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Jawline acne

Mar 28, 2013 | 3:01 PM

Acne is on the increase. Both males and females are experiencing acne more often and for longer periods in their lifetime. The age that acne usually goes away at used to be late teens or early twenties. Now we have people who have acne in their 30s and 40s. Most of the acne sufferers past their late twenties are women.

There’s a reason for that.

Hormones are often underestimated and misunderstood. Everyone experiences major hormone fluctuations as their bodies move through puberty into adulthood, in the timeframe we call adolescence. We know that women experience major hormone fluctuations during and after pregnancy. However, hormones change yet again for women mid-thirties to early fifties. This is perimenopause.

Perimenopause can occur any time from two to 15 years prior to menopause. Since the average age of menopause is 52, a woman could be in perimenopause by her early to mid thirties and not even know it. Acne along or below the jaw line can be a symptom of perimenopause. This acne is common in females in their 30s and 40s. It’s less common in males.

If you are a woman in your early thirties or older and you are experiencing acne along or below your jaw line, talk to your doctor about the other possible symptoms of perimenopause. You might be surprised to discover you are experiencing more than one symptom. For example, not sleeping could be a sign of perimenopause. Thinning hair could be as well. If you are too shy to talk to your doctor, do some research yourself. There is a lot of information available if you look for it.

Carefully selected skin care can help. Some vitamins can help. Gentle in office procedures like microdermabrasion followed by cold laser can help.

Don’t be afraid to talk about or find out information about perimenopause. It’s as natural as your nose and breathing. If you are a woman, you will go through this phase – if you are lucky. Count it as a blessing, not a curse, whether you have irritating symptoms like jaw line acne or not.