Understanding the Connection Between Hormones and Oily Skin

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An important step in managing hormonal acne is understanding your cycle and how it determines the oiliness of your skin. Although you can’t prevent your skin from producing oil (nor should you, as the oil produced by your skin helps protect it and keep it moisturized) you can take steps to control it and prepare for when you know your skin will be at it’s greasiest.

Throughout your cycle, levels of estrogen and progesterone rise and fall, which causes changes in our skin. Estrogen is responsible for making our skin look plump and youthful, while progesterone is known to cause sebum, the oil that is produced in the sebaceous glands, at the base of the hair follicle.

photo courtesy of 5erenity2.com

The second half of your cycle is when you can expect your skin to be the most problematic and oily because that is when progesterone is at it’s highest and estrogen levels are in flux. So what can you do to combat greasy skin during this time? In lieu of washing my face several times a day and drying out my skin, I like to use Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets. They come in small packs that you can carry around in your bag with you. Although they cannot reduce the amount of sebum that your body is producing when progesterone levels are up, they can help prevent additional breakouts caused by the excess oil on your skin.

Source: https://5erenity2.com/blogs/beauty-tips/skin-and-period

*Oil absorbing sheets can also be useful when discontinuing birth control pills and dealing with the newly increased testosterone and decreased estrogen levels that your body is getting used to, which is also a culprit of hormonal acne.