Menopause acne: the return of pimples
It’s Saturday and you have a date with that hot guy in your Science class. You’ve had a crush on him since grade 9 and he has finally asked you out. You’ve been planning your outfit for days, and you know exactly how you are going to do your hair. You walk into the bathroom to start primping and preening and stare into the mirror in horror.
There they are. Several huge pimples leaping off your face, and you know that no amount of cover stick is going to hide them.
Fast forward thirty years. It’s Saturday and you have a date with your husband. The kids are farmed out at their friends’ places for the entire weekend! You’ve been planning your outfit for days, and you know exactly how you are going to do your hair. You walk into the bathroom to start primping and preening and stare into the mirror in horror.
There they are. Several huge pimples leaping off your face, and you know that no amount of cover stick is going to hide them.
What the?
They’re baaaaacccckkkk.
Welcome to menopause acne.
Why have the pimples returned?
For the same reason they showed up when we were teenagers, namely wildly fluctuating hormones. Only this time there is a bit of a twist. Just like thirty years ago, our sebaceous glands are going into sebum producing overdrive. But this time our skin cells are dying off faster then they can be sloughed off. This means our hair follicles become clogged with a double whammy of hair and dead skin cells.
Kaboom. Pimples.
Can we eliminate or at least reduce menopause acne?
Check out your diet. If you are eating a carbohydrate rich diet, your insulin can be turning into androgen, which is one of the hormones responsible for pumping out the oil.
Drink lots of water. Are you getting your eight to ten glasses a day?
Studies show that Vitamin B and Vitamin C help calm down oil production, so you might want to add these as supplements.
Keep your skin clean and exfoliate regularly to remove the dead skin cells. Using toner helps close up the pores so that daily dirt and grime doesn’t get trapped inside.
Make sure it is acne
This is from personal experience. You should check with your doctor to make sure this is acne and not rosacea. The worst thing you can do for rosacea is treat it like acne.
I have rosacea and ideally should only use water on my face, although I have found a few cleaners that are passable. Exfoliation is an absolute no-no, as is toner. Both of these cause nasty flare ups. As rosacea sufferers know, facial skin needs to be treated with the utmost care.
This too shall pass
Once you have determined it is menopause acne, and you are following a proper diet and engaging in daily skin care, the only other thing to do is wait it out.
Just like in teens, our hormones do eventually settle down, and our skin will return to normal.
And that date with your husband? A nice push up bra will do the trick. Trust me, he won’t even notice a pimply nose.
Products For Women By Women
Looking for books on dealing gracefully with menopause? The following books have the Silver & Grace Seal of Approval as excellent resources for women. They are available through Amazon.
Female Brain Gone Insane: An Emergency Guide For Women Who Feel Like They Are Falling Apart
The Hormone Survival Guide for Perimenopause: Balance Your Hormones Naturally
Menopause For Dummies
For more Silver & Grace approved books check out Eliza’s Recommendations.
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