For many women, menopausal acne can feel like the embarrassing teenage years all over again. Zits start popping up on your face and they can sometimes occur on your back and other areas of the body. 

Everything you do seems to trigger new pimples whether it’s an anti-wrinkle cream, that soap you’ve used all your life and even your diet. 

In this post, we explain what the deal is with menopause and acne, and what you can do to control the breakouts. 

Do All Women Get Acne During Menopause?   

Menopause affects every woman differently and symptoms vary widely. Some women get severe hot flushes, while others only get mildly hot. For some women, the onset of menopause causes a spike in anxiety, while others may only experience a bit of irritability. 

The same is true when it comes to skin changes. Some women are lucky to keep their smooth, pimple-free skin. For others, it’s a daily battle with acne. 

That said, most women will experience some kind of skin issue during menopause. Common problems include dry skin, wrinkles, rosacea, and pigmentation. So if you’ve escaped acne, you are likely dealing with some other problem.

What makes menopausal skin problems so hard to deal with is that they are hormonal. So even if you are eating grate, following a good skincare routine and taking all the steps you can to keep your skin healthy, you could still get acne or some other problem. 

In addition to the solutions I am going to discuss in this post, I highly recommend going to a dermatologist regularly. They are best placed to guide you on how to keep your skin looking good during this period.  

What Causes Acne During Menopause?

As I have just mentioned, most of the skin changes that take place during menopause are triggered by a change in hormones. Levels of estrogen as well as progesterone drop. This causes a number of symptoms including night sweats and anxiety. 

These hormonal changes also directly affect the skin. 

Estrogen plays an important role in skin health. It maintains skin elasticity, by preventing a decrease in collagen. It also helps keep the skin moisturized, boosts wound healing, and modulates growth of new blood vessels in the skin and other areas of the body. 

So a drop in estrogen is bound to affect how your skin looks and feels. This biggest change many women experience is their skin loosening as collagen levels begin to decrease. You will notice wrinkles start to set in. 

The drop in estrogen also causes a relative rise in androgens (male sex hormones) such as testosterone, which are usually very low before menopause. Androgens are known to cause an increase in the production of sebum. This makes the skin oilier, causing pores to get clogged and resulting in pimples. 

Estrogen has anti-inflammatory effects, which is why it boosts wound healing and keeps the skin healthy. When levels of estrogen go down during menopause, you lose its protective effect. That makes your skin more vulnerable to pathogens. damage and inflammation, which can trigger acne. 

For some women, this can increase the risk of a particularly painful type of inflamed acne called cystic acne. 

Here are some other possible causes of acne during menopause. 

• Genetics. If someone in your family has acne-prone skin or experienced acne during menopause, you are more likely to also experience it. 
• Many women use more skin products during menopause including makeup, anti-aging creams, moisturizers and more. All these products can clog up skin pores and lead to a breakout. 
• Stress, poor sleep, reduced exercise and other menopause-related lifestyle changes can also trigger or worsen acne.   

How to Deal With Menopausal Acne: 5 Helpful Tips  

1. See a Dermatologist 

Skin problems during menopause can be tough to deal with, and often require medicated creams and topical products. So it’s a good idea to talk to a dermatologist who will help you figure out what’s causing the acne and the best way to get rid of it. They can recommend the best topical treatments and medication to manage your breakouts. 

2. Do the Basics, Consistently 

Many women tend to buy loads of skincare products when they start seeing fine lines, wrinkles and other menopause-related skin problems. But using too many products can make your issues worse. 

The most important thing is to do the basics that you have always done. These include: 

• Wash your face with a facial cleanser twice a day. This will remove build-up of dirt, bacteria and other debris that can clog pores. Get a cleanser that contains salicylic acid, azelaic acid or benzoyl peroxide. 
• Keep your face well moisturized to reduce dryness, which can trigger increased sebum production. 
• Exfoliate your face 2-3 times a skin to remove dead skin cells to ensure they don't clog up your pores. 

3. Keep Your Bed Clean

Dirty bedding, particularly sheets and pillowcases, is one of the most common triggers for acne. Your linen builds up with lots of bacteria, dead skin cells, dirt, and other icky stuff that can transfer onto your skin and cause acne. 

Once you get to menopause, be even more diligent about keeping your bed hygienic. Change your pillowcase and sheets at least 2-3 times a week and your duvet cover once a week. 

Using antimicrobial bedding like the Hercleon Jax sheets or pillowcase can also help reduce or prevent acne. 

4. Don't Touch Your Face 

Resist the urge to pop and pick your pimples. It slows down healing (which has already slowed due to a drop in estrogen) and can lead to infected acne. 

5. Choose Your Products Carefully 

With your skin more vulnerable to acne, you can’t just put anything on your face. Be careful about the products you use whether it’s sunscreen, moisturizer and makeup. Choose products formulated for your skin type and which are least likely to cause clogging (e.g. oil-free sunscreen).