What Does Dht Have To Do With Hormonal Acne
Recent studies have shown that acne affects around 85 percent of the population. It may manifest itself during puberty, but that doesn’t keep it from attacking men in women during their adulthood.
Hormonal acne is considered one of the most common types of acne. This type of acne is caused when hormonal levels fluctuate, especially during a woman’s menstrual cycle.
In most women, hormonal acne appears because women’s estrogen levels are high at mid-cycle. The high levels of hormones stimulate the sebaceous glands, causing extra sebum and, consequently, acne breakouts.
Pregnancy is also a time in which hormonal fluctuations can lead to acne breakouts. During the third trimester of pregnancy a woman’s body will go through hormonal fluctuations as her levels of testosterone increase and her levels of estrogen decrease. This hormonal rollercoaster can lead to acne breakouts.
This type of acne usually presents itself on the face but can also appear on the chest and back. Hormonal acne is usually mild and not prone to leaving behind acne scars. More than likely it will only produce papules, small nodules, and comedones.
Because hormonal acne is caused by internal factors, the best acne treatment isn’t necessarily an acne cream. There’s no doubt that these products can treat the symptoms, however, if you want to treat the root cause of acne, you’ll need something for effective. This why I want to talk to you about DHT inhibitors.
DHT stands for dihydrotestosterone, which is an androgen that derives from testosterone. This steroid hormone has been used to suppress tumors in cancer victims, but also plays an important role in preventing male pattern baldness.
But what does that have to do with acne? DHT is known to stimulate the production of sebum which can lead to clogged pores. For this reason, it plays an important role in the development of acne.
To counteract these effects, it is important to neutralize the DHT in your system. As a matter of fact, there are several dermatologist treatments that include DHT inhibitors to help control hormonal acne.
Medications including finastride and dutasteride are used to treat problems stemming from DHT. The problem with these medications is that they are mostly created to treat male pattern baldness and other types of alopecia, but not acne problems. So before deciding that you can treat your acne with any one of these medications, consult your doctor. The long term effects are still unknown.
While the hormonal therapy takes effect, it is a good idea to rely on natural skin care products to address any active acne. Natural skin care products are safe and can be effectively used on any skin type without causing negative side-effects.