Connecting the Dots

All cases of acne have their roots in hormone production. In a wry twist of cosmic humor, my teens and I have adopted similar skin care routines for similar reasons. I want to call it "testosterone poisoning" but that isn't completely accurate (albeit, funny). Only, unlike my teens, I get the painful acne cysts that last for weeks, and sometimes looks like someone took a wicked right-hook to my jaw wearing a knuckle ring. 

As I mentioned in the Bigfoot, Yetti, and Me post, testosterone does some pretty amazing things. In the binary way of opposites, up and down, left and right, benefits and challenges, lies the beauty and beast of testosterone. The beast in this instance is oil production, nuthin' like greasy hair and skin, eh? 

Fortunately, I found a few products that help with minimizing the crazy outbreaks. As I bought similar products for my teens, I'm no longer yelling down the hall "who took my zit zapper!" Hell hath no fury like a hormonal mom. Jus' sayin'.

Like other symptoms, some acne is indicative of an underlying hormonal condition that can cause far more than facial blemishes. Yes, acne is a heartless bitch; but so is all the other inconvenient, embarrassing, and uncomfortable symptoms that make up this lovely syndrome.

I'm probably sounding like a broken record about now. Yet, once again, I'm advocating for all patients to ask their medical professionals to go beyond treating symptoms individually and looking at their patients and their symptomatology as a collective whole.

Related Links

• Acne and PCOS
• PCOS and Acne
• When It's More Than Acne