Introduction
The reason why we’ve chosen to discuss natural and man-made treatments for hormonal acne is that as a woman, you may come face to face with this condition. Before you actually do get acne, we want to make sure you are fully prepared to meet the challenge head on by having appropriate information on the options available both natural and traditional so you can take necessary actions to safeguard your health and possibly your life. Please read on.
Natural hormonal acne treatment
Treating hormonal acne naturally is a plant-based option that doesn’t produce side effects in the way prescription alternatives do. Unfortunately however, they are often not as effective.
The situation is further made difficult by the fact that there’s very little evidence on natural treatments and proven results are also lacking.
You can discuss the matter with your doctor so that any possible risk of interactions or other issues may be avoided.
The following are some of the potential natural treatments for hormonal acne:
Tea tree oil.
Amazingly, oil from the tea tree can work wonders in reducing the intensity of inflammation which is known to be one of the main contributors to acne formation.
A previous study in fact found that an ingredient of 5 percent of topical tea tree oil was responsible for easing the symptoms of participants suffering from mild to moderate acne.
You should also know that the oil from the tea tree act as ingredients in numerous products used for skin care such as toners and cleansers as well as for spot treatment.
The best ways to use tea tree oil is to mix and dilute it with an oil carrier before you actually use it. These carriers can include olive oil, coconut oil and jojoba.
The mixture is simple to concoct with a measure of 12 drops of carrier oil to only two drops of essential tea tree oil.
To be absolutely sure that the treatment is safe to use, it’s important to conduct a skin patch test using already diluted essential oil of the tea tree.
It’s not difficult to do as you simply apply the oil to the inner part of your forearm. It should be safe to administer anywhere else on your body if you don’t feel any irritation or inflammation within 24 hours after applying the oil to your own skin,
Alpha hydroxy acid
These hydroxy acids (AHAs) are easy to find and use as they come mainly from citrus fruits. their main function is that of helping to remove excessive remains of dead skin cells which clog up your pores.
In addition, AHAs are also used to soften the appearance of acne scars following a breakout. As with retinoids they are commonly available in over-the-counter shops in the form of OTC masks and creams.
Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) are capable of increasing the sensitivity of your skin to sunlight and for this reason you should protect yourself by wearing a sunscreen after using products with ingredients of these acids.
Green tea
One of the advantages of using green tea is in being able to reduce inflammation that has taken place in the body.
However, instead of using it only as a topical treatment, you can adopt a more holistic approach by helping yourself to drink a few cups daily in addition to the topical skin care schedule you are already using.
Traditional hormonal acne treatment
We now change focus to using more traditional methods of curing hormonal acne as suffered by girls.
You already know what hormonal acne is all about, so our starting point is the very important need to know that you have hormonal acne in the first place. If you do, then you need to determine whether it’s mild, moderate or severe.
Once you’ve determined what kind of acne you actually have and their level of intensity, the next stage involves the consideration of two plans which can help you chose the most appropriate plan to use for treating your type of acne.
It suffices to say that the two plans are entirely genuine, being the contributions of experts in the field of dermatology and are therefore entirely trustworthy for our purposes.
Since the plans have been produced at the behest of a group of girls, it’s really meant for the benefit of girls but they do apply also to adult women, who unfortunately suffer from the same hormonal acne misfortune as girls do.
To simplify the exercise for you, we’ll label the plans as Hormonal Treatment Plan A and Hormonal Treatment Plan B
Hormonal Treatment Plan A
For this treatment plan the expert opinion of accepts the fact that while acne breakouts would appear to be totally random, they do have a cyclic pattern. It’s pointed out that this is clearly illustrated by the fact that the breakouts tend to get worse the week before you have your period.
To ensure that the plan can really work, you must be consistent in applying the treatment which has been recommended in the plan.
Experts who recommend this plan say “Prevention is really the best treatment because it is important to realize that a blemis can begin to form up to two to three weeks before it appears on the surface of the skin.”
If you prefer to use this plan, you should follow the following steps:
- Cleansing: you skin should be thoroughly clean as acne always makes a start in a blocked oil gland. You need to make sure that all makup remains are removed before you go to bed.
- Steaming: steaming also helps in decongesting your pores impeding the development of acne. You should steam your face twice or three times a week after you’ve washed your face.
- Peeling: for this you’ll need to use Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel. What this treatment does is that it removes dead skin and debris and opens up pores by removing blockages of your glands, Experts add that “The preps pores and skin to better receive ingredients that may follow.”
- Clearing: you should have a container of retinol serum within you reach. Take it and use it as the ideal treatment for cleaning up your pores. But it’s not only for decongesting the pores that the treatment is used, it also has a very gentle effect on your skin.
- Treating: everything is now ready for applying the treatment and you should start by using an over-the-counter (OTC) anti-acne solutions that has pore-cleansing salicylic acid or bacteria destroying benzoyl peroxide as ingredients. Expert opinion adds another reminder: “If neither works well enough independently try using them both together.” The expert adds further that Sulfur is also a great spot treatment for sucking out oil and killing bacteria.
Hormonal Treatment Plan B
The expert who prepared this plan claims that the treatment for hormonal acne is a straightforward exercise especially if the underlying issue is properly addressed which is the hormonal cause.
It involves a simplistic approach: “The largest percentage of women who suffer from hormonal acne are juggling way too much – jobs, parenthood, etc. – to do a complex regimen.” This of course translates into women not entirely focusing on the problem at hand.
These are the steps to follow in this 3-step plan:
- Cleanse: Do this every morning and night before bedtime. Was with a mild cleansing solution and apply an oil-free moisturizer with at least 30 broad-spectrum SPF. Apply the moisturizer to your damp skin so the moisture is locked in your skin.
- Supplement: Take spironolactone (water pill) with breakfast and dinner with a dose strength of 25mg and 50 mg.
- The pill supplement is an androgen receptor blocker that’s been used to treat acne for over 30 years. It reduces the production of sebum oil in the skin, but can cause serious side effects.
- You should talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the supplement and be sure to visit them periodically to check your progress after taking the pill supplement.
- Make sure you aren’t pregnant before taking spironolactone as the drug will affect your hormones and major defects can develop in the fetus.
- You should be using an effective birth control method while you are taking the supplement.
- You will also need to have blood tests every three months because the treatment will make you retain potassium. Your doctor or pharmacist can advise you on potassium levels and how to avoid potassium-rich foods such as coconut water, fruit smoothies, bananas and supplements.
- Treat: after your cleansing effort at night before bed, apply topical retinoid. Retinoids can do amazing things to your acne as it:
- inhibits inflammation
- regulates skin turnover
- increases collagen and elastin production
To make things easier for you, you can get over-the-counter product, Differin Gel which is the only retinoid OTC retinoid treatment that has FDA approval
You should begin your treatment by applying this retinoid every second day for a few weeks to avoid irritation.
Gradually increase the application by applying it every night by using “small, pea-size amounts for the whole facial area (don’t spot-treat), after you’ve washed and dried your face. Always wait for a few minutes after cleansing and drying before applying the topical treatment.
Cautionary note: When you’re using retinoid, don’t wax your face as it can cause unpleasant reactions that can range from redness and severe dryness that result in discoloration and also scarring.
Takeaway
In many cases, there’s always the temptation to provide information about the types of treatments that are available for treating hormonal acne, or any other type of acne for that matter. After that an assumption is made that the patient is able to carry on after reading the information inscribed on the container carrying the medication. In this article we attempt to clearly explain exactly what the patients should do to effectively treat their hormonal acne and we sincerely hope we’ve succeeded.