One group that is affected by acne well beyond adolescence is adult
women. An estimated 5 percent of adult women have persistent
acne that does not subside after puberty. An even larger number
develop acne when they reach their twenties or thirties. Many of
these women did not have acne as teenagers, while others had acne
during their teen years that disappeared when puberty ended.
Then, when these women reach their twenties or thirties, acne
symptoms reappear as a result of fluctuating hormone levels caused
by pregnancy, their monthly menstrual cycle, or hormonal imbalances.
In fact, experts estimate that as many as 50 percent of all
adult women suffer from acne. A woman describes her experience:
“I had acne in high school. Luckily, it cleared up my senior year
and my face was pretty clear through college. Now I am twentysix,
and started getting acne again.”
Some women experience only occasional acne flare-ups. Since
the female menstrual cycle causes hormone levels to rise and fall,
many experts believe these flare-ups occur when lower than normal
levels of the female sex hormone, estrogen, are being produced.
Estrogen is known to counterbalance the production of androgen.
Therefore, without sufficient estrogen, androgen production increases unchecked, leading to acne flare-ups. At other times, when
estrogen levels are high and androgen levels are low, these women’s
skin remains clear. Experts are unsure why this problem does not
affect all women, but they theorize it is more likely to occur in
women who, for unknown reasons, have the greatest fluctuation
in their hormone levels.
Similarly, acne often flares up at different times during pregnancy
as a pregnant woman’s hormone levels change in order to accommodate
her body’s changing needs. Comparable hormonal changes
often occur in some women after they give birth. As a result, some
adult women develop acne shortly after their babies are born.
