Desperate for answers, I almost hoped that my results would come back abnormal – that my hormone levels would be out of whack. At least then I’d have some reason as to why my skin seemingly hated me. In actual fact, my results were mostly in range, aside from my oestrogen levels which came back as being relatively low.

According to Thriva, too low (or too high) oestrogen levels can cause a myriad of symptoms, including fatigue, headaches, sleep problems and anxiety. Jackpot, I thought, realising that as well as acne, I’ve been plagued with regular headaches, sleep problems and anxiety since puberty.

“Treatments for hormonal acne are usually aimed at blocking the effects of androgens, and can include the oral contraceptive pill, spironolactone (a diuretic), cyproterone (an antiandrogen) or metformin (used to treat type 2 diabetes),” says Dr Lubna Khan-Salim, aesthetic doctor and founder of Time To Bloom. “It’s important to say that it takes at least three-to-six months for anti-androgen treatments to work, and I’d recommend a combination treatment approach so that you’re tackling the problem from all angles.” She also flags that, as with all things medical, anti-androgen treatments may not work for everyone who tries them.

“I took a hormone test to learn more about my monthly acne – these are the effective tweaks it prompted me to make”