How do Hormones Affect Female Skin?

 by: Clarita Milles

Hormones and women, how do they affect the skin? This article would be different if it were for men, because women have a monthly cycle where hormonal levels fluctuate all month long. Understanding how the hormones work will shed light on common issues such as acne and hyper pigmentation. Later in this article we will focus on just three hormones, and how an imbalance amongst these three chemicals can affect the skin.

Types of Hormones

Estrogen: Estrogen is the main sex hormone in females. It is responsible for sexual maturity, breast and hip development, and fat distribution in these areas. It also causes the sexual organs to mature and be able to reproduce.

Progesterone: Progesterone is the hormone that maintains the thickened uterine wall after ovulation (or the releasing of a monthly egg.) This is so that the walls can grow stronger to accept a possible fertilized egg. The monthly rise in estrogen and progesterone levels in women are to blame for monthly PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome).

Androgens: Androgens are the hormones in the body that promote male characteristics. However they are very important in the female body, as they can be converted by the ovaries into extra estrogen during a woman's monthly cycle. They trigger hair growth, libido, kidney functions, and sebum (oil) secretion among other things.

Effects of Hormones on Womens' Skin

The hormonal chemicals in the body do indeed control the skin organ in a big way. Hair growth, skin coloring, oil secretion and acne are all dictated by the hormones in the body. Sometimes there is too much of one hormone, or the blocker for that hormone's enabler is low. Certain things missing in the diet can lead to these imbalances, as can your genes, as some imbalances are hereditary.

Some skin disorders caused by hormonal imbalances include:

Hirutism: Hirutism is the excessive growth of hair in places where it doesn't normally grow on a female. Thick facial hair on a woman's face can be a sign of Hirutism. It is usually due to high androgen levels. Conditions that can cause high androgen levels include polycystic ovary syndrome (caused by an imbalance of sex hormones) and Cushing's syndrome (caused by high levels cortisol hormone). However, Hirutism can also be hereditary, occurring in completely healthy women.

Pigmentation: Pigmentation, also known as liver spots, is a disorder of skin complexion and color. It occurs mainly due to the malfunctioning of the live and/or endocrine glands, which control some hormones in the body. Skin pigmentation problems occur as either an excessive coloration or darkening of the skin or a loss of color and pigment in the skin, over the entire body or just in patches and spots.

Hormonal acne: A common hormonal imbalance symptom in women is hormonal acne. Adult hormonal acne causes much anguish for many women, leading them to try all sorts of acne scars cream (http://www.acnescarscream.com/). Understanding exactly what causes it is necessary for knowing how to treat it.

Hormonal acne is caused by the male hormone, androgen. At the beginning of the menstrual cycle, estrogen levels in the female body steadily increase. Approximately 36 hours before ovulation, these levels will peak. The female body requires extra estrogen for this to happen. The body gets it from androgens, which are converted into extra estrogen by the ovaries. This is why the female body has a raised androgen level before ovulation, and this hormone causes extra oil secretion in the skin. Although this is a natural process and acne is a natural result of it, some women experience severe hormonal fluctuations, including abnormally high levels of androgen. This leads to severe hormonal acne.