Hormonal acne (acne vulgaris) is influenced by hormonal fluctuations in the body. This can occur in women and men during puberty, and women during the menstruation years, pregnancy and menopause.
The primary cause of hormonal acne is androgen hormones such as testosterone, which stimulate the sebaceous glands in the skin to produce excess sebum. This leads to inflammation and breakouts.
In women, other hormones like estrogen and progesterone come into play. Female menstrual cycles ebb and flow continuously with the rise and fall of these two hormones. In acne breakouts, hormones may be overproduced or underproduced. When this occurs, it triggers skin inflammation and stress on the body, which in turn causes acne blemishes.
As Naturopath’s, we always provide individualised treatment plans tailored to the client’s symptoms and overall lifestyle and diet. Natural treatments are easily personalised for any client. Addressing hormonal imbalances naturally gives sustained long-term improvements rather than a temporary fix.
When balancing your hormones naturally, we look into the root cause of your symptoms and aim to create acne treatments that give sustainable long-term health results.
Before using any type of natural treatment approach, we look at testing your hormones first. Our motto is… test don’t guess!
Testing is very important as it enables us to understand what is happening with your hormones. Instead of guessing what’s going wrong and what hormones are out of balance, testing enables us to analyse the results and prescribe a targeted herbal and nutritional medicine program to give you a clear complexion.
The natural treatment programs we create for patients are holistic and combine herbs, vitamins and minerals to specifically target hormones plus modifications to critical lifestyle factors such as diet, gut health, sleep and exercise.
Understanding Hormonal Acne
The primary cause of hormonal acne is the dominance of male hormones over female hormones. When male hormones (testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, DHEA) dominate, androgen receptors overstimulate oil glands and hair follicles, triggering the overproduction of sebum and clogging skin pores.
Male hormone dominance can develop in two ways.
The first way is when women overproduce male hormones like testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and DHEAS resulting in elevated androgen levels. This often leads to a diagnosis by a doctor of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) a trip to the dermatologist and a prescription of the birth control pill, metformin, Accutane or spironolactone.
High male hormone levels trigger pimples because they overstimulate oil glands in the ‘beard’ region of the face (chin, jawline, neck, shoulders, back, and chest). Overproduction of sebum (skin oil) causes skin pores to become clogged, causing a pimple.
The second way male hormone dominance can develop female hormone production (Estrogen and Progesterone) is suboptimal.
Suboptimal progesterone and estrogen levels allow male hormones like testosterone to exert a much stronger effect on the skin than they should. The effect is similar to when male hormones are high, acne and possible hair growth.
For females, the standard medical acne treatment is the birth control pill. This is because it rectifies male hormone dominance by artificially ramping up female hormones. However, the downside is it doesn’t increase natural female hormone production. Instead, it replaces natural hormone production with synthetic female hormones and suppresses natural estrogen and progesterone production.
In theory, birth control pills should work 100% of the time. However, because hormonal birth control uses synthetic estrogen and synthetic progesterone (progestins), these synthetic female hormones can have unwanted side effects.
Progestins, interestingly, are commonly made from testosterone and, as such, can have some residual androgenic (male hormone) effects. Androgenic progestins can have a pronounced impact on the skin because they can disrupt normal hormonal balance. In particular, they enhance androgenic activity in the body, which boosts sebum production and can exacerbate skin oiliness and pore blockage, ultimately leading to bumps under the skin, whiteheads and other types of acne lesions.
Benefits of Natural Treatments
The benefits of natural treatments are endless. The main difference between alternative medicine and conventional medicine is that there are a lot less side effects when using herbs, vitamins, minerals and nutrition compared to using pharmaceutical drugs. Natural treatments also have fewer side effects when compared to harsh topical treatments. This makes them more suitable for long-term use as they don’t cause additional skin problems or any other health problems.
The great thing about herbs and nutrients is they can, just like pharmaceutical medications, work on specific hormone receptors and pathways to promote a sustained balancing effect on the body.
Natural remedies balance your hormones, gut health, lymphatic system and more. This promotes long-term health and resilience so that you not only have clear skin but also amazing health. The nutrient-rich formulations used contain many amazing acne healing ingredients such as antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids to nourish the skin and prevent aging.
Lastly, many natural skincare products are sourced sustainably and have a lower environmental impacts when compared to their synthetic counterparts, making them a more sustainable choice for long-term use.
Popular Natural Remedies for Hormonal Acne
For acne, it’s not a one-size-fits-all condition. There are many variations of the basic hormone imbalance themes so herb and supplement recommendations are very individualised. As mentioned earlier in this article it’s crucial to test your hormones before starting on supplements so there’s no guessing. In addition, because certain supplements don’t suit certain people we always recommended you check with your practitioner if a supplement will be the right product for you.
The most popular remedies for hormonal acne are below:
- Zinc – reduces androgens (male sex hormones), helps detoxification of hormones and kills bacteria. It is depleted by the birth control pill and is critical for proper egg formation once birth control is stopped.
- Saw Palmetto – suppresses DHT (di-hydro testosterone) production.
- Licorice & Paeony Combination – suppresses testosterone production by rebalancing LH (luteinising hormone).
- DIM – helps detoxify excess oestrogen and is a mild anti-androgen.
- Berberine – is a natural antibiotic that kills bacteria in the skin, is anti-inflammatory and improves insulin sensitivity
- Iodine – helps detoxify excess oestrogen and is critical for proper egg formation once birth control is stopped.
- Selenium – is depleted by the birth control pill and is critical for proper egg formation once birth control is stopped.
- Magnesium – the number one mineral for blood sugar and stress hormone control. Reduces menstrual cramping and pain.
- B Vitamins (Folic acid, B12, B6, B2) – depleted by birth control pill and are critical vitamins for energy production, stress resistance and hormone detoxification. Vitamin B6 reduces PMS symptoms, enhances progesterone production and is a natural diuretic.
- Vitamin C – is depleted by birth control pills and is crucial for immunity, stress resistance and stress recovery.
- Vitex (chaste tree/chaste berry) – helps to rebalance progesterone, but for some women this can make their acne worse.
To source these natural remedies safely, it is best to talk to your naturopath about them. To get the right form of a vitamin/mineral and herb is a crucial part of the success of your health journey. Where the products come from and how they’re dosed affects how your acne changes. Talking to us about the best options is the most effective way to access natural remedies safely.
Real Life Results
Sarah Tilse (formerly Stevenson), Instagram and YouTube influencer and content creator from Sarah’s Day is our best known success story. Sarah came to the clinic in 2015 as a young woman who had just come off the pill and was experiencing hormonal acne and long periods. Sarah didn’t want to use Band-Aid fixes like the pill and Accuntane to combat her acne anymore and wanted to take a natural approach. So the first thing we did was instruct her to do a hormone saliva test.
This test tested for; DHEA, Cortisol, Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone.
We got her to do it on a particular day of her cycle (day 21) as testing on particular days of your cycle can tell us a lot about why you’re experiencing acne and menstrual cycle problems.
When her results came back they showed her testosterone levels were extremely high. This answered the question as to why she was experiencing acne and more.
From her results we created a treatment plan that targeted her hormone imbalances. Once we did this, she saw dramatic results. Her acne cleared and to this day she is still acne free.
Now, because everyone’s a little bit different, it means you’d need different supplements to Sarah to fix your acne. What you’ll need will depend on what your hormone imbalances are. And so, the secret to choosing the right supplements is to get your hormones checked. Only that way will you know exactly what you need. Otherwise, you’re just guessing.
Pinpointing exactly what Sarah’s hormonal imbalances were and creating an individualised supplement program was the secret recipe for her acne success. And the fantastic thing is she documented it all on her vlog for all to see.
Had Enough of Band Aid Fixes?
Natural treatments for acne offer several potential benefits compared to conventional treatments. As Naturopaths, we’re able to dive deeper into your hormones, what drives your hormonal imbalance and the best tests to do. Herbs and nutrients can act just as well as pharmaceutical medications to target specific pathways and receptors in the body to balance hormones, fertility and health.
Natural treatments have fewer side effects, they don’t contain synthetic chemicals and provide antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits to improve your whole health not just your hormone health.
The long-term benefits of using natural remedies for hormonal acne is sustained support of the skin and also how to be more mindful of your overall health. You discover how to maintain balance and resilience and improve your overall vitality.
So if you’ve had enough of band-aid fixes like salicylic acid, glycolic acid, benzoyl peroxide, topical retinoid, antibiotics, oral contraceptives, dermatological treatments and antibiotics just to name a few then it’s time to get to fix the root cause of your acne!
We can help you get your hormones tested, your hormone imbalances pinpointed, and create a personalised natural supplement program for you, as we have for over 1,000 women in Australia and worldwide, including social media icons Sarah Tilse from Sarah’s Day and Louise Aubrey from MyBetterSelf.
Now, if you’re wondering “is there a hormonal acne specialist near me?” The answer is yes because while we are located in Sydney, we offer online consultations so we are available worldwide. We have hundreds of patients in the US, Canada, the UK, NZ and Europe.
To contact us, Happy & Healthy Wellbeing Centre, simply call the clinic on 02 95242471 or send us an email info@healthyremedies.com.au or click here to book an initial consultation online.
