A change of life - that's what menopause is. It is the hallmark of changes that would lead to the actual menopausal event (that is the last menstrual bleeding of a woman) and the subsequent years after. Menopause then is the period of life in women when they have approached the stage of fertility loss, thus they would no longer be able to conceive after they have bled their last.
Apart from the loss of monthly menstruation, a woman in this stage will also experience a lot of changes which are usually hormonal imbalances. Women produce hormones called progesterone and estrogen while men have their own androgen. While these hormones could be found in various levels between both and women, estrogen and progesterone are still considered as the main hormones of the females. Since these hormones have their individual and vital functions for the development of women (most active during puberty and pregnancy), gradual loss of may mean gradual changes in the body. And during menopausal stage, the hormonal imbalances caused by declined production of the ovaries which will soon shut down would create various changes in the human body which include hot flashes, mood swings and menopausal acne or adult female acne.
The production of the female adult acne, like many other physical changes, is caused by hormones. But as we have said earlier, women during menopause are likely to have deficiency on the progesterone and estrogen. But since they continuously produce male sex hormones on small basis, several functions that are characterized with this hormone would still continue mature. Androgens, the male sex hormone, are responsible for muscular development, for stimulating the hair follicles and for the production of the skin oil or the sebum. The latter is the main culprit for the excessive development f the acne on adult female skin.
Aside from oil production testosterone also affects the manner by which the skin disposes its dead cells. There is a high possibility then that these cells are trapped in the hair follicles and the pores along with the excess oil that have been produced. The accumulation of dirt on the outer layer of the skin plus the mixture of oil and dead skin cells in the pores will trigger the immune system to send its white blood ells to prevent the inflammation. But since all these components would e trapped in the pores, the white blood cells along with the oil and the dirt would get trapped inside the pores. Thus, producing inflamed red bumps or acne.
This cosmetic problem is very distressing among menopausal women. But since the problem lies with the deficient production of female sex hormones, the usual treatment used in these cases is the hormone-replacement therapy. This treatment uses anti-androgen progestin and estrogen to counter the excessive production of oil and the loss of many functions that are associated with progesterone and estrogen.
But aside from this major treatment, there are other easy solutions that a woman can use to counteract the production of acne. These include the following:
Maintenance of good skin, due to your lost of elasticity in your, you now have to attend to your skin more often to maintain your complexion. You could also apply non-comedogenic topical solutions or creams. Comedon is simply the medical term for blackheads and whiteheads, so non-comedogenic means solutions that would not stimulate the breakout of acne.
Skin cleansers which are soap-free are also good for your skin. It is also good not to use soaps with high moisturizer content as this may aggravated the present skin problems. The use of astringent must also be minimized. Although this can aid the skin to remove the excessive oil production, the benefits are only short-term which might also lead to irritation. Abrasive cleansing of the skin must be prevented as this may irritate the blackhead and whiteheads and the developing acne.
Regular sunbathing must also be minimized. While some women have noticed improved changes on their acne after sunbathing, too much exposure in the sun would likely lead to more grave consequences.
Lastly, another great solution for acne removal is simply by maintaining good diet and regular consumption of fluids. Diet and fluids may not have direct effect on acne these could result to far healthier skin which is crucial during the menopausal stage.
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