How to Treat Hormonal Acne Naturally – The Hormonal Dilemma.
For those of us suffering from hormonal acne, treatment can be pretty frustrating. This is because the resulting acne can be caused by a number of different factors making it difficult to pinpoint which underlying cause is responsible. When you have hormonal acne, It doesn’t seem to matter if you’re using the best skincare, are eating the healthiest diet, or are on the pill, it can still persevere despite your best efforts.
Nowadays, my personal journey for clear skin revolves around my hormonal imbalances, most of which stem from an annoying tendency to become stressed too easily. Lots of stress = lots of oil production = lots of acne. It’s been really challenging for me to reverse this habit especially because I get stressed over nothing most of the time. Sometimes I won’t even know it until I massage one of my shoulders. If it’s tense, I know I’m stressed.
It takes time and effort to sort out the many different hormones and their functions and relations in the body. It’s all rather complex, so I can understand why it can be daunting for most people when trying to tackle their hormonal acne. Once I figured out hormones and how they specifically correlate with acne, I was eventually able to better control and for the most part, cure my own breakouts (still working on that stress though!).
I know it can be really frustrating when you’ve tried everything from taking supplements to becoming obsessed over your diet. Even detoxing regularly doesn’t seem to help. It can really make you want to just give up on the whole situation. But don’t give up! In order to treat your hormonal acne, you just need a little extra support.
Start thinking about the HOW instead of the WHY for a minute. How are your hormones imbalanced? (think about what kind of imbalance it is) How did it come to develop in the first place? How can you balance your hormones?
The most common culprits of hormonal imbalances include:
• Poor digestion/ low-quality diet (improve digestion with fermented foods!)
• Chronic stress (emotional and physical)
• Low quality sleep
• Physical activity level (too low or too high)
Think about whether or not you have any of these issues and start improving them. Not only will it make your overall health better, it will also help clear your hormonal acne. Learn more about the root causes of acne here.
How do You Know if It’s Hormonal Acne?
- Typically, hormonal acne will occur during times of hormonal change like during adolescence and puberty and oncoming menopause. However, these are not the only times when hormonal acne can crop up on the skin.
- If you’re in your 20s, 30s, 40s, and even 50s and you are experiencing acne, then chances are, it’s hormonal.
- Another indicator is having pimples on the chin or cheek area or along the jawline. These areas have been linked to the body’s way of telling us that our hormones are out of balance.
- Having acne show up on a monthly basis is another obvious indicator that the acne is caused by the rise and fall of your hormones during your cycle.
- The breakouts are usually deep and cystic in nature.
- You’re chronically stressed which causes your body to pump itself full of cortisol – the leading hormone that causes acne.
If you’re looking for an amazing topical treatment that is better than benzoyl peroxide but without the side effects, try this. It’s an amazing way to treat your hormonal acne from the outside while you start making changes for treating it on the inside.
Hormonal Acne Symptoms and Hormonal Acne Causes
So, what causes hormonal acne, anyway?
One of the main symptoms of hormonal acne is an overproduction of oil. This oil contributes to a lot of acne related issues like pimples, whiteheads, blackheads, and just an overall shiny appearance. Many dermatologists will tell you that this oil IS the cause of acne, but that’s just not the case. While overactive oil glands certainly contribute to acne, it’s really just a symptom of a much deeper problem. You simply cannot get rid of acne by topical treatments alone.
The Main Causes of Excess Sebum
There are 2 main causes of excess oil production:
1. Toxicity in the body
2. Excess hormones (specifically, androgens)
Signs of excess toxins in the body manifest as:
• Frequent allergies
• Food Intolerances
• Sluggish elimination pathways (digestion, liver, kidneys)
• Candida
The causes of toxicity most often include:
• Poor diet (low quality/ too much junk food)
• Chemicals in the environment
• Low quality sleep
• Lack of exercise
• Poor lymph drainage
Learn how to detox in these articles:
- Detoxify The Liver Using Essential Oils
- Detox The Lymphatic System With Essential Oils
- How to Use Detoxifying Essential Oils
- Detoxifying Herbs for Clear Skin How-To
- Liver Cleanse Recipe and Liver Flush How-To
- Detoxifying Charcoal Lemonade Recipe
- Epsom Salt Detox Bath How-To
Excess hormones and hormone imbalances are caused by:
• Excess negative emotions (affect the liver)
• Emotional stress
• Physical stress
• Xenoestrogens in the environment (plastics like Tupperware)
• Hormone therapy (the pill)
• Poor/bad diet
• Genetic predisposition
• Consuming foods with excess hormones (non-organic meats and dairy) As you can see, there are many root causes of hormonal imbalance, most of which are related to diet, lifestyle, and emotional health.
For acne sufferers, these root causes can contribute to other types of illnesses like:
• Chronic fatigue
• Elevated cortisol levels (high stress)
• Hypothyroidism
• PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) – you can learn how to balance PCOS here
• Blood sugar imbalances
• Insulin resistance
How to Balance Hormones for Clear Skin
These are my top 6 tips on how to get rid of hormonal acne – for good!
1. Lower Stress – Stress has an enormous impact on hormones and acne, so don’t underestimate the power of stressing less. Whenever you’re stressed, your body pumps out more cortisol. More cortisol (stress hormone) in your system increases androgens (male sex hormone) and causes more acne.
2. Eat Foods that don’t Cause Sugar Imbalances Sugar fluctuations from eating processed/junk food can create sugar spikes which creates stress on the body. Try to eat low GI (Glycemic Index) foods that are organic. This means fewer potatoes, white flour products, and rice and more sweet potatoes, greens, and grains like quinoa.
3. Eat Tons of Essential Fatty Acids Essential fatty acids reduce inflammation, balance hormones, and reduce androgens. If you have acne, chances are you’re deficient in EFAs!
Here’s where to get healthy fats:
• Evening primrose oil
• Flax oil
• Borage oil
• High-quality fish and fish oils
• Extra virgin olive oil
• coconut oil
• Sacha inchi oil
• Nuts and seeds
• Avocados
• Sea Buckthorn
• Algae
You should be avoiding fats like canola oil, sunflower seed oil, and vegetable oil as they are too high in omega 6 and cause inflammation in the body.
4. Top Up on These Vitamins and Minerals
• GTF Chromium
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B Complex
• Zinc
• Magnesium
Eating enough colorful fruits and veggies is another great way to get in these essential nutrients.
I ONLY recommend taking supplements once you have had blood work done and KNOW what you’re deficient in!
5. Incorporate These Herbs For Stress
• Ashwagandha
– I also like to use the powder in my daily shakes and smoothies
• Holy Basil
• Gynostemma
• Rhodiola
Start with 1-2 of these herbs and closely monitor how your body feels. Use them once per day.
For Cleansing
For Hormonal Support
• Licorice Root
• Schizandra Berry
• Maca
• Vitex Berry
• Red Clover
• Dong Quai
• Black Cohosh
One of the best ways to re-balance hormones is to use seed cycling for hormonal support and eating one raw carrot a day!
6. Incorporate Anti-Androgens into Your Hormonal Acne Diet
• Green tea (especially matcha
)
• Nettle infusion (learn how to make infusions here)
• Spearmint tea
• High-quality Pumpkin Seed Oil
These are just some general guidelines to help you begin to understand and take back control of your hormone-related acne. The most important thing to remember is not to give up! Healing hormones take time, but once they’re balanced, the wait till be worth it!
Aside from following the tips above, I highly recommend getting your hormones tested so that you can see exactly where your imbalances are. It will cut down on the time it takes to figure it out on your own, and you won’t be wasting money on supplements that you don’t need.
This is the hormone test I used. It’s called the Women’s Health Test and covers the following hormones:
- Estradiol
- Progesterone
- LH (Luteinizing Hormone)
- FSH (Follicle-Stimulating Hormone)
- DHEAS
- Testosterone
- Cortisol at four times throughout the day
- TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone)
- Free T3
- Free T4
- TPO (Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies)
What have been your methods for healing hormonal acne naturally? Please share in the comments below!
You may also enjoy reading:
The Best Essential Oils for Getting Rid of Hormonal Acne
Is Vitamin D Deficiency Causing Your Acne?
Top 5 Remedies for Cystic Acne
3 Steps to Heal your Female Hormonal Acne
Do Food Sensitivities Give You Acne?
Is Hemp Seed Oil The New Holy Grail For Acne?
