Breaking Out by Lydia Preston

Author:Lydia Preston
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2007-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

HORMONAL FACTORS THAT AFFECT ACNE

Anything that affects androgen production by either the adrenal glands or the ovaries can potentially affect acne-prone skin. For example, stress, which stimulates the adrenals, can increase androgen production and may lead to an acne flare.

There are many such influences on androgen production, from natural hormonal events like menstruation, to the activities of other endocrine glands such as the pituitary, which governs both the adrenals and the ovaries. The picture may be further complicated by hormones that come from outside your body. Going on the Pill or stopping it, beginning or ending hormone replacement therapy, or taking certain dietary supplements can all affect the hormones that affect your skin. The presence of hormones or hormone-like substances in the environment and in foods may also influence androgen production in your body.

For acne-prone women, even minor hormonal imbalances may show up on the skin as pimples. And even if your hormonal levels fall in the normal range, you may suffer from what is known as “end organ hyperresponsiveness.” In other words, you may not have unusually high androgen levels, but your skin overreacts to the normal androgens that are there.

You may also have overactive androgen receptors in your skin; in which case, whenever any testosterone reaches the follicles, your hyped-up receptors will grab more than their share. Or, the fault may lie with the testosterone-converting enzyme, 5-alpha reductase. Researchers suspect that 5-alpha reductase may be more abundant or more active in women with acne than in those with clear skin.

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