate cellular turnover and allow the skin to breathe.
