Conquering Hormonal Acne

Hormonal acne can start in puberty and last a lifetime. Let’s put the power in your hands to finally conquer!

(Just a note before we jump into it: the body heals from the inside out so most likely you’re acne will get worse before it gets better, but that is good, because it means the body is woking the way it is meant to).

Step 1: I know, no one wants to be told they might need to change something in their diet or lifestyle. Just start with baby steps, no need to stress yourself out as that will make it worse.

The please try to reduce intake of:

1. Sugar

2. Dairy

3. Alcohol

4. Refined carbohydrates

The please eat as much as your heart desires list:

1. Food high in omega 3 and monounsaturated fats (oily fish, oysters, olive oil, flax seeds, hemp seeds, tree nuts, avocado, ect.).

2. Food high in antioxidants (organic blueberries, 90% dark chocolate, artichokes, green tea, turmeric, herbs, ect.).

3. Foods high in important nutrients like vitamin E, A, and C (papaya, grapefruit, cucumber, leafy green, pumpkin seeds, and liver organs).

4. Anti-inflammatory diet is a great diet to follow if you like more structure.

5. Support the biggest little guys in your body- bacteria… yay! The health of your Gastrointestinal microbiome is important for healthy skin, so pump up some probiotics (veggies, slippery elm, psyllium husk, chia seeds) and eat some fermented food.

Increase movement, enjoy safe time in the sun daily (vitamin D), and increase daily self care (magnesium salt bath, reading your favourite book, meditation, stretching in a sexy candle lit room to some Otitis Redding…. or whatever floats your boat)

Step 2: Supporting the lymphatic system!

Why is this important?

The lymphatic system is matrix of vessels, tissues and organs that help move waste, toxins and excess hormones out of the body. It also is the home and highway of our very important white blood cells who protect our precious bodies from pathogenic invaders.

The lymphatic system has lots of vessels like the circulatory system but needs a little extra help from movement and exercise to get it pumping unlike the circulatory system. 💪

Why is this important for helping conquer hormonal acne?

1. Hormone regulation and detoxification (transports important hormone progesterone)

2. Transportation of free fatty acids (important for skin health)

3. Detoxification of unwanted guest!

What are some sign’s I might have poor lymphatic movement?

1. Swelling of lower extremities

2. Ance

3. Sore breast (excess oestrogen and low progesterone)

4. Cellulite

5. Poor immune function

6. Swollen lymph nodes

7. Bags under eyes

Great! 😩Now what am I to do about this?

1. Daily exercise- not only does in improve lymphatic function, it also improves mood, digestion, and weight management.

2. Increase water- pretty please drink 2-3 litres daily, thank you.

3. Lymphatic dry brushing- watch a YouTube on it… not about to write an instruction manual.

4. Start with a hot shower and end with a very cold shower 🥶

5. Lymphatic massage- there are lots of great practitioners out there for this.

Step 3: The liver…. It is amazing how much our liver does for us everyday.

What does the liver do?

Metabolised toxins that are harmful to the body, and either excretes them through bile > stool or kidneys> urine, or conjugates (magically turns them into) something a little more useful for the body.

Why is this important for skin health?

1. The liver excretes excess hormones

2. The liver removes toxins and waste

When these toxins and excess hormones are not cleared properly, the skin act as an outlet for excreting them, causing many different skin conditions, most commonly acne vulgaris.

What is needed for a healthy liver?

Making sure you have adequate amount of essential co-factors for phase 1 and 2 liver pathways in your diet. You can get these all from a whole food diet with variety.

1. Phase 1: B vitamins (B3, B6, B9, 12) Vitamin A, Glutathione, and flavonoids

2. Phase 2: Amino acids (glycine, taurine, Glutamine, NAC and Methianine)

3. Antioxidant protective to the liver: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, selenium, zinc, copper, and manganese….also herbs like Milk Thistle.

Do your best to stay away from the things your liver does not like:

1. Chemicals (perfumes, cleaning products, environmental pollutants, ect)

2. Pharmaceutical drugs

3. Alcohol

4. Processed foods

5. Dehydration

Look I’m no saint… and we all have to live, so don’t stress yourself out about it just do your best.

Step 4: (Last one I promise!) The Endocrine system… what is this?

You may have heard things like “endocrine disrupters” and thought “I have no idea what they are talking about”.

Well, let me explain.

In simple, the endocrine system is a messenger system comprising of the hypothalamus in the brain (control centre), glands (factories), hormone (messengers), and target cells or organ (action man). The hypothalamus sends messages to the desired glands (thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, pineal, and so on) to produce a certain hormones, which will be launched into circulation to meet particular cells to tell them what to do.

Why are hormonal issues so prevalent?

1. Stress- Hormones are made from cholesterol. When the body is stressed or in a chronic state of parasympathetic nervous system activation, reproduction is no longer the main concern. The hypothalamus receives messages of epinephrine and norepinephrine saying cholesterol needs to be turned into cortisol (stress hormone), rather than sex hormones (DHEA, testosterone, oestrogen, & progesterone).

2. Endocrine disrupters- hormonally active agents, chemicals, and compounds that mimic or interfere with hormones, and are found in our environment, food, and products. The most common endocrine disrupters: BPA and Phthalates (in plastic). “So PLEASE Don’t use plastic”- Love the Ocean and your Endocrine System.

3. Nutrient deficiencies- The hormonal cascade system has lots of co-factors (nutrients needed for reactions to take place). Some of the most important : B vitamins, Zinc, Magnesium, Vitamin C, and Iron.

4. Hormone therapy like synthetic testosterone (steroids) and Birth Control.

Hormones control our moods, energy, libido, weight, complexion and so much more, so show them some lovin.

There are also lots of great herbs for balancing male and female hormones, depending on your unique situation.

Okay.. okay.. I'm done!

Big Love,

Shelby