Getting to the Root of Hormonal Acne

This week I want to talk about hormonal acne.

Goodness gracious… have I struggled with acne over the years!

Ever since I hit puberty I started dealing with the annoyance of acne.

I had tiny bumps all over my forehead and would get clusters of acne on my chin (heyyy hormones!)

My skin was never horrible enough for me to take any intense measures (I know Accutane can be some serious treatment!) but I did use my fair share of Proactiv. 🤪

When I decided to get on birth control in college, my skin cleared up a ton. It was a pretty obvious sign that hormones were playing a role in my breakouts.

After seven years on various forms of birth control, the negative side effects of the pill were no longer outweighing the “benefits.”

And when I finally decided to come off the hormones… guess what also came back?

MY ACNE (and my painful periods, but that is another story for another day lol).

Back then, I had no information on balancing my body in preparation for coming off of birth control. So it was no surprise that my body was a big MESS.

Not only was I most likely nutrient-depleted, struggling with gut dysbiosis, but I was also completely stressing my body out at work.

It was during this time that my hormonal acne became HORRIBLE.

My chin would be painful to the touch with cystic acne many days out of the month.

The breakouts also creeped up my jawline and I was getting the tiny bumps on my forehead again.

It really took a hit to my confidence and it was yet another OUTWARD sign that my body was seriously struggling internally.

I will say that diet and lifestyle helped a lot in terms of supporting my breakouts. Cutting gluten and dairy at the time was a necessity for me while healing. I was also focusing on gut health and trying to reduce my stress.

And while I definitely struggle with breakouts and lots of blemishes I am really glad I no longer have the deep painful cysts anymore.

But still, my face is FAR from perfect.

And when I got pregnant in 2021 with my daughter, my face never looked better.

Seriously! The pregnancy hormones made my skin look amazing. It was another clear sign that my body is super sensitive to hormone imbalances. Truly, if I could go back to pregnancy hormones for the clear skin, I would LOL.

So, this brings me now to the present day!

I am 16 months postpartum and my skin is back to its “normal” baseline.

I still get hormonal acne breakouts throughout the month, although they mostly reduce on their own and I have what seems like blemishes that just never go away.

I am no skincare expert, but I DO know that continually modifying my diet, reducing stress, using the right products, and taking a probiotic truly helps.

For most women, simply working on these foundations can do wonders in clearing up their skin for good.

For others who are more acne-prone (like me) working with a specialist might by the best course of action for really digging in and getting to the root of what’s going on.

Which is exactly why I had Cherly Woodman of Honesty For Your Skin on the podcast.

She digs in deep with me to share the secrets of uncovering the reason behind stubborn breakouts. She actually has a free worksheet that helps you understand how food impacts your hormonal acne!

Plus, an epic course that will help you clear your skin within 42 days!

Make sure to check out the podcast episode to get to know her and her guidance a little better too 🙂

I hope you enjoy her support as much as I did!