And you thought acne was over, didn't you? What changed? You look at your face, review the past few days and you're sure that you've continued to wash your face regularly with an effective cleanser. What the heck happened? It's called a hormonal breakout, and it can happen to just about anyone. Yes, you did wash your face. Yes, your pillow case is clean. However, there are a couple of other areas that you need to investigate to determine if this breakout came spontaneously or had a root cause.

There are lots of events that can trigger hormonal breakouts, such as menstruation, pregnancy, endocrine imbalance, menopause and even ovarian disease. In other words, your hormonal breakout could be due to a completely natural process and occur completely independently of anything you did or did not do. You can't control the intensity of your periods, you can't stop your body from changing radically during pregnancy and there's not much you can do about a hormonal imbalance at other stages of your life. The good news is that such outbreaks are temporary and should calm down, given time.

There is, however, one cause that could be your problem, and it's one that you can do something about: stress. Have you been getting enough sleep? Have you been treating yourself well with lots of exercise to burn off that anxiety you're feeling about your family, work or some other personal issue? Stress could be a catalyst for the hormonal breakout that you are experiencing. It doesn't necessarily have to be the main cause of your acne, but it can aggravate the breakout that you were due to have anyway.

To treat such an outbreak, you can try over-the-counter solutions that contain effective medicines and pinpoint the pimples you have. However, adult acne can be much more difficult to combat than the standard adolescent variety. You might need to see a doctor for a prescription that could include oral contraceptives, anti-inflammatory drugs or anti-androgens, which regulate the glands that produce the oil that has accumulated on your face and combined with bacteria to produce your adult acne.

Some of these treatments bring side effects, of course. Oral contraceptives can give you nausea, weight gain and breast tenderness. You need to decide if the hormonal outbreaks are frequent enough to justify these possible side effects if you use an oral contraceptive to combat them. Talk to your doctor about your choice.

Anti-inflammatory drugs can also cause weight gain, and they can cause bones to thin. Again, a conversation with your doctor is in order. Anti-androgens can bring about irregular menstruation and breast tenderness, so those possibilities need to be weighed in your decision, too.

None of these side effects should be surprising, given that the drugs are designed to correct hormonal imbalances that might have led to your breakout.

Your body is a complex machine with all sorts of fuels that power it. Hormones rise and fall according to your different stages of life, and a rise of certain compounds in your body will produce the perfect conditions for an acne outbreak. Don't feel guilty or negligent. It is a natural process for many people who thought that they had bid adieu to acne many years before.

Accepting that hormonal outbreaks can be almost routine for some, don't go so far as to leave your inner life unquestioned. Are you indeed getting enough exercise to keep the monster of stress from consuming you? Are you drinking a lot of water and getting your share of fruits and vegetables, leading a generally healthy and balanced lifestyle? Again, these factors don't cause hormonal outbreaks, but they can exacerbate them. Look inside, reflect a bit and make sure that your hormonal outbreak is purely hormonal. Try an over-the-counter solution if you don't want to visit your doctor, but a quick chat with him/her can help you to find a treatment plan designed to effectively control your adult acne.