Does Estrogen Levels Affect Your Acne?

To understand the relation between estrogen and acne, it is useful to first look at the identification of estrogen itself. Estrogens are hormones within the female body that helps in the process of reproduction. The same hormone is also produced in males near the testicles and adrenal glands in smaller amounts. Acne is a skin problem that can develop due to various factors; among them a few include mental stress, allergic reaction, changes in the environment and hormonal shifts in the body. The acne condition develops when the androgen hormone induces the sebaceous glands to release a large amount of oil that blocks the pores of the skin and causes bacteria to manufacture within these pores. As a result acne formation becomes inevitable. Various kinds of treatments are available to treat acne however whether the treatment is truly effective depends on the kind of acne condition a person is suffering from and the level of its severity.

According to physicians and dermatologist alike estrogen can have an effect on any part of the body including the skin. The estrogen hormone helps reduce the process of aging within the body, according to the University of California, American Journal of Clinical Dermatology in 2001. Based on the research, women after their menopausal age were able to maintain moisture and collagen in their skin when given estrogen treatment that help abate wrinkles on the skin. Estrogen is considered to not only improve the age of the skin but also allow skin repair by strengthening the immune system and healing damaged skin.

Usually acne condition develops when the level of estrogen is lower and the androgen levels are higher especially among women. This fluctuation causes the blockage of pores and spreading of acne. Since estrogen helps to maintain a balance in the androgen hormone, doctors often prescribe contraceptive or birth control pills to reduce acne condition in women that enhances the level of estrogen within the body and therefore reduces acne formation.