Health & Wellness

How To Cure Acne Caused by PCOS?- Solutions to Restore the Hormone Levels!

Taking care of the hormones is key, because acne is just one of PCOS’s life-wrecking symptoms.


Written by Rachel Davis

On Apr 27, 2023 – 8 minutes read

Feature How to Cure Acne Caused by PCOS

PCOS has become a common health problem in most women’s lives these days. It involves several hormonal imbalances, due to which one faces many side effects. One of the worst problems aroused by PCOS is acnes. Keep reading until the end to know how you can cure acne caused by PCOS!

How to Cure Acne Caused by PCOS?

Experts believe that PCOS is a major cause of acne among most young girls. PCOS is known to increase the androgen hormone level in the body, which is termed hyperandrogenism by medical experts.

The increase of this hormone level in the body causes acne in various parts of the body, the face being the major one.

acne caused by pcos

Are you wondering how the production of this hormone affects the growth of acne? Well, we see that androgen is responsible for triggering the glands to produce excess oil in the form of sebum.

This sebum, along with the skin’s dead cells, gets stuck in the hair follicle, which gives rise to messy affairs in the skin like bacteria, pimples, and of course, ACNES!

Major Causes of Acne Caused by PCOS

Some of the major causes of acne caused by PCOS are:

  • As said earlier, increased androgen production is one of the most common reasons for sebum production in the skin, giving rise to acne.
  • Due to the increased sebum production, your face becomes prone to oil and dirt. When these particles get stuck to your skin for long hours, bacterial growth takes place on the skin. The bacteria that causes acne is called Propionibacterium acnes (1). Women who suffer from PCOS often have diabetic issues as well. The high blood sugar level is another reason for increased androgen production, causing acne.
  • PCOS also comes with chronic inflammation, which again causes acne by triggering the body to convert a blocked pore into acne in no time.
  • Lastly, PCOS patients also have emotional disorders like stress and anxiety. Stress is another hormone triggering issue that gives rise to PCOS acne problems.

If you thought that acne rises only on the face, then no, it can scatter over in other parts of your body as well. Besides the face being the most popular PCOS acne location, the other places where it can spread are the neck, upper back, and chest.

However, the good news is that there are several ways how I cured my acne caused by PCOS, and you can do the same. I have shared them in this blog!’

What are the Symptoms of Acne Caused by PCOS?

Even though there are not many symptoms associated with PCOS acne, some of the common signs of the problem are:

  • You will see that your face is becoming more oily than before; this is because of the production of sebum due to the increased levels of androgen in your body.
  • Increased growth of facial hair or hair on other parts of the body like the chest and neck is also a sign of PCOS acne. If you have hair on your face along with the sebum, the growth of bacteria will increase, causing pimples and acne.
  • There might be some puss oozing out of the affected areas and also skin redness.
  • Another rare symptom of PCOS acne is skin creasing around the neck and underarms. It happens mostly to women suffering from both PCOS and diabetes.

These are a few symptoms associated with PCOS acne. If you are wondering how I cured my PCOS acne naturally, all the ways are listed below!

How to Treat Acne Caused by PCOS?

Are you tired of thinking about how you can treat hormonal acne? We get it! That is why we are here with a list of some of the best solutions for all your skin problems related to PCOS. However, before we begin with the treatments, it is important to understand some differences between PCOS acne vs. regular acne.

PCOS acne results from hormonal imbalance; hence, you might not be able to treat it with salicylic acid, sulfur, or benzoyl peroxide that are useful for regular acne. To treat PCOS acne, you need to deal with hormonal issues causing PCOS. If you cannot cure that, no matter how many skin care products you use, it won’t help.

One of the best ways of curing PCOS is by staying active throughout the day. Doctors suggest working out for at least 30 minutes a day and staying away from junk foods to cure PCOS. But besides a healthy diet and exercise, what are the other PCOS skin treatments that you can follow? Have a look below!

Contraceptive Pills 

Using birth control pills to curb PCOS is very common these days. Most doctors resort to this solution to restore the hormone levels to normal and ensure that your menstrual cycle stays on track every month.  

Contraceptive Pills

Remember that you should never start taking birth control pills without consulting the doctor because they are not for everyone. For instance, women who have a history of breast cancer, hypertension, or blood clots, should never go for these pills. 

Also, if you are close to your menopause or reaching your 40s, you may want to avoid oral contraceptives (2). However, you should still get in touch with your doctor to find out if there is an ideal pill for you and, if not, then how to treat PCOS acne without birth control pills. They will be able to guide you the best!

Retinoids 

Retinoids or retinol is one of the favorite skincare products for most people. It has excellent anti-aging effects to reduce wrinkles on the face and also even out the skin tone.

Retinoids also help with PCOS acne, but you must contact a doctor to find out whether you need to add it topically over the skin or take it orally, you must contact a doctor.

