Menopause comes with changes, both emotional and biological. It

is when a woman stops menstruating for over a year that she

goes through menopause and there are many symptoms

associated with this condition. Skin problems, muscle and bone

weakening, hot flashes, mood changes and joint pains are some

common complaints. Some women experience acne during this

menopause period.

Menopause and Acne: Causes

Do not be alarmed if you witness acne during menopause, as it is

quite common. Acne is linked with a menopausal woman taking

HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) treatment. The HRT has

progestin in the treatment and can cause the skin to breakout in a

rash or acne, if excessive androgen is produced. However,

treatment is possible through a form of Vitamin A, called retinaic

acid.

Apart from acne during menopause, many women suffer from

discomfort caused due to flaky or itchy skin. This condition called,

seborrhea, is considered a close cousin of initial acne. Topical

creams, especially those containing progesterone, are helpful in

clearing it up. Estrogen use should be limited for those wishing to

prevent the breakout of acne, as estrogen used in a cream form

can result in skin discoloration, rashes, as well as oily skin.

Any change in the normal hormonal setting can trigger off acne

during menopause. It can be due to issues like imbalanced

nutrition or emotional dysfunction, like unresolved relationships or

lack of physical exercise that affects the metabolism, and thereby

disrupts proper functioning of hormones.

Menopause and Acne: Treatments

Menopause and acne are problems that have led many women to

resort to counseling for clarification as a menopause related issue.

Health care practitioners acknowledge that this skin eruption may

happen due to the change of life. Menopause is medically

considered as a stage in a woman's life, during which significant

hormonal changes take place, and a woman slowly loses her

fertility, or ability to conceive.

The reason for hormonal dysfunction is linked with the female sex

hormones: estrogens and progesterone production decline and

lead to problems in the skin and organs. Thus, when menopause

sets in, there is a gradual shutdown of the ovaries and the

hormone deficiency is permanent. This hormone deficiency triggers

off other typical symptoms of menopause and mood swings, hot

flashes and adult female acne occurs.

To further understand the underlying causes of adult female acne,

it is necessary to follow how one of the strongest androgens,

testosterone, causes the skin to produce more sebum. Sebum is

actually skin oil, the increased production of which is responsible

for blocking skin cells, and making it difficult for a woman to slough

off dead cells.

When these skin cells are caught in the pores and hair follicles,

already filled with excess oil, it results in pimples and acne. A plug

of waxy oil and skin cells is formed, and this causes inflammation

and infection. If not treated in time, the pimples become a full-

blown case of acne.

Menopause and acne in women need not be a cause of distress

any more because the estrogen deficiency causing acne breakouts,

loss of skin firmness and texture are a cosmetic problem which has

new treatments and effective cures available today.