31 Year Old Female With Persistent Adult Acne For The

Posted on Mon, 12 Aug 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : 31 year old female with persistent adult acne for the past 7 years. Anything I should have looked at to determine cause? TSH, hormone levels were normal.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Regarding adult acne. Need more information

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to ask a doctor service. I have gone through your query and noted your concern.

Insulin resistance is a common cause of adult acne. I would suggest a test for fasting insulin levels. If that is raised then you might benefit from taking metformin which is an oral hypoglycemic agent. I would like to know which all hormonal tests were done?apart from thyroid.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if you need any more assistance.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Dr. Kakkar (29 minutes later)

Thank you! I had DHEA-S, estradiol, testosterone, and progesterone tested and was told all levels came back normal. I recently had a fasting CBC, CMP and my fasting glucose was 90 with a range of 65-99. Do you suggest an alternate test or investigate with another doctor? Thank you!

Answered by Dr. Dr. Kakkar (25 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Regarding acne

Detailed Answer:
Thank you.
I suggest you to also check for fasting insulin levels. If found raised it would indicate insulin resistance and could possibly be linked to your acne. You may consult an endocrinologist if fasting insulin is raised. Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad