I have been suffering from hormonal acne for some years now. Hormonal acne is a type of acne caused due to hormonal fluctuation and can be stubborn as it has internal reasons and not external. Mild hormonal acne is experienced by 8 out of 10 girls- this type of acne appears only before menstruation and goes away after menstruation cycle. The acne caused by continuous intake of birth control pills (for eg. Diane 35) is a severe one. One the birth control pill is stopped, it causes a sudden outbreak of severe acne all over face and lasts for years- this is due to sudden hormonal imbalance since you no longer provide oestrogen artificially. I was prescribed the birth control for irregular menstruation cycle (and most gynaecologists prescribe birth control pills as they provide oestrogen) for 6 months and once I stopped taking the pill, I had severe painful.
You cannot entirely get rid of the acne quickly as it will gradually go away and might take years. What you can do is use some home remedies and few products to keep acne in control. Here are some home remedies/tips and tricks that I have used and they are quite effective:
PREVENTIVE MEASURES
A key way to treat acne is to prevent it before it happens. With hormonal acne, we can pretty much tell when and where zits are going to pop up. Let’s use this knowledge to our advantage and start using acne fighting products a few days before your period starts. Use anti-acne face masks, spot treatments and face washes containing salicylic acid.
PROPER DIET
Many theories about diet and acne abound. Dermatologists really didn’t believe in all the dietary restrictions for acne, but studies in the past ten years have convinced them/everyone a bit. Dairy and high-glycaemic foods do seem to play a part. High-sugar diets are known to feed bacteria; any diet that increases overall inflammation in the body doubtlessly plays a part. Specific diets from Ayurveda to low-carb to veganism definitely work for some people.
RETINOL
Retino creams work amazingly in keeping hormonal acne in control. I am using retino A cream since long and I occasionally get 1-2 pimples wherein my face right now is supposed to be filled with acne! Retino creams take time to work but when they start showing effects, you can visibly see the difference.
FACE OILS
Lookout for facial oils for acne and oily skin. They do a great work in controlling acne and providing hydration too. When I started getting hormonal acne after stopping the pills, I obviously could not use retino since my face was already inflamed and retino might add on to it (retino creams cause inflammation and skin peeling the initial days) so I searched for some facial oils. Clarins lotus oil worked like a charm and literally saved my skin!
REMAIN CALM, HAPPY AND STRESS-FREE
Stress has an enormous impact on hormones and acne, so don’t underestimate the power of stressing less. Whenever you’re stressed, your body pumps out more cortisol. More cortisol (stress hormone) in your system increases androgens (male sex hormone) and causes more acne.
USE FULLER’S EARTH AND SANDALWOOD POWDER
Fuller’s earth also known as multani mitti and sandalwood powder is good for greasy and acne-prone skin as it absorbs excess oil (without over-drying your skin) and unclogs the pores. Mix equal proportions of Fuller’s earth (multani mitti), rose water, and sandalwood powder. You can add more rose water to get a better consistency of the paste. Apply this mud pack to your face. Wash after it dries up. Repeat the process once a week.