Know the Difference Between Hormonal Acne and Cystic Acne

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America’s well-loved tv series sweetheart, America Ferrera, said, “Once I started drinking more water, my skin, hair, and nails all flourished”. We believe her. Dry skin, poor complexion, and acne breakouts are probably sending us messages about our overall health too.

Hormonal vs. Cystic Acne: The differences you need to know

What causes acne can be manifold, with the foremost causes being raging hormones, stress, poor lifestyle choices, pollution, and improper skincare practices. Listed below are the 5 major differences between a hormonal acne and a cystic acne:

Difference No. 1: Hormonal acne coincides with your period, cystic acne is a mainstay. If you have hormonal acne, consider yourself lucky. At least you only get problems with acne once every 30 days. Knowing when you’ll most probably get a breakout is an advantage in itself.

Cystic acne, on the other hand, can be sudden. Usually, a trigger, such as intense emotional stress or chronic sleeplessness, starts it off. These eventually affect your hormones and drive up skin’s oil production. The more serious concern with cystic acne is that it infects your pores, and grows a cyst which spread the infection too easily to nearby pores.

Difference No. 2: Both hormonal and cystic acne can be caused by raging hormones but cystic acne can have more factors influencing it. At the end of the day, poorly regulated hormones are the root causes of any type of acne. However, when it comes to cystic acne, there may be other factors that aggravate your acne condition.

Poorly formulated skincare products, including makeup, can block your pores and cause an infection. More specifically for cystic acne, bursting the cyst transports tiny grains and pus that can easily infect nearby pores.

Difference No. 3: The major driver of acne breakouts in hormonal acne are hormones while, for cystic acne, it is the cyst. Hormonal acne can be treated by regulating hormones that are out of sync. That can often be done with lifestyle adjustments but also through regular intake of medications such as birth control pills. Cystic acne, on the other hand, can be harder to tame because of the infection-carrying pus and cyst that spread the breakout.

Difference No. 4: Cystic acne may be treated with hormonal treatments for hormonal acne but, cystic acne will require more highly specialized care. Like hormonal acne, cystic acne may respond to hormonal treatments. However, more often than not, it requires more care. Other than hormone balancing pills, therefore, you may be prescribed with prescription-only isotretinoin and steroids.

Difference No. 5: Both types of acne require a change in lifestyle though it may take cystic acne much longer to correct. In general, a lifestyle change is hard to achieve because it involves unlearning practices that we have come to embrace for a long time. Nevertheless, it has to be done because acne is a sign of a major imbalance in our system that needs to be corrected or, it can develop into a more serious kind of disease.

5 Best Skincare Tips for acne-free skin

On a more regular basis, proper skin care will help prevent acne, restore acne-infested skin and keep it from coming back. At the core of your anti-acne skincare regimen, therefore, are healthy skincare tips that go beyond applying products on your skin:

1. Cleanse, tone and moisturize. The three basic steps to a healthier skin. Make sure that your products are mild, does not contain pore-clogging ingredients like sulfates and petroleum, and alcohol-free. A retinol-containing product like Lamour Skin Cream can help lighten acne marks.

2. Exfoliate regularly. Dirt and grime are the origins of acne. Keep your skin clean and clear, and draw out impurities stuck in your pores by exfoliating regularly.

3. Learn to better manage your stressors. Don’t let life’s challenges put you down. When you allow yourself to be stressed, your hormones break free from their normal regulatory controls, and that will set off a breakout.

4. Get some sunlight. A little bit of sun can help balance out the microorganisms on your skin. Catch that early morning sunshine but do not go beyond 20 minutes.

5. Learn healthier sleeping practices. Sleep is the best cure for the body and the best treatment for your acne-challenged skin. Support skin repair and promote better build protective barriers by sleeping in for at least 7 hours every night.

CONCLUSION

Don’t you ever surrender to acne. Give it a good fight. Your skin is worth it.

Reference:

thebeautyinsiders.com/acne-...

solvaderm.com/blog/acne-sca...