Women and Acne

Women have a hard time when it comes to acne because they tend to be judged more on their looks than men and their hormonal system makes them more prone to acne at certain times. As if this were not enough, treatment options are also often more expensive than they are for men and so the costs are often more difficult to meet.

Girls tend to develop acne earlier than boys with acne commonly appearing at about the age of 11 in girls as opposed to 13 for boys. This is largely because girls tend to mature faster than boys and generally enter puberty anywhere from a few months to a couple of years ahead of boys.

During puberty the human hormone system sees rapid increases in levels of several well known hormones, such as estrogen or testosterone, and these include one class of hormones which receives little attention (but which is important to the onset of acne) and which is known as androgens. All of these hormones are shared by both boys and girls but, as already noted, the rise in these hormones occurs sooner in girls.

About sixty-five percent of all teenagers will develop at least a mild form of acne and for girls the condition tends to last longer, at least cyclically. As women enter their 20s, their menstrual cycles tend to increase the possibility of developing acne and, as these follow a monthly cycle, so does the acne.

The problem of acne then tends to persist throughout the years of reproductive capacity and more than fifty percent of women (against forty-two percent of men) between the ages of 20 and 29 develop acne. These numbers then drop significantly between the ages of 30 and 39 to thirty-five percent and twenty percent respectively. By the time a woman reaches her 40s the number has reduced to twenty-six percent (twelve percent for men).

The severity of acne in women follows a similar pattern and between the third and fourth weeks of the menstrual cycle inflammations increase by about twenty-five percent and the incidence of blackheads and whiteheads rises by about twenty percent.

Pregnancy offers a little bit of relief, although it largely tends to shift the pattern and doesn't eliminate acne altogether. During pregnancy, outbreaks of acne can occur at any time and skin changes, even for those women who have never had acne, are a frequent occurrence when a woman is carrying.

The largest number of cases of acne tends to appear during the first trimester, which is not surprising as this is the time when hormone levels are changing most rapidly. The birth of the baby will often put an end to acne outbreaks, although they do tend to persist for a while in women who choose to breastfeed.

Although women must always be more careful about what medications they take when pregnant, normal over-the-counter treatments are considered safe. However, some studies have suggested that isotretinoin (Accutane) and tetracycline (doxycycline), which are often used to treat severe acne, should not be used during pregnancy as they may lead to development problems in the fetus or birth defects.