How to Balance Hormonal Acne
You awaken from your slumber feeling great, only to saunter over to your mirror to see – GASP! – another acne breakout. It’s painful and inflamed: it’s a hormonal-acne flare up. You might feel helpless, but hope is not lost! There are ways that you can balance your hormonal acne and feel comfortable in your skin again.
Before we go about talking about how to balance your hormonal acne, we need to distinguish what hormonal acne actually is. Hormonal acne is acne that develops as a result of fluctuations in hormones. This is commonly associated with hormonal changes in adolescence, during pre-menstruation, pregnancy, postpartum, and during menopause. However, this isn’t always the case – there are other diet and lifestyle factors that can impact hormonal acne.
The best way to deal with this type of acne is to focus on the root of the issue: hormones. There are a couple of strategies you can use to help balance your hormones naturally, thus reducing your hormonal acne outbreaks. Keep reading to find out what these acne fighting tips are, and how they might help you!
Eat More Fat!
Eating more fat might help balance your hormones. Here’s why: the hormones that effect our skin the most (estradiol, testosterone, aldosterone, and cortisol) are all fat-based. In order to ensure that all hormones can be manufactured, we need a certain amount of fat in our diets. Both underproduction and overproduction of hormones can have an effect on your skin – that’s where dietary fat comes in.
The fat in your diet can be broken down and used by your body to help manufacture hormones. However, not all fat is created equal. The best sources of fat you can get include avocado, olives, olive oil, coconut oil, wild-caught salmon, nuts and seeds. Add a serving to every meal to help balance your hormones.
Add in Adaptogens
Adaptogens are substances that help your body “adapt” to stress, which is where they get their name. Typically, adaptogens help to regulate cortisol levels. Regulating cortisol levels can reduce the burden placed on the adrenals to secrete it, thereby allowing them to release other hormones at a more optimal rate.
You may have had adaptogens before, without even realizing it! Reishi mushroom, rosemary, and ginseng are common examples of adaptogens. However there are so many others, including ashwagandha, astragalus, holy basil, maca, and more. Many of these can be purchased in powder form and easily added to coffee, tea, elixirs or smoothies.
Balance your Blood Sugar
New science shows a direct link between overproduction of insulin and high testosterone levels in women. Chronically high insulin output (insulin resistance) leads the adrenals to actually release more testosterone. Why is this important? Well, hormonal acne is a common symptom of high testosterone in women.
Getting to the root cause of this issue is the best long-term solution. Balancing your blood sugar will reduce the amount of insulin being produced, and nip this problem right in the bud. The best way you can go about this is to cut sugar out – for good! This means no more added sugar or foods comprised of refined carbohydrates. High protein, high fat diets are a great go-to, because they’re satisfying and will not cause a spike in blood sugar. Fruit is still your friend, and great in moderation!
If you can start incorporating these three tips into your routine, you will soon see the benefits in your skin. After all, that glow starts from the inside-out.
