The impact of menstrual cycle and puberty hormones on your pimples
First things first: we believe in skin confidence! While acne can certainly make you feel low or self-conscious, it is important that you know that nearly every single teen will have acne during their puberty years, which also means the majority of adults you know went through an acne phase too! In fact, 85% of teenagers will get acne. That means out of six of your friends, five of them will have acne at some point - if not now, then in a few years time. Not only is acne normal, it’s also totally not something to feel ashamed or embarrassed about. It’s really no different than a freckle or mole or birthmark, except that it will come and go.
5 tips for feeling great in your skin
Why do so many teenagers have to deal with acne?
During puberty your ovaries work together with your brain to produce lots of hormones. You may have heard that the hormone testosterone is only for those with testicles, but actually during puberty teens with ovaries also produce testosterone. This hormone is the main reason you get acne during your teenage years. Testosterone can be super positive so don’t hate on it too much, in fact testosterone is amazing for creativity, motivation, and energy! This hormone also makes you grow and gives you strong bones and muscles. However, testosterone does cause your skin to change in ways that make it more like you’ll get pimples.
How your periods can cause your pimples
During puberty a few body changes happen before you get your first period. You may get some acne before your first period, as your body starts producing more and more hormones to get ready to begin the menstrual cycle. However, once you start your periods you may notice that acne comes and goes depending on where you are in your cycle. Yes, you are always on a cycle! Each menstrual cycle has two phases and two events - the phases are the luteal phase and follicular phase and the events are the period and ovulation.
Your body makes more testosterone in the follicular phase (that’s the phase between menstruation and ovulation). Your body is making the most testosterone around ovulation. Then, again, right before your period your body produces a bunch of testosterone. So really there are two peaks of testosterone for every menstrual cycle, but remember this may not be every month because teen menstrual cycles can be much longer than that. The thing to know is: there is a pattern! It may feel like there’s always acne around (and maybe there is) but often you will see that acne comes and goes.
What are other causes of acne for teenagers?
Acne is somewhat hereditary - that means if your older siblings or parents experienced acne as teenagers then it is more likely you will experience acne. Ask your family members what their teenage years were like.
When you feel stressed your body produces the hormone cortisol, which also increases the likelihood you will have acne. Cortisol acts on your skin in a similar way to testosterone. This is one reason why it is important to practice self-care and have some strategies to deal with your stress i.e. doing things that are fun and calming for you can help prevent acne! This can be anything from walking in nature, playing with your dog, reading, making art, writing in your journal or having a chat with a friend.
How your skin changes during puberty
So, what is testosterone doing to your skin? It is making your skin produce more sebum (which is like an oil). More sebum means more blocked pores and overall oiliness of your skin. Your skin also gets thicker during puberty, which makes it easier for this excess sebum to build up and cause blocked pores. This can happen with the skin on your face, but also on your chest and back. A combination of sebum and dead skin cells produced by changes in the texture of your skin create all the kinds of pimples you might see - whiteheads, blackheads and cysts.
Hormonal acne that is related to testosterone tends to show up in your “T-zone” which is your forehead and nose area. You may also see hormonal acne on your chin.
How to manage and treat acne during your teenage years
Here are some tips for tackling teen acne:
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As we already said, we believe in skin positivity! Acne is, as you can see, an inevitable part of most of our lives. It is totally normal, happens to most people at some point, and is nothing to feel ashamed about. That said, we totally understand you may feel sensitive about it and want to try at least a few ways to lessen how much acne you experience.
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Tracking your menstrual cycle using Teena will help you to know when ovulation and menstruation are going to happen. As we explained above, ovulation and menstruation are the two events of the menstrual cycle when you are most likely to get pimples because of how much testosterone your body is making. You can journal the appearance of acne in your Teena app and see the pattern that emerges. This can make you feel more in control and confident. When we know what to expect and when, we can feel prepared and calm. We can also plan to be more committed to certain acne treatments during those points in our menstrual cycle.
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Wash your face in the morning and before you go to bed at night and try to make this a regular routine. Remember to do this after sports or if you’ve gotten sweaty. It’s a good idea to use a cleanser with benzoyl peroxide and/or salicylic acid (assuming you do not have an allergy to these, consult a trusted adult and your doctor if needed) as these cleanse and remove dead skin cells. After cleansing, moisturize with a non-comedogenic moisturizer or face oil (this may seem weird, to add oil to an oily face, but it actually can have a counteractive effect).
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Be aware that many drugstore cosmetics will clog your pores. If you use makeup everyday try to choose products that are naturally derived and lighter. Less is more - a little naturally derived concealer is better for the skin than a whole face of heavy foundation. It can be fun to shop around for products that may not be the ones your friends use, but will protect your skin from acne and still have the same look on your skin. If you don’t need to wear make up every day, it’s a good idea to give your skin a break.
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Self-care and stress management are key to managing your puberty hormones overall and also hormonal acne related to cortisol (the stress hormone) and testosterone. Stress can feel unavoidable - like when you have a test or a lot of homework - but try to find ways to reduce stress about everyday things with activities that are fun and calming for you.
Most teens will see acne improve as they get older so know that this is a temporary situation often caused by hormones that are also doing some amazing things for your body, like making you grow, expanding your brain, making you strong and creative!
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/what-is-acne
https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/acne/skin-care/tips#causes
Bui HN, Sluss PM, Blincko S, Knol DL, Blankenstein MA, Heijboer AC. Dynamics of serum testosterone during the menstrual cycle evaluated by daily measurements with an ID-LC-MS/MS method and a 2nd generation automated immunoassay. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23127814/
"Epidemiology of acne vulgaris": https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17515510/
"The prevalence and risk factors of adolescent acne among schoolchildren in Serbia": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7021896/
"Acne vulgaris: prevalence and clinical forms in adolescents from São Paulo, Brazil": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4065280/
"Psychological impact of acne vulgaris: evaluating the evidence": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2923944/
"A cross-sectional study of acne among adolescents in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5593159/
