Aeqium
Perimenopausal acne, what can you do? Causes and useful tips
- July 12, 2023
- 9:00 am
Throughout life, our skin can be challenged by various changes and problems, acne being one of them.
We might think that this discomfort typically occurs during the teenage years, affecting both boys and girls, but it is not always the case.
In fact, premenopausal acne also exists: a phenomenon that is certainly less well known but still affects about 15% of women.
Generally it is not a serious condition, but the unexpected appearance of pimples and red spots on the face, even in older age, still tends to awaken insecurities and discomfort about one’s appearance.
Therefore, in today’s article we will learn why pimples can occur during perimenopause, where they are commonly located and, most importantly, how to deal with them.
Let’s start by answering the simple question “What is acne?”
This term refers to an inflammation of pilosebaceous glands found in the dermis, with outward manifestations that can range from small pustules to full-blown cysts or fistulas.
In the vast majority of cases the situation remains under control, but in order to avoid any aggravation it is best to pay proper attention to the skin, focusing on a few but very useful skincare steps.
Causes of premenopausal acne
We know that hormones play a fundamental role, especially in women’s lives, therefore acne is also affected by hormonal balance, which experiences various shocks both in adolescence and during the period leading up to the end of fertile age.
In perimenopause (which we could indicatively identify as the age range between 42-43 up to about ten years later) we begin to witness two opposite situations: a gradual drop in oestrogen production and an increase in testosterone.
As a result, progesterone, one of the hormones involved in preparing the body for pregnancy, also slopes downwards and can generate a number of possible consequences: thinning hair, increased fatty tissue on the abdomen and hips, hirsutism and even acne.
The skin texture also changes, becoming thinner, more sensitive and drier.
Lastly, the predominance of testosterone causes the body to produce less collagen and elastin, making it difficult for the epidermis to retain water.
Overall the skin barrier is no longer as functional and elastic as it used to be, making it prone to the appearance of irritative and then inflammatory phenomena that can lead to acne.
Premenopausal pimple appearance areas
Usually, rashes occur on the cheeks and chin, the areas most susceptible to hormonal stress (where hair may also increase).
Furuncles on the forehead, on the other hand, are rarer and usually not directly related to hormonal activity, but rather to dietary ‘mistakes’ or foods that are poorly tolerated by the body.
More rarely, pustules may appear on the back, a phenomenon usually associated with a somewhat severe acne situation on the face.
Skincare and adult acne improvement tips
Although the problem is mostly aesthetic and not medical, it is still an inconvenience because it involves the face: our first ‘business card’.
It therefore becomes understandable to want to stem acne in perimenopause, trying not only to hide it with good makeup but above all by implementing a global approach, in order to fortify and help the skin.
This is possible by acting both internally and externally, starting from a double beauty strategy based on:
- proper cleansing;
- gentle exfoliation.
The cleansing routine should be based on products with a soothing and especially anti-inflammatory action.
Aggressive or markedly anti-sebum treatments are forbidden, because premenopausal skin, being thinner, does not need constant purification, but instead gentleness.
It is therefore not convenient to counteract, but to act by affinity, and this is precisely what the Aeqium Face Cleanser, rich in soothing substances such as aloe vera, double molecular weight hyaluronic acid and squalane, does.
Anti-inflammatory and repairing principles are also contained in allantoin, vitamin E and shea butter.
The regenerative capacity of the mix of ingredients in the Face Cleanser (to be used morning and evening) also helps to reduce marks and hyperpigmentation caused by scars left by old furuncles.
Let’s move on to exfoliation.
For this beauty treatment it would be best to choose a very gentle product that acts without mechanical action (without thick granules that would damage and inflame the tissue even more).
Acne-prone skin needs to breathe more, so it is very helpful to use scrubs or acids (salicylic and mandelic are excellent), so that they can be applied up to three times a week.
The increased production of testosterone, in fact, leads the sebaceous glands to produce much more sebum, the accumulation of fat and dirt inevitably triggers the inflammatory process, even more so if the pores are not free.
This is why exfoliation plays a fundamental role in the strategy of perfecting premenopausal skin.
The Face Cream will then conclude the skincare, nourishing and rebalancing the hydrolipidic film.
It is well known, however, that when it comes to the skin, what we eat has a crucial impact; since a lack of collagen leads to ‘losing’ moisture in the superficial layers of the epidermis, it is essential to drink 2 to 3 litres of water daily.
The advice for nutrition is to eat mostly seasonal vegetables and fruit, vitamin D-rich fish, nuts, legumes, white meat and eggs.
This way you will maintain your weight while also providing high-quality nutrition for your skin.
It would also be a good habit to reduce the use of salt, so as to avoid water retention and encourage a better tissue appearance (especially in the buttocks, hips and abdomen) while also avoiding ‘subtracting’ precious liquids from the epidermis.
Basically, the cleaner and more hydrated the skin is, the better it will be able to defend itself against inflammatory phenomena that can lead to acne in adulthood.