Everything You Need To Know About Periods And Acne Flare From A Gynecologist

Abdominal pain, bloating, cramps and never ending mood swings is not all periods bring in every month. Where ovaries make a woman go through all this discomfort and uneasiness in the form of periods, this is not all. Abdominal region and vagina are not the only things that your periods affect, but it can have effects on your skin as well. Many women experience a change in their appearance like the occurrence of breakouts and acne. Where acne can be caused due to various reasons like excessive sebum production, clogged pores, unhealthy eating habits and not following proper hygiene. Where all these reasons are not all that contribute to ruining your appearance but mind you that your menstrual cycle has to be equally responsible for it. Let us take a look at the relation between your menstrual cycle and acne with Dr. Yuvi Jadeja, Gynecologist and Fertility expert.

What’s the relation between Periods and Acne?

Where acne has a lot to do with your hormones, your periods do bring some changes in the hormones present in your body. Where these blemishes and acne are not just of one type but can come in many forms such as blackheads, whiteheads, cysts, pustules, nodules and papules. The reason behind the occurrence of these blemishes and acne, before and during the menstrual cycle is because of the imbalance of hormones. These hormones tend to fluctuate during the time of periods. The estrogen and progesterone levels tend to change just before the start of the menstrual cycle. This sudden drop in hormone level can secrete an oily substance called sebum that lubricates the skin by triggering the sebaceous glands. This lubrication of skin can lead into clogged pores that eventually leads to breakouts and acne.

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Along with other symptoms that your periods come up with such as mood swings, abdominal cramps, stress, sore breasts and other PMS symptoms show up due to the imbalance in these hormones.

Why do Acne Flares in the second week of periods?

Where acne can definitely be a mood killer, when accompanied with your periods, it can be a total disaster. Where we all have dealt with various PMS symptoms and those sudden breakouts that show up every month with your periods, it is important to understand what causes them and the real reason behind them. Let us take a quick look at what Dr. Yuvi Jadeja Has to say about this “Post ovulation your estrogen levels drop and the progesterone levels increase. This change in hormonal levels leads to increased sebum production and compression of pores. This results in increased production of sebum that causes acne and breakdowns.”

Where usually these breakouts and acne usually goes away with periods but in some cases it might be a little different. Where testosterones are hormones that present in the female bodies as well, they tend to affect differently in different cases depending upon their levels in the body.

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Also Read: 8 Home Remedies To Regulate Menstrual Cycle

Towards the end of periods, the fluctuation  in the levels of testosterone hormones the sebaceous gland tends to get triggered and results in overproduction of sebum and clogs the pores. The clogged pores and excess sebum become a perfect home for bacteria and leads to acne. This hormonal acne mostly occurs in the area around your jawline and the chin. It is best to leave these breakouts alone and not to pop them as doing so can cause a lot of discomfort and result in permanent scarring.

Treatment

Where period acne usually goes away on its own with the exit of your periods, but waiting for it to go away on its own is not always an option, specially when you get an event to attend. As always we have got your back in order to treat those breakouts and acne in time so that you don't lose your glow before that big party. Here are a few things that can help you to fix this situation, and believe us popping them is not an option. Go on and follow these simple treatment options to get rid of those period breakouts caused due to the fluctuation of hormones.

• Birth Control Pills- Also Known as the hormonal pill, a birth control pill can be really helpful in these times. Oral contraception has been used for a long time in order to treat acne. It helps in dealing with the situation of breakouts by helping to regulate the fluctuating hormones. 

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• Benzoyl Peroxide- A treatment used to treat acne, benzoyl peroxide is a medicine that is commonly used to treat acne and is proven to be helpful for period acne as well. Where this medication is very helpful in treating acne, it should not be used without a doctor’s prescription.
• Proper hygiene- One of the most important things that you need to do not just to treat period acne but to keep all types of breakouts at bay such as cysts, whiteheads, blackheads, papules, pustules and nodules. Washing your face twice a day with a mild face wash and not touching it again and again with your dirty hands, is a practice that you need to follow in order to have clear acne free skin. 
• Tea tree oil- For the lovers of DIYs, tea tree oil is a topical treatment that works in most of the cases. Known for its antibacterial properties, applying tea tree oil on the site of these breakouts can help to reduce inflammation and the appearance of these breakouts along with reducing the pain. 
• Avoid- It's not all just about the things you need to do but sometimes it is about the ones that you are not supposed to. Avoiding applying products such as oil based cosmetics, heavy sunscreens, and concealers can encourage the bacteria to grow on the surface of your skin and give rise to more of these breakouts. Apart from this one thing that you totally need to avoid is those damaging UV rays that come from the harsh sunlight.

This Article is based upon a post shared by Dr. Yuvi Jadeja on her instagram handle.