Acne in Women Many women experience skin problems at midlife, including acne breakouts. In some women, acne is caused by an excess of androgen (male) hormones. Excessive production of male sex hormones resulting from adrenal or ovarian disease in women not only causes acne, but can also cause hirsutism (excessive hair growth), irregular menstrual cycles, premenstrual acne flares and fertility problems. These factors lead to plugged pores with oil and bacteria. In addition, anything that compromises the immune system, whether it is emotional stress or nutritional deficiency, your cortisol and insulin balance is likely to be upset, and this can affect your skin, as well. That is why some people get acne flares before a big date or event. The good news is that there are treatments available to to tame midlife acne. The doctor may prescribe one of several drugs to treat women with this type of acne:
Side effects of antiandrogen drugs may include irregular menstruation, tender breasts, headaches, and fatigue. Other conventional treamtments for midlife acne involve:
Acne Medications Not for Use During Pregnancy Some potent acne medications must not be used by women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant because of the potential harm to a fetus. These medications include:
Women in their child-bearing years need to avoid pregnancy while using these medications. Here's the lowdown on why these medications should not be used during pregnancy: Hormone therapy. The "female" hormone, estrogen, and the anti-androgens, flutamide and spironolactone, are sometimes used to treat acne in women. None should be taken while a woman is pregnant. Flutamide and spironolactone can cause birth defects. It is not known if these medications can be passed along when a woman is breast feeding so the medications must also not be used if a woman chooses to breast feed. Isotretinoin. Isotretinoin must not be used by a woman who is pregnant, trying to become pregnant or breast feeding. This potent acne medication has revolutionized acne therapy due to its effectiveness in treating severe and therapy-resistant acne. However, isotretinoin also has the potential to cause some serious side effects. The most serious is the potential to cause severe birth defects in a developing fetus. For this reason, it is imperative that women taking isotretinoin follow the pregnancy-prevention program. This requires using 2 forms of birth control continuously beginning 1 month before therapy starts and not ending until 1 month after isotretinoin therapy is complete. A women taking isotretinoin must also be carefully monitored by her dermatologist during therapy. If pregnancy occurs, isotretinoin must be stopped immediately. Women planning a pregnancy should discontinue taking isotretinoin and maintain birth-control methods for at least 1 month before trying to become pregnant. Oral tetracyclines. Tetracycline as well as doxycycline and minocycline - which are synthetically derived from tetracycline - must not be used by women who are pregnant or breast feeding because of potential side effects. These broad-spectrum oral antibiotics can inhibit bone growth and discolor permanent teeth in both a fetus and a child being breast fed. Topical retinoids. The topical (applied to the skin) retinoids adapalene, tazarotene and tretinoin carry warnings stating that it is not known if these medications can adversely affect a developing fetus or child that is being breast fed. Call now to schedule your complimentary consultation with Dr. Jeffrey Rapaport for acne free, healthy, younger-looking skin. Tel: (201) 227-1555. You can also ask questions by clicking on Ask Questions 
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