How I Cured My Hormonal/Cystic Acne
Hello, Lovelies!
IT IS A HAPPY DAY HERE AT CONTENT BY KRISTYN! I have officially been acne-free for about 6 months now!!! Yes, I will get the occasional little pimple popping up when I indulge in certain foods BUT that is nothing compared to the usual full-blown hormonal and cystic acne breakouts I was used to dealing with for the past 6 YEARS.
I kid you not when I say that I have been D R E A M I N G about writing this post since the day I launched this blog over a year ago! Truth be told… I honestly never thought that this moment would ever arrive. My skin and I have been through quite the long, traumatic roller-coaster together over the years, and I am so happy that we are FINALLY on the same page and making amends for the painful years past. Below, I will share the 10 things that I attribute to ending my acne-war.
Let me be completely transparent here - this all boils down to my whole lifestyle changing… not just one miraculous skincare product or some million-dollar facial. I have had to work extremely hard to find the right combination of lifestyle changes that work together to create a harmonious balance between my hormones.
SO, here is how I did it!*
*Disclaimer: Everyone’s skin and body is completely different. What worked for me may not work for you. I will always share my experiences in the hopes that they will be able to help you in some way, even if not every single step is a good fit for you.
1 - Gluten-Free
This was the scary one folks… the challenge that I thought too impossible to ever really commit to. 1 year later and I can happily say that I was SO wrong. The amazing thing about living in the time we do is that there are so many unique dietary food options readily available to us! Even regular grocery stores tend to have a decent selection of gluten-free goodies now, making it much easier and accessible to get! The one thing I will say - IT IS EXPENSIVE! HOLY CRAP. Guys... Gluten-free goods must be made of gold. Call me crazy, but $6.00 for half a loaf of bread is INSANE. I understand that you have to pay more for better quality ingredients but it still seems crazy to me.
BUT unfortunately that is a price I was willing to pay every once and a while to get rid of the excruciatingly painful breakouts I was experiencing. I honestly just stopped making things that required bread - less complicated and it saved money! If you have the available ingredients, I would recommend making your own gluten-free bread products instead if you’re looking to save a bit of dough (pun intended…hehe).
Other than bread, I am LOVING all of the other gluten-free foods available! I especially love the Catelli gluten-free pastas, as well as some other pasta/rice blends I have found that are made of chickpeas and lentils instead of wheat!
2 - Dairy-Free
I LOVE CHEESE. I can’t deny it. Cheese makes me happy. BUT it also messes with my hormones and inevitably leaves me with a bloated gut and a painful breakout on my face. When I was first diagnosed with PCOS, my doctor recommended reducing my dairy intake in addition to going gluten-free. I thought my life was over (I know this sounds dramatic but as an Italian girl being told I had to give up pasta AND cheese all at the same time… that really stung, haha). Anyways, like anything in life, balance is key here. I knew I would not last long if I gave up dairy ‘cold-turkey.’ Instead I compromised.
Yes, I still eat cheese - just not nearly as often and in as large of quantities that I used to. I try and limit myself to having cheese once or twice a week and that seems to have been working great! I never really drank milk anyways - Oat milk has been my BFF for years now, and Silk makes INSANELY delicious Dairy-Free yogurt (made with coconut milk). All in all, I feel much more energetic and light since making the cut - but remember - I listened to my body. Everything in balance and do what feels right for you!
3 - Reduce Processed Foods + Sugars
Some of you may think that this would be hard given the fast-paced world that we live in today, but I honestly found this to be much less of a challenge than I anticipated! Packaged foods are commonly high in sugars, preservatives and even added hormones - all things that will disrupt your body’s natural rhythms and hormone production - potentially influencing more hormonal breakouts.
I was lucky enough to live in areas that had weekly farmer’s markets for the past year, so it became a non-negotiable part of my weekly routine to gather a nice haul at the market. This honestly became a self-care ritual for me, because not only was I getting healthy foods to fuel my body, but I found it mentally calming to walk up and down the road to the different stalls to see all of the local farmers out selling their goods. It may sound silly, but I honestly just get so happy at little market places, and when it can double as fun and healthy - then why the hell not!?
I know that not everyone has access to a farmers market, but even now that I have moved to the city, I have found it pretty easy to maintain my usual fresh-food routines. Remember that grocery stores are trying to tempt you with all of the sweet, conveniently packaged foods that they have lined up for you to choose from. I know that they might be tasty, but really take a moment to consider how you feel just moments after eating those types of food - bloated, heavy, and lethargic are the 3 that I always feel. Instead, save your money and shop in the produce aisle. If you are buying meats, shop from the counter and get what is fresh. Your body will thank you!
4 - Daily Exercise
I will be the first to admit that this has been the BIGGEST struggle for me. Even harder than giving up pasta if you can believe it! But it is so absolutely crucial to aiding in the overall balancing of your body’s hormones. Not only does it contribute positively to eliminating stress and anxiety for a lot of people (I know it really helps my anxiety when I get a good workout in), but daily exercise is also a great way to level out your hormones, therefore reducing flare ups that may trigger your acne breakouts.
Let’s be real, there are probably a million other things I would rather be doing than exercising which is why this is the area I am most inconsistent in, but I know how important it is to squeeze in even 20 minutes of exercise daily - especially for women struggling with hormonal imbalances. I challenge you to find a means of exercise that you LOVE - something that brings you joy while doing it! For me, I know that I do not thrive working out alone in a gym, so I go for group fitness classes! This keeps me accountable and motivated and I can choose the ones that I enjoy! My go-to classes include yoga and kick boxing - what are your faves?!
