Female hormones are those that are more prevalent in females and are crucial to female sexual development, the main two being estrogen and progesterone, each having complex and differing effects on your body.   

While androgens are present in both males and females, female systems are not as well equipped to handle increased levels that occur during the menstrual cycle. This leads to oilier skin and more acne breakouts.

What are estrogen and progesterone?

Estrogen is a hormone that essentially tells a female body to develop with female secondary sex characteristics, including inducing breast growth, body hair, regulating the menstrual cycle, and more. Progesterone is more specifically involved in the process of regulating pregnancy and the menstrual cycle, particularly during the ovulation phase.

Both of these hormones together are vital players in keeping your reproductive system running on schedule, and their fluctuations throughout the month are completely natural and just a part of the process. However, our bodily systems are so interconnected that these fluctuations can have secondary effects that we might not like so much.

What is hormonal acne?

“Androgens are, without a doubt, the most important hormones controlling sebaceous gland activity. Acne is the classic androgen-mediated skin condition.” - Co-Founder Dr. Grzegorz Stanislawski. 

While androgen increases have a more crucial impact on acne-causing oil production, natural dips in estrogen and progesterone production in the body have been linked to an increase in irritation and pimples on the skin. 

This happens when excess production of sebum (an oily substance meant to lubricate your hair follicles) clogs up your oil glands and causes bumps and redness. If you’d like more details on just how exactly acne forms on your body, check out our article on acne-prone skin.

Why am I getting more acne before my period? 

For adult women, these fluctuations during the menstrual cycle can have a strong influence on acne flare-ups. One study from 2014 found that a whopping 65% of women reported flare-ups right before their period, with just 17% reporting increased flare-ups during.

So, why is this happening at that stage specifically?

Well, right before your period starts is when your levels of estrogen and progesterone make a steep drop. This drop sends a signal to your oil glands to secrete additional sebum.

Want to learn more about how your period influences your acne? Check out our app to get personalized insights into your skin health through our cycle tracking system.

Birth control and Acne

A lot of women have noticed that their acne flare-ups have decreased or disappeared when going on the pill, but why is that the case? Contraceptive pills that are meant to prevent pregnancy can also have the effect of regulating your hormonal acne, as these pills work by introducing additional estrogen and progesterone into the body. The increased presence of these hormones prevents your ovaries from releasing an egg cell and makes changes to the lining of your uterus. 

So essentially, the pill is regulating your hormones for you throughout your cycle, keeping them at a steady level and preventing the drop associated with stimulating that pesky excess sebum, makes sense right? That’s why certain forms of contraceptives are used to treat hormonal acne symptoms.

But for many, the pill isn’t a good option for a variety of reasons, and quitting the pill can end up creating a lot of unintended side effects regarding acne flare-ups. Our article on post-pill acne goes into more depth on the subject and what steps to take.

Acne while you’re pregnant

Many women experience more breakouts during the early phases of their pregnancies, with one study finding that 40% of pregnant women who visit a dermatologist present with acne symptoms. Rather than a drop in estrogen and progesterone, during pregnancy the main culprit is an increase in androgen levels during these phases that, you guessed it, stimulate the production of sebum.