Over time, I concluded my skin condition was caused by biochemistry over which I had no control. Nothing cured it. But I now have major control over it — since I went though menopause and got on estrogen replacement (transdermal, skin, patches). The estrogen was key. I needed more of it, in a more dominant condition in my body.

Earlier, I had had my uterus removed, so I didn’t have to replace progesterone, which is good for me, since progesterone does a number on my skin, and my body’s adrenal glands seem to make plenty of progesterone on their own. My body seems to turn progesterone and possibly other hormones into excess androgens. I have high blood pressure because of this and other biochemical flaws relating to blood pressure control.

Now that I can control the amount of estrogen my body is getting, further knocking back the androgens my body produces, or used to produce before menopause, my skin has finally cleared up, though if my estrogen levels drop even a little, the androgens dominate, oil oozes, and my skin breaks out again.

This situation is glandular, hormonal, genetic, and also seems to involve some flaws in the skin immune system, allowing inflammation and infection. Androgens have a relationship with the hair follicles, and acne is a disease of the hair follicles.

Abdominal fat is a hormone producer and can throw the hormonal situation in the body out of whack, though excessive abdominal fat is usually a product of hormonal imbalance to begin with. It just gets compounded and circular.

Wash your face twice daily. You have to cleanse the oil and androgens out of the hair follicles.

vel, I wish your husband’s acne to clear up like mine did. Cystic acne is hell on earth.

The doctor that prescribed me Accutane: “Please make sure you don’t get pregnant… You wouldn’t want to give birth to a foot.”