5 - Stress Management Techniques
For the last year, I have been really focusing on my stress/anxiety management. I have explored and fallen in love with deep breathing (meditation) and therapeutic journaling as great ways to relieve stress. In addition to these techniques, I have been prioritizing time for things that make me genuinely happy - spending time with family, reading, writing, sketching, watching a fave movie, etc. Doing so has really helped me to step back from the hustle and bustle of the world around me and alleviate some of the daily stressors that were triggering extra breakouts. Try and spend some time focusing on what makes you happy! What are some hobbies that you are neglecting? Write out what causes you the most stress and work backwards from there to develop a plan on how you can eliminate it from your life!
6 - Evening Primrose Supplement
After introducing this daily EPO supplement to my lifestyle, I feel like I was in a whole new ball-game. My menstrual cycle was becoming more regular and I was even starting to ovulate again! I have now officially been taking EPO once a day for a YEAR and have had regular menstrual cycles since then (see my PCOS journey for more information). With the regulation of my cycles, I started having less and less breakouts, and now, the only time I get a pimple is when I have to wear my mask for too long (thanks Covid-19)! Overall, I think that EPO was one of the main things that helped me re-balance my hormones, and by extension, put a stop to my hormonal acne breakouts!*
*Disclaimer: ALWAYS talk to your health care provider before starting new supplements.
7 - Strip Back Skincare Routine
This is another super important one. I know how easy is can be to fall into the skincare trap. Believe me… I do not even want to think about how much money I spent on skincare products in the last 5 years while on a desperate hunt to find some relief from my acne pains. I have tried SO FREAKING MANY products claiming to be specifically for acne or sensitive skin and added a million steps to my skin care routine and NOTHING was helping. I even used medicated topical acne creams of various types (read here for specifics) and nothing changed. This went on for about 5 long and painful years.
Finally I said enough is enough. The thing is, I wasn’t naive. I was well aware that these skincare companies were using their flashy marketing to prey on my insecurities and make me feel like their products could hold the miracle cure I was looking for. I KNEW all of this, yet I still bought into it out of desperation which is why the beauty industry is so incredibly successful. Every where you turn there is an ad claiming to be the savior you have been searching for. When you are exhausted and tired of being in physical pain while riddled with insecurities, you will literally try ANYTHING.
At this point, I had been diagnosed with PCOS but had not fully transitioned my eating habits to be gluten and dairy free. I was, however, eating way more anti-inflammatory foods and cut out anything processed or refined (it was quite close to a Whole-30 diet). I had also started taking the Evening Primrose supplement every morning.
Where I had previously had about 8 steps in my skincare routine (at night), I now had only 4: double cleanse (1. remove makeup 2.wash face), moisturize, and apply eye cream. No serums, oils, spot treatments, face-masks, toners, essences, thermal waters - NOTHING. By stripping back this routine, I was able to pinpoint specific ingredients that were impacting changes in my skin and hormones and eliminate them! It took a bit of time to solidify the roster, but after about a month of trial and error I had success! Remember: sometimes less is more, and in my case, lightening the routine was the best decision!
8 - Forget Foundation
Now, this may scare so me of you - believe me I know. I had been a daily foundation wearer since high-school. I never thought there would be a day when I could muster the courage to be in public without foundation on, but you know what? It was the best thing I have EVER done for my skin and my self-esteem. If you have never suffered from acne/skin insecurities, this may seem odd, but stepping out of the house without a layer of foundation between me and the world was LIBERATING. Something I had never thought I could confidently do. But honestly, after a while, I stopped worrying that people would be staring at the large, red bumps on my face. It was a rough journey to get to this point, but so worth the wait in the end. I am now at a point where I don’t feel the need to cover-up and hide my natural skin - sure I have lots of residual scaring left from years of deep, painful breakouts, but I will face that in the next phase of my skin journey!
9 - Discard All Other Inflammatory Cosmetics + Hair Care
The next step for me after cleaning up my skincare and makeup routine was researching the ingredients in other products that were a part of my daily life. I found that my shampoo and conditioner had many inflammatory and irritating ingredients in them, which come into contact with your skin anytime you’re in the shower/your hair touches your face. I switched to brands like Live Clean, Maui Moisture and Shea Moisture - specifically products formulated without silicone, sulfates, mineral oil, phthalates, parabens, petroleum and formaldehyde.
10 - Water
I am NOT saying that drinking water will help with you acne - as someone who struggled with acne for YEARS I know how infuriating it can be when someone tells you “just drink more water and your pimples will go away.” NOPE. THANKS for the advice but NOPE. The reason I included this in my list is because as much as it bothers me that people seem to think this will cure all types of acne, it was still a piece of the puzzle that was balancing my hormones to stop my breakouts.
to be continued…
While I haven’t had a hormonal breakout in about 6 months now, this will be a journey I continue to evolve and change as my life changes. The main takeaway here is that by changing your lifestyle and focusing on your own well-being, you can take back control of your own health and body. Stay positive my fellow acne sufferers! You too will stumble across your own pathway to a balanced, acne-free life! Until then, I will do my best to share any tips and tricks I