Premenstrual Acne - What Is It And How To Prevent It

Have you ever had acne breakouts a week or ten days before your monthly periods? This is premenstrual acne, caused by changes in hormone levels. There are effective ways to treat and prevent this type of acne.

Why Do Women Get Premenstrual Acne?

Your menstrual cycle involves fluctuations in hormone levels. Besides producing female hormones like estrogen and progesterone, a woman's body also makes male hormones called Androgens, in smaller amounts than in men.

Androgen hormones like testosterone can cause your sebum glands to produce more of this natural skin lubricant. Sebum in the normal levels keeps your skin healthy, hydrated, and supple. However, Androgens can trigger excess sebum secretion. This can cause clogged skin pores.

The sticky sebum then collects hair fragments and dirt, and this can cause blackheads and whiteheads, the early stage of acne. Then, the dirt becomes a good environment for bacterial growth, causing pimples, pustules and papules.

When estrogen and other female hormone levels drop in the latter half of your menstruation cycle, the balance of female to male hormones gets disturbed. There is a proportional increase in male hormones, which can stimulate the sebum glands to produce more than normal levels of sebum.

This is why many women suffer from premenstrual acne.

How to Treat and Prevent Premenstrual Acne

There are many methods used to treat this type of acne. You can use topical applications, pills, facial therapies etc.

You can try using birth control pills, which help reduce androgen levels and so help reduce sebum production. However, this treatment is not advisable for everyone, and it can have some adverse side effects. Get all the details from your doctor before you begin using contraceptives as acne treatment.

You can use retinol creams, these are considered as the best best cream for pimples. They slough off dead skin cells, stimulate the growth of new skin tissues and also kick start collagen production. Collagen is a structural protein that gives form and volume to skin. This can also be a treatment for acne scars, as collagen can fill out the pits and fine wrinkles caused by acne.

You can use salicylic creams or topical applications that contain Benzoyl Peroxide. They induce exfoliation, and Benzoyl Peroxide can also reduce skin oil level. However, this can leave your skin feeling dry, so ask your doctor before you use this. Avoid this treatment if you have sensitive skin.

Antibiotics are also used in acne treatment, to control the bacteria that causes severe acne breakouts.

Prevention Measures

●     Practice good hygiene, avoid frequently touching your face with your hands, this can transfer microorganisms from your hand to your face

●     Cleanse your face with a gentle cleanser or mild soap twice everyday

●     If you have oily skin, use gel-based skin care products rather than oil-based ones

●     Exfoliate regularly. Ask your doctor on how frequently you can exfoliate depending on your skin type

●     Try some good Acne treatments like Kaya Black Peel Treatment, which uses organic materials and vitamins and minerals to exfoliate, cleanse and nourish your skin. The peel eventually results in the growth of healthy new skin to replace dull and damaged skin

You can also add Kaya Advanced Acne Care Kit to your skin care arsenal.

Kaya Acne Care Set

This special acne treatment and prevention kit contains:

A Salicylic Acid Cleanser: Salicylic Acid is a commonly used treatment for acne. It cleanses your face, gently exfoliates, remove dirt and reduces excess oil. This cleanser also contains olive oil that helps in keeping your skin hydrated and nourished, even as it is cleansed.

A Gentle but Effective Toner: This toner contains Mandelic Acid that helps remove dead skin cells and at the same time tightens the cleansed pores. The Niacinamide in this toner also helps in tightening large open pores and it reduces pigmentation caused by acne. Therefore, this can also be a good treatment for open pores as well acting as a pimple marks removal cream.

Gel-Based Moisturiser: This moisturiser is lightweight and gets quickly absorbed into the skin, leaving no oily sheen on the skin. It is enriched with almond oil, aloe vera, and rose extracts, to hydrate and rejuvenate your skin.

Spot Corrector: This is an emergency application to use when you spot zits on your face. This bottle comes with a brush-applicator cap. Use this to extract a spot of the liquid and apply it directly on the zit to heal it fast.

This kit from kaya clinic can be in your skin care set, to treat and prevent acne and to reduce acne marks/pimple marks.