Teenage Acne And The Role Of Hormones

You may think you have teenage acne as some sort of punishment for a crime you didn't even know you committed. Actually though, you're breaking out for two main reasons. The first is that, as you mature, your hormones are telling your oil glands to produce too much oil, and your body isn't handling the oil very well. Another reason you're breaking out? Well, you may be able to go ahead and blame your parents or other ancestors for this one. Heredity plays a huge role in whether you end up with acne.

 

 

By the time you hit puberty, it may seem like all you hear about is hormones and how they're to blame for every problem you have, from shyness to a low paying job to acne. In the case of acne, what people are telling you is the truth. Hormones are to blame!

 

Hormones are the chemical messengers that provide the signals that regulate many of your body's functions and that are responsible for the changes you experience during puberty. They're also responsible for bringing your acne to the forefront.

 

The most important hormones when it comes to acne are your androgens. Androgens are really a group of closely related hormones. The androgen testosterone is the main "male" hormone. Besides bringing on puberty-related changes, it's also central to our acne story.

 

Androgens are a natural part of development for both boys and girls, but boys tend to produce more of them, especially testosterone, which is why boys have bigger bodies and stubbly beards. The higher level of testosterone in boys is considered to be the reason that they tend to get more severe breakouts of acne than do girls. As in males, androgens also are necessary for the development of acne in females.

 

Estrogen and progesterone are female hormones that play the primary role in puberty. These female hormones play less important roles in the evolution of teenage acne than do androgens, but their influence on acne's ups and downs, as well as their part in its treatment, is significant.

 

During puberty, the levels of androgens in both boys and girls starts to climb and begins to stimulate your oil glands to grow and produce more sebum. If you develop acne, you probably don't have higher amounts of these androgens; it's more likely that you have a higher sensitivity to them.

 

And how's this for an entry in the "perfect timing" category: Just when you guys begin to shave, up pop those bumps that get in the way of your razor. Now you have the added problem of having to shave over and around those papules and pustules. It's like an obstacle course!