Hi. I am 17 and want to know, if cutting back on eating red meat can help reduce my acne? I read somewhere red meat contains high levels of hormones and that causes acne to flare up. How much weight is in this claim? Please help me.
Hormonal Imbalance Causes Acne
The development of acne is said to have a close connection with the changes in hormones. Certain studies have noted that people suffering from acne often have oily skin due to the high level of androgen and testosterone hormones present on the body. With this finding, many experts have noted that the balance of androgen and estrogen hormones is then required to maintain a healthy skin, a sort of Yin and Yang phenomenon. So, if hormonal imbalances occur, acne tends to develop.
The belief on the acne and hormones connection holds that acne, which is influenced by hormones, often starts around the age of 19 to 24, thus it can affect both the teens and mature women. At this stage, people will typically get lesions on the lower face, primarily on the chin as well as the jaw line. It may also appear on the chest and back, although a majority of its victims are affected mainly on the face.
The acne and hormones connection further holds the idea that acne typically starts to appear when the body starts to produce androgen hormones. It is basically the androgens that incite the sebaceous glands to enlarge and emit sebum. The sebum then gets stocked in the follicle and then moves up to the hair shaft until it reaches the exterior part of the skin. As this movement occurs, the sebum blends with bacteria which cause the hair follicle blockade. It is merely the blocked follicles which become the breeding area for bacteria, resulting in acne.
It is worth noting that hormones basically regulate every function of the body. As you may know, sleep, growth and some other related things largely depend upon your hormones. So, as it is mentioned above, when your hormones are out of balance, certain problems like acne may arise. And, if your hormones are in balance, there is no reason for acne to emerge.
The connection between acne and hormones also explains the occurrence of acne in teens as well as in adults. In teens, it is commonly noted that during the onset of puberty, androgens are produced which hold a major role in the development of acne. And, in case of the adult, the acne and hormones connection believed that the menstrual cycle of every woman plays a role in its development. Certain reports in fact have noted that acne that worsens during a woman's monthly cycle is not something that women will grow out of as they get older.