Hormones and acne part 2

Earlier this week, we talked about Hormones and Acne and some of the examples both women and men face with this.   Today, I would like to talk about Hormones and acne Part 2 to help you understand the process a little bit more.

What are hormones?  Hormones and acne part 2

We have quite a few hormones in our bodies floating around in our bloodstream.  Without hormones, our bodies would be different.  A lot of what the body does is because of our hormones so we do have to learn about them and how to deal with them.

When it comes to pimples, there is a hormone called androgen hormones and our oil follicles are affected by them.  We find these androgen hormones in our ovaries and adrenal glands.  The other hormones are estrogen and progesterone – plus testosterone.  Both males and females have these hormones – it just depends on the amount.  Further, it is the testosterone hormone that makes us break out with acne, pimples, and blemishes.

Proteins and hormones

There is a protein that the liver produces that aids in moving these androgen hormones throughout our bodies.  When we’re talking about acne prone skin, this protein is a major driver because it will dictate the amount of these hormones that get to where they are going in our skin.

The hormones attach to this protein (called SHBG protein) and they can cause issues.  Depending on where you find them, they can turn into testosterone.  Only a small portion of the testosterone that you find on the skin is stemming from the ovaries.  Everything else is from the other hormones in the blood.  I know it’s a bit technical but good to understand what’s happening.

Enzymes

Next, we have an enzyme.  These transform into DHT and can energize the sebaceous glands.  Doing this can encourage more oil to be made.  Not only that, but it basically alerts the hair follicle so you may find more hair growth.

Basically androgens attached to SHBG aren’t as efficient in connecting with the tissues they were meant to connect with.

All of these things that are happening beneath the surface can affect our skin.  So Hormones and Acne are very inter-related and why I wanted to give you some technical information to help you understand better how it all works in this series of Hormones and Acne Part 2.

Stay tuned to get more information on hormones and how your skin is affected…I want to tackle your questions to help you figure out why you keep getting acne because you may not realize that it could be these pesky hormones.