'How I battle serious hormonal acne during pregnancy'

BBC News

24-06-2025

"If I remember wetin pipo tell me sake of my hormonal acne, I dey cry".
Na so Chiamaka Okudoh, a mother of three wey experience di skin condition wey change her face wen she get belle tok.
Na plenti women dey experience dis kain skin condition wey dey sometimes serious.
Chiamaka say wen she first observe am for her face, she no abi wetin e be, na wen she go meet her doctor and do test, she notice say she get belle and na wetin cause di bodi changes be dat.
For exclusive interview wit BBC Pidgin, she tok di pain of wetin she go through, di stigma and how she survive am.
"Tins wey pipo don tell me, if I remember am, I dey cry, becos na from pipo wey suppose understand wetin I dey go through." She tok.
Wetin be hormonal acne?
Acne na skin condition wey dey cause spot and oily skin wey sometimes dey painful to touch. Hormonal acne dey affect di face, and sometimes e dey show for oda parts of di bodi.
While e dey dey common for teenagers and young adults wen dem dey grow especially for puberty, dis skin issue dey also show for adult body and face.
Dr Anjali Mahto, wey be consultant dermatologist wey speak to BBC for one earlier tori say acne no be beauty or cosmetic problem, na medical one sake of hormones and genetics but e get medical treatments.
"Acne na di medical word for 'spots' . Acne na label wey dermatologists dey use describe skin condition", Dr Mahto tok.
Howeva, e get different types of acne, wey include comedones, pimples, boils, nodules, hormonal and cysts.
For Chiamaka experience, her own come wit pimples and blackheads wey full her face.
"Sometimes I go get pimples, sometimes e dey painful becos e no dey get mouth."
Wetin dey cause acne
Different kinds of acne fit be hereditary and also fit hapun as a result of hormonal changes during menstrual cycle or pregnancy, according to NHS.
Report show say e no get evidence say poor hygiene fit cause acne, becos some dey deal wit hormones and genetics of di pesin wey get am
In fact, NHS say to clean di skin no dey help to remove blockages of di pores wey cause acne.
According to Chiamaka, she say her own acne begin show wen she get belle and her doctor confam say she go see plenti changes for her bodi.
"My doctor tell me say make I go do test, but I don already know say I get hormonal acne. But at dat time, I no sabi wetin be hormonal acne, I go do test and see say I get belle."
Also, Dr Anjali say na common thought say oily food dey cause acne and scientific evidence dey to back am say food wey dey raise blood sugar levels fit cause acne
"E get common misconception say oily foods fit be di cause or trigger for acne. Wit dat, foods wit a high blood level, or diets wey consistently dey high for refined sugar, fit cause acne, according to emerging scientific evidence. Dis foods still fit be part of a healthy diet, but you suppose chop in moderation."
Treatments and how to avoid acne
According to Dr Mahto, some acne dey come as blackheads or whiteheads.
Dem dey often appear as small bumps for di skin surface and dey common for di forehead or chin.
Some dey get a yellow or white centre and contain fluid inside if dem burst am.
For Chiamaka, she realize say tins wey she dey rub for bodi no work.
"But becos say I no dey treat am from inside, dat tin no work, becos evritin dey happun for inside my bodi."
"I begin dey live a healthy lifestyle, I drop soda, I drop ice-cream, I drop pizza, I drop burger. I begin dey chop vegetables, I begin dey chop fruits, I begin drop all dose fatty tins, come begin dey chop healthy".
For Dr Mahto, probiotics, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and vitamins A and E dey linked to help acne-prone/spotty skin. But shey science support di claim?
She add say, "e dey difficult to say if dis supplements get any true benefit for acne. Di doses of di supplements fit even dey difficult to tolerate.".
"My advice na to dey calm wit ova-di-counter supplements as evidence dey limited, and e fit result in unnecessary expense and potential side-effects.
Tok wit consultant dermatologist and if you dey plan a pregnancy, pregnant or breastfeeding, speak to a doctor first," to know how you fit treat di acne." Di sabi pesin tok.