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Hormonla Acne Treatments for Women

If you are a woman in your 20s or 30s suffering from acne you may want to look into the various hormonal acne treatments for women. Acne and pimples are caused by androgen hormones, not by poor hygiene or diet (although both can affect the severity of your outbreaks). The hormones tend to surge at particular points of the menstrual cycle leading to the familiar once-a-month breakout. It stands to reason that hormonal treatments can help women acne sufferers where other methods have failed for whatever reason. Hormonal treatments reduce the effect of androgen hormones on the activity of the skin’s sebaceous glands. These treatments can have a huge acne reducing effect because they cut down the production of sebum by these glands. Let’s take a look at the different hormonal acne treatments available today:

Birth control Pills: The estrogen found in birth control pills is effective at controlling acne but today’s pills have far less estrogen than those of days gone by because of the side effects of too much estrogen. There are still some pills that can do the trick. Yasmin is the most effective birth control pill for treating acne. If you need proof that the pill can work, try going off of it. You may see your acne return with a vengeance. The Pill is not an option if you are over 35, suffer from migraine headaches or smoke. You might also avoid the Pill because of the possibility of weight gain and other, well-documented negative side effects. Some well known low-dose pills that dermatologists consider the best choice are Yasmin, Estrostep and Ortho Tri-Cyclen.

Spironolactone (Aldactone) is often prescribed to women who have cystic acne and deep nodules in the skin. It is a strong antiandrogen and effectively reduces sebum production in the skin. One of the most common side effects of spironolactone is irregular menstrual cycles. Often it will be prescribed with birth control pills which can help to reduce this inconvenient side effect.

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonists (Buserelin, nafarelin, leuprolide) work in a similar fashion to birth control pills by blocking androgen production by the ovaries. One of the side effects associated with this type of hormonal acne treatment is symptoms of menopause including headaches and bone loss from the lack of estrogen. You should discuss the side effects with your doctor as they are, obviously, potentially very serious.

The good news is that if you are a woman suffering from acne, hormonal acne treatments can be very effective. The bad news is that you will have to be supervised by your doctor because all of the treatments have potential side effects. Since you are messing with your bodies hormone production, you must not get pregnant while on any type of hormone therapy as there could be serious consequences, especially to male babies. If other types of treatments to clear up acne have failed for you, hormonal acne treatments might be something to consider.