I personally have had a long stint with clear skin. Most of my life and even in teenage years I was zit and worry-free without doing much at all to my skin or considering what I put into my body. Yet, there I stood at the age of 27 with a face full of acne, dark scars, and uncontrollable blemishes. I couldn’t help but think, what the hell happened?

Well, according to my research, it’s a real condition and it’s called Adult-Onset Acne. Frustrating and extremely common, this type of acne hits most women around their 30-50s. However, it can start around the age of 23 but can also occur at any age in people who have never had spots before. Usually, it’s at a time when women’s hormones are fluctuating and going ramped, and going well into menopause.

This imbalance in hormones flourishes around our periods, during child-bearing ages, pregnancy, pre-menopause, and even after discontinuing or starting birth control pills.

For me, it all started around a time I was on pain medications after a major surgery to remove fibroids. Not only was I exposed to the factors of the hormonal changes with the infliction to my uterus, but I got double teamed when I was put on medications for after-care and then the stress from it all started to settle in. With all those dynamics, I was bound to become a cesspool for acne.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, adult-onset acne affects nearly 20% of women and it is largely caused by genetics and hormones and not, as myth would have it, through having dirty skin and too much pizza. Even after menopause women can still suffer from acne.

To add on, the male hormone, androgen, is linked to

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