Women Coping with Acne

When you're a teenager acne is viewed as an uncomfortable part of growing up. It always seems to get worse right before that big date or the school dance. You do everything you can to get rid of it while waiting to just simply outgrow it. So, as you slip into your twenties you assume that it'll all be gone. Too often it doesn't work like that.  While the boys are getting over their acne problems some girls are still trying to figure out when it is going to stop. With all the ongoing hormonal changes that a woman goes through, and the pregnant years, acne can be an ongoing problem. Five percent of all women over forty still have some acne condition and this will last until menopause. Only one percent of men over forty still have acne to deal with.

Sometimes acne can be a sign of things that are not going right in your body. It can be a warning sign that there may be hormonal or pituitary gland issues that you must bring to the attention of your health care provider. You'll know this if your acne suddenly stops responding to treatment that had always been successful previously. Or if after not having any acne at all or not for a number of years you suddenly have of a serious outbreak. Another sign to watch for is if you should find your acne gets worse during pregnancy or menstruation. If any of these acne changes occur go to see your health care provider immediately.  They will likely want to do an overall physical to make sure that nothing has suddenly become unbalanced.

Woman also find that in their twenties or even thirties they may experience episodes of mild acne for no known reason. None of the teenage remedies work any more because this bout will be because of different hormonal changes. These kinds of changes can be due to a woman's monthly cycle and can even make for acne that follows the cycle's changes. The more hormonal action going on the more acne the woman has. Then as the levels lower the acne does too or it even completely disappears. In these cases over the counter lotions and creams won't be able to do anything and instead you will have to see your dermatologist for some prescription anti-acne medications.

One of the easiest methods of controlling acne in women is to put them on the pill. That's right your dermatologist will likely suggest using oral contraceptive pills to regulate your hormone levels and control the acne. They will suggest a pill with a low dose. Unless the woman is looking to get pregnant at that moment this solution is actually a very good one for treating mild to moderately bad acne. Some women don't like using the pill because some can have mild side effects. There are other similar remedies that a dermatologist can offer then a woman will have to choose what best suits her.