A dermatologist will be able to understand the seriousness of the problem and suggest a dose accordingly. When using retinoids, make sure that you are very protective of your skin, especially when walking out in the sun.

You cannot afford to forget to apply sunscreen because retinoids will make your skin prone to hyperpigmentation and even skin cancer if you are out in the sun. We also recommend you apply retinoids only after the sun goes down; otherwise, you might invite unwanted skin damage.

Anti-Androgen Drugs 

Anti-androgen drugs help reduce the testosterone level of the body,(3) thereby ensuring that your skin produces less sebum and has fewer or zero acnes. You should never start taking these drugs without a prescription.

Anti-androgen Drugs

A doctor will probably ask you to do some mild blood tests to check the testosterone level in your body and prescribe medicines accordingly.

What is the Perfect Diet for PCOS Acne?

As we have said earlier, to treat PCOS acne, you need to treat the root cause of the issue, which is, of course, PCOS! Hence, you need to add such foods to your list that can help you control PCOS. Some of the do’s of PCOS acne diet are:

  • High fiber foods like broccoli, leaf lettuce, cauliflower, berries, pumpkin, etc.
  • Protein-rich foods like fish, eggs, meat, etc.
  • Anti-inflammatory foods like tomatoes, extra virgin oil, peppers, and so on
What is the Perfect Diet for PCOS Acne

These are some dos to follow, but what about the don’ts? Don’t worry because we have covered that as well:

  • Refined carbohydrate-rich foods like sugary desserts, muffins, white bread, white flour, etc.
  • Foods containing a high level of sugar like soft drinks, chocolate, and syrup
  • Anti-inflammatory foods like processed meats, fried and margarine

If you have ever wondered how can I get rid of hormonal acne at home, then following the right diet chart is one of the many solutions. These are just some basic diet tips that you need to keep in mind to stay away from PCOS. However, for a more detailed diet chart, you must contact a dietician as they will be able to help you the best!

What Does PCOS Acne Look Like?

Many girls wonder what does PCOS acne looks like and how it is different from the way regular acne looks. Well, to start with, PCOS acne usually spreads on the lower area of the face that covers the chin, jawline, and the upper portion of the neck right below the face.

The acnes are usually larger and deeper compared to regular acne. Also, they take a lot more time to heal, which hints towards the hormonal imbalance occurring inside the body. As these acnes are quite different, their treatment methods are also different, as we have suggested above.

How Can Exercise Help with PCOS Acne?

Doctors say that working out regularly is the best way of curing PCOS acne or other PCOS symptoms at home. Ideally, if you exercise for at least 30 minutes five days a week, it will be enough to keep you fit and help your PCOS symptoms.

But, of course, working out for more than 30 minutes will give you better results. Regular exercise will ensure that your stress levels stay within control and your hormones stay balanced.

It will also help your menstrual cycle stay on track, which is very important for those suffering from PCOS.

Hence, please stop being lazy and move your body. Some other fun alternatives to work out are dancing, swimming, cycling, and running. You can pick whichever you like!

Other Things to Keep in Mind While Treating PCOS Acne?

Will PCOS acne go away entirely? Well, chances are they will if you follow all the treatments and regulations properly. But besides that, you also need to make sure that you have a proper skincare routine because that is a huge deciding factor of how quickly your acne will disappear. Some of the skincare tips that we would like to share are:

What are the Other Things to Keep in Mind While Curing PCOS Acne
  • Always keep your face clean. Try to clean your face with a face wash twice a day.
  • Do not use oily moisturizers or facial oil on your skin. Opt for a light moisturizer instead.
  • Use vitamin c and retinol serums.
  • Never skip sunscreen while stepping out of the house, especially if taking retinoids.

Final Verdict

We have covered everything you need to know about curing acne caused by PCOS. Make sure you introduce the lifestyle changes slowly in your life. Also, ensure that you take proper medications to heal the problem. If you do everything right, not just acne, but you will also get rid of PCOS. So, when are you going to start taking action? We are eager to know!

  1. National Academy of Sciences. (2004). PROPIONIBACTERIUM ACNES AND CHRONIC DISEASES. [Online] Available at:

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK83685/
  2. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. (2021). Estrogen and Progestin (Oral Contraceptives). [Online] Available at:

    https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a601050.html
  3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d). Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer. [Online] Available at:

    https://www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/prostate-hormone-therapy-fact-sheet

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Rachel

Hi! I am Rachel; a mom and a hair and makeup artist. I am very old-school and I love sharing my experiences on parenting, marriage, and daily life hacks. What is more fun than that! I believe that to take care of anything, you have to love and give your heart and soul to it. Writing has been my passion ever since I was little and it’s the best way I express myself – my thoughts and dreams. Here, I write about everything that I love.

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