Your body is basically a cauldron of hormones. During puberty, glands all over your body are activating to produce more, which means more oil and sweat. Along with external dirt and bacteria this causes acne. Acne is commonly found on your face, neck, shoulders and back. During periods, because of the surge of hormones, these glands may get activated a little more than usual. This may lead to even more pimples. In fact, during periods, women produce a little more body heat, which may also aggravate the acne.

So, what can be done about it? Since the cause is mostly the dirt and bacteria, you should keep affected areas as clean as possible.

• Regular washing with mild soap is quite useful; this also keeps you feeling cool and less sweaty.
• Neem-based products tend to be more helpful than others.
• Leaving small dabs of toothpaste (basic in nature) over a few hours on pimples helps to neutralise them.
• Traditional methods include leaving some sandalwood paste on overnight to cool down the affected areas.
• A healthy diet with fewer fats, acids and oils tends to clear up skin.
• Drinking lots of water is always a plus.

Avoid picking at pimples (even if it gives you immense satisfaction). It might lead to scarring, irritation, and prolong the pimple’s stay. The resulting ooze of bacteria may also lead to the acne spreading.