Hormonal Acne

Dealing with pimples at any age is so not fair. As a teenager when you’re in the formative years and then as an adult when your kids are teenagers. 

For years, the treatment for hormonal acne has been the birth control pill, but what if that's not for you? 

In this blog I will talk about why pimples and acne occur and natural ways to treat them.  

Why?  What’s causing or driving acne in this person?

A common cause of acne is hormonal imbalances.  This is why a change in acne can be seen around the different stages of the menstrual cycle.

Estrogen Dominance: When there is too much estrogen in relation to progesterone.

How is it caused?

·      Not detoxing estrogen out of the body properly

·      Environmental toxin exposure such as plastics, pesticides and chemicals.

·      The oral contraceptive pill

·      Poor gut health

Androgen Excess:  Too much testosterone that increases oil production in the skin and an over production of a protein in skin cells.

How is it caused?

·      PCOS (poly-cystic-ovarian syndrom)

·      Genetics that converts testosterone to the more potent DHT form

·      Stress – causing the adrenals to secrete more testosterone

·      High Insulin – drives more testosterone

What can be done?

Dairy free:

Dairy products contain something called insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) which means it drives insulin which drives testosterone which can cause acne.

A low carbohydrate diet:

Excess carbs can cause an increase to the more potent form of testosterone which contributes to acne.

Investigate food sensitivities:

If there are sensitivities the body creates an immune mediated response making acne worse.

Support detoxification:

Ensuring a bowel movement is occurring at least once a day to remove toxins and hormones.  Drinking adequate water to support all systems needed for detoxing.  Support the liver through nutrition and supplements recommended by your practitioner. 

De-Stress:

Having acne is a stressful situation of people nut unfortunately stress can make acne worse. It can spped up oil production in the skin can also influence how local andorgens in the skin like testosterone behave.

Get your gut right:

A healthy gut microbiome is important for healthy skin.  What is happening on the outside is a reflection of what is happening on the inside.

If this is you the first thing needed is to find the driving force of why the acne is occurring.  We can do this by taking a full case history, symptom picture, blood tests and functional testing.

Make an appointment with Mel for to find out more.