How many of us know the fact that hormones control important functions in our body such as metabolism, mood and skin health etc?
By hormones, we mean chemical messengers that are secreted directly into the blood which carries these messengers to various organs and tissues in our body.
There are certain factors that could lead to hormonal imbalance in us like puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, medical conditions, lifestyle choices etc. Point to be noted is that hormonal imbalances could lead to a range of skin problems in us.
Hormonal connection with skin:
There are many hormones that play an important role in the health of our skin such as androgens, oestrogen cortisols etc.
Androgens:
Oil production would be stimulated in our sebaceous glands by the male sex hormones or androgens present in both males as well as females. Truth is that excess secretion of androgens could result in oiliness, clogged pores etc.
Oestrogen:
Androgens are balanced by female sex hormones or oestrogens. It is noteworthy that during pregnancy or while taking pills for birth control etc oestrogen would increase and this would improve acne etc. There would be breakouts due to hormonal fluctuation that occurs during periods or in menopause etc.
Cortisol:
It is also known as stress hormone and it could disrupt the skin`s barrier function. This would make the skin more susceptible to irritation and inflammation etc.
Various signs of hormonal imbalance that are shown on the face are
Adult acne:
His adult acne occurs due to hormonal imbalance only. Point is that when compared to teenage acne adult acne is less severe but they would make the person more anxious and stressed. Mostly, hormonal imbalances take place during pregnancy or menopause or with the intake of certain medications etc and they would lead to acne breakouts.
Hirsutism:
Increased levels of androgens could lead to excess hair growths on face, skin and other parts etc in a woman. Those women who have PCOS would have hirsutism issues in them.
Hyperpigmentation:
Hormonal fluctuations can lead to hyper pigmentation also in us. The persons would have increased production of melanin in them or dark patches on the skin. It is believed that conditions like melasma that cause brown or grey brown patches on the skin would be triggered by pregnancy or use of birth control pills etc.
Rosacea:
Hormonal fluctuations are also revealed by rosacea where the person would have redness, flushing and visible blood vessels etc.
Uneven skin tone:
In some persons, their skin complexion would be uneven or discoloured etc. This can be due to fluctuations or imbalances in the hormones.
Skin elasticity:
It must be noted that oestrogen plays a huge role in skin thickness and skin elasticity. After menopause, the oestrogen would reduce and due to this skin would become thinner and more prone to wrinkles etc.
Management of hormonal acne:
First, the persons with hormonal issues must meet a dermatologist who would suggest certain treatments like tropical medications or oral antibiotics etc. Hormonal imbalances can also be managed by means of diet changes like reduced intake of processed foods etc. Skin health would get better by doing stress control methods like yoga, meditation etc. For the overall health as well as the skin health, sound sleep of 6hours and above is necessary.