Hormonal acne first appears in puberty (85% of teenage Australians are affected*) and can recur or break out in adulthood, especially in women. Women between the ages of 20 and 45 years old are affected by acne**.
For girls and boys alike, acne usually starts in puberty. The cause is hormonal upheaval, which causes the skin to produce more sebum. It can be difficult for sebum to flow through the pores: the small holes that drain it away. The skin then becomes oily and acne can appear on the face, back, shoulders, neckline, etc.
Hormonal acne usually disappears after adolescence. But sometimes it persists, returns or is triggered in adulthood. Hormonal acne is less talked about, and yet a quarter of adults are affected by it, the vast majority of whom are women.
There is not one but several types of acne, which can come one after the other or present at the same time.
The prerequisite for acne in adolescence is hyperseborrhea, when the skin produces too much sebum due to hormonal changes. At this stage, the skin is simply oily.
Under the skin, a microcomedo can start to form, where the excess sebum thickens and changes into a kind of horn that clogs the pore. Invisible at first, it then becomes a comedo which will first be open (a whitehead) and under the effect of the oxidation of the sebum in contact with the air, it becomes black (a blackhead). This is called retentional acne.
If left untreated, the next step is inflammatory acne. This is the result of the infection of a pimple by the proliferation of the bacterium Cutibacterium Acnes. These blemishes take the form of papules (large, hard, red pimples), sometimes topped by pustules (containing a purulent liquid).
I've noticed that if I don't clean my skin regularly every day, then I always get pimples that come back, and I can't do anything about it, and then it's too late. It especially happens the week before my period.
The downfall of some topical treatments for hormonal acne is that they strip the skin. The skin therefore needs appropriate care to make up for this. This starts with gentle cleansing and make-up removal using a soap-free cleanser. Thermal Spring Water with soothing properties can also be sprayed on the face. Cleared of tap water residues, the skin is ready to receive a soothing moisturiser that will restore skin comfort.
Gentle, gentle, gentle is your mantra! This is how you can create the conditions to (finally!) get rid of your hormonal acne, whether you’re a teenager or adult. A gentle approach is achieved through developing good skin care habits (don't rub cotton pads too hard against the skin, and don't pop your pimples), as well as through the choice of products you apply to the skin. The words "non-comedogenic" or "acne-prone skin" will help guide you.
Eau Thermale Avène skincare products are designed to make peace you with your skin
* Skin Health Institute - Acne
** Survey conducted in 2021 by Pierre Fabre Dermatology Laboratoires in CS Sante, on 10,000 subjects in France.
