It saddens me to know that a number of my readers are suffering from hypothyroidism and been frequently asking how does hypothyroidism cause acne.
Well, if you are one of the millions of people who are currently experiencing this thyroid condition, then this article is for you. We will uncover together why your skin is recently breaking out and what’s the best thing you can do about this.
Are you ready? Then keep on reading below.
What Is Hypothyroidism and How Does It Affect Your Body?
Hypothyroidism happens when your thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones called Thyroxine and Triiodothyronine to meet your body’s needs.
Once your system will stop receiving the right amount of thyroid hormones, a number of your bodily functions will slow down. And since both thyroid hormones are generally responsible in regulating your temperature, metabolism including the cell renewal, this condition might result to gaining weight, experiencing dry skin and not being able to tolerate colds once you’ll get a deficit of them.
Anyone can suffer from hypothyroidism and it is more common than you would believe; in fact, millions of people have it. Women and those people who are older than 60 are more at risk of this condition.
Why is Hypothyroidism Causing Your Skin to Break Out
I understand it is very hard to be diagnosed with hypothyroidism. You will get anxious to undergo the treatments as well as to deal with the symptoms.
Though most of these symptoms are internal, there are also signs of hypothyroidism that is visible; this involves breaking out of your skin.
If you are wondering how does hypothyroidism cause acne, here are some of the answers.
1. Hypothyroidism can dry your skin.
If your thyroid hormone levels decrease, it can also lower down the secretion of your oil glands, even your sweat production. If you don’t have enough sweat and sebum, your skin will become coarse and dry.
And this doesn’t end here since hypothyroidism has also slowed down your metabolic rate, your skin renewal will also be unfortunately impaired. Hence, you’ll be itching more and more.
Now, you might be wondering what the connection between dry skin and acne is. Well, I already mentioned how dry skin will limit your ability to renew itself. As the time goes by, dead, dry skin cells will start to pile up. Your skin will tend to have much tighter pores as your system will do its best to hold much fluid inside as possible.
Your body will find these condition to be a potentially harmful threat and will react with an inflammatory response that will cause your skin from breaking out.
2. Hypothyroidism will cause Vitamin A deficiency.
When it comes to trying to heal your acne, Vitamin A is just among the best vitamins. This is because it can trigger the production of new skin cells and stop any microorganisms and toxins from penetrating your skin.
However, now that your thyroid hormone levels have lowered down, your body will have difficulties converting beta-carotene to Vitamin A. Beta-carotene, which you can mostly get from the food we commonly eat like pumpkins, carrots, and squash, is precursor of Vitamin A. Since your body can no longer effectively convert this beta-carotene, you’ll suffer from Vitamin A deficiency.
This will result in your skin is rough and even scaly. Your skin will also find it difficult to resist comedones; comedones have been considered to among the greatest acne culprits.
3. Hypothyroidism will lower your progesterone.
Your progesterone receptors will become less sensitive once your thyroid hormones get low. This means that no matter how normal your progesterone level is, your body will still keep on sensing that it is low on the hormone.
When you have low progesterone levels, your Dihydrotestosterone or DHT will eventually increase. An overabundance of DHT will block your production of skin elastin and will result in thickening of your skin and make it inelastic.
In addition to acne, DHT is also responsible for the hair loss that occurs in patients with hypothyroidism.
How Can You Stop Acne When You Are Suffering From Hypothyroidism?
Your doctor will give you thyroid hormone medication which is going to be the best way to treat hypothyroidism. After few weeks, you will most likely see improvements in your symptoms.
As you wait for your body to totally heal, I recommend these tips below to help you manage your skin problems:
- Only use gentle facial cleanser when you wash your skin. If possible, opt for something that is fragrance-free.
- Avoid any skin products with astringent or alcohol on its ingredients since they will only make your skin even drier.
- Use a good moisturizer after you take a shower. Apply this while your skin still damp, in this way you will be able to help lock in moisture.
- Using a humidifier at home can be very helpful in keeping the moisture in the air.
- Don’t stay too long in the shower or use hot water while taking a bath.
- Monitor how much sugar, caffeine, and chocolate you are consuming. Limit your intake of fried foods too. Changing your eating habits is one of the most effective ways of controlling acne breakouts.
- Drink plenty of water and make sure you are well hydrated; drinking at least six to eight glasses daily is highly recommended.
- If you regularly wear makeup, don’t forget to remove every bit of it at the end of the day, before you go to bed.
Final Thought
Suffering from hypothyroidism can result in different symptoms. Though there’s nothing to worry about since they can be managed. One way to do it is know how does hypothyroidism cause acne and make sure you follow a good skincare routine.
It is also important that you avoid foods that might trigger acne outbreaks and make a healthy change to your dietary habit. Start asking yourself questions like, “Does peanut butter cause acne?” and so much more.
If you have any more question about your acne problems or your present skin condition, make sure you drop them below in the comment section so we can discuss it in my next article.
Anyway, make sure you share this post with your friends.