A frustration many acne sufferers experience is the return of their hormonal acne issues once they stop a treatment. This is usually because most hormonal acne treatments are just ‘Band Aid’ solutions. And so because these treatments such as the birth control pill, Accutane and Roaccutane, antibiotics, serums and lotions don’t fix the root cause of hormonal acne: hormone imbalances. Then, the acne inevitability returns.
If your acne typically…
- Occurs on the lower part of your face in the ‘beard’ area – jawline, chin and cheeks
- Flares up at a particular time in your menstrual cycle
- Improved when went on the birth control pill
Then you have hormonal acne and therefore the only way it can be fixed once and for all is to treat the root cause.
This means pinpointing your hormone imbalance.
Here are 5 common hormone imbalances that could be causing your acne:
- High testosterone
- Low estrogen
- Low progesterone
- Cow’s milk
- Insulin resistance
1. High testosterone
Testoserone stimulates sebum (oil) production. This changes the pores in your skin and they become clogged. This allows bacteria to proliferate, causing redness and inflammation
2. Low estrogen
Low levels of the female hormone estrogen exaggerates the effects of Androgens (such as testosterone) on your skin. This way, androgens effect the skin as if they are high which triggers acne.
3. Low progesterone
Progesterone is the second female hormone and each month women make progesterone by ovulating. The follicle that releases the egg leaves turns into a temporary hormone producing gland called the Corpus Luteum. If you don’t ovulate every month, as can happen in conditions such as PCOS, this leaves you progesterone deficient. As happens with low estrogen, androgens can have an overstimulating effect on your skin causing acne.
4. Cow’s milk
Cow’s milk contains a protein called Beta A1 Casein. This protein causes an increase in Insulin Like Growth Factor -1 (IGF1) which increases androgens such as testosterone.
5. Insulin resistance
Insulin is the hormone your body produces to remove sugar from your blood stream. Insulin resistance occurs when the body doesnt respond to the normal levels of insulin. This happens for a variety of reason including chronic stress, obesity, genetic predisposition to diabetes, a diet high in sugar and simple carbohydrates.
Excess insulin stimulates the ovaries to produce extra testosterone and this triggers acne.
So if you want to stop hormonal acne once and for all then the most important thing to do is test your hormones.
We believe in… test, don’t guess!
Only once you pinpoint your specific hormone imbalance will you know what herbs and supplements you’ll need. Otherwise you’re just guessing.
What works for one person isn’t necessarily going to work for the next. You are an unique individual so you need to know what your unique hormone imbalance is.
To get your hormones tested and your own personalised supplement program created then you need to work with us 1-on-1.
This can be face to face in our clinic or online via ZOOM if you prefer (including if you are interstate and international).
For all the details about how to schedule a 1-on-1 consultation click here.
