Preventing the dreaded hormonal breakout
So it is that time of the month again…7-10 days before your period. You can either suffer through the week of pimples/pimple or you can do something about it. I am always surprised to see how many people just give up and don’t do anything about these annoying visitors. Well there are some things you can do, and this is good news for us.
1. You need to break up the existing cellular impactions (that means gunk in the pore) with a daily follicle exfoliant (meaning an agent that can clean the pore out and keep cell buildup from coming back). Some follicle exfoliants include alphahydroxy /betahydroxy blend (glycolic acid aka alphahydroxy acid helps to exfoliate the top layers of skin, while Salicylic acid aka betahydroxy acid can clean the walls inside the pore). An example of this is Rejuvaderm by DermaQuest Skin Therapy. Another option is Benzyol Peroxide which has become my very favorite in the past few years. Keep the strength low for the BPO, like 2 ½ %. This will keep your skin from becoming too dry. These ingredients will help keep the follicle clear so that when we do have these hormone surges and the inflammation and oil come the follicle will be less likely to get clogged (which locks acne bacteria in the pore and creates a perfect environment to thrive).
2. Another plus to Salicylic Acid and Benzoyl Peroxide is that they actually kill acne bacteria. If already have an active breakout, Sulfer and Rescorcinol will help to dry pimples up.
3. What kind of esthetician would I be if I failed to mention the importance to a deep cleansing facial (which includes extractions). It seems to help women if they come in for a treatment midway through their cycle.
4. Of course, these methods might not help everyone. If you get severe breakouts, even with good skin care and treatments, there are medications that can help. I would advise talking to a dermatologist or endocrinologist. They can test you for hormonal disorders and give treatments to lessen the problem.
