Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common and complex endocrine disorder that causes reproductive hormonal imbalance in the form of excess androgen production. When a woman’s body has atypically high levels of testosterone, she’s much more likely to experience:
As concerning as these reproductive and health effects are, many women with PCOS are most bothered by how high levels of “male” hormones can affect their appearance.
In recognition of PCOS Awareness Month this September, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Patrick Keehan and our expert team at Keehan Dermatology in Fort Worth, Texas, want you to know that there’s a lot you can do to manage the physical changes caused by PCOS — and we can help.
Women’s ovaries produce estrogen, the main female reproductive hormone, along with a lesser amount of testosterone, an androgen (male) sex hormone. But with PCOS, the ovaries produce abnormally high levels of androgens like testosterone, DHT, DHEA, and androstenedione.
PCOS is triggered by chronic systemic inflammation. Besides causing ovarian dysfunction and imbalanced sex hormones, this persistent, low-grade inflammatory state often gives rise to insulin resistance, the precursor stage of type 2 diabetes. In fact, about 65-70% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance.
Once insulin resistance takes root, it exacerbates the high androgen state, prompting your ovaries to release more androgens. The complex interaction between excess testosterone and increased insulin levels acts like a vicious circle that sustains these imbalances — and worsens PCOS symptoms.
Besides making fertility problems more likely, having high androgen levels can leave you more vulnerable to developing diabetes and heart disease. But if you’re like most women with PCOS, it’s the syndrome’s physical effects that bother you the most day-to-day.
That’s because PCOS commonly causes:
Women with PCOS are more likely to experience oily skin and acne on their face, neck, chest, and/or upper back throughout adulthood. Androgen-induced acne doesn’t always respond well to OTC acne care products.
As many as four in five women with PCOS (70-80%) develop hirsutism, causing them to grow dark, coarse hair in some of the same places men normally grow more hair, including their cheeks, chin, chest, and abdomen.
For some women, high androgen levels cause a noticeable hair loss through thinning scalp hair or even male-pattern baldness (a receding hairline).
The higher insulin levels associated with insulin resistance can lead to the appearance of skin tags — small, itchy flaps of excess skin in your armpit or along your neck.
Insulin resistance also promotes easy weight gain and makes it harder to lose weight. Like high testosterone levels, excess body weight — particularly excess midsection fat — worsens insulin resistance and intensifies the PCOS imbalance cycle.
Luckily, there’s a lot you can do to control PCOS and reduce the impact it has on your health, appearance, and well-being. In most cases, effective PCOS management requires a two-tiered approach that involves:
Three beneficial lifestyle changes can help you minimize the effects of PCOS. Work with your primary care provider to come up with a concrete plan to:
These changes — weight control, a nutritious diet, and regular physical activity — can help reverse insulin resistance and even turn the dial down on systemic inflammation, both of which serve to reduce the various health and physical effects of PCOS.
Many of the physical effects of PCOS can be treated with additional medical interventions, most of which fall under specialty dermatological care. At Keehan Dermatology, we can address every physical aspect of PCOS, from excess chin hair and skin tags to chronic acne and hair loss. You may benefit from:
In short, we can help you erase the physical effects of PCOS and restore your appearance. To learn more, call Keehan Dermatology today, or click online to schedule a consultation at our office in Fort Worth, Texas, at your convenience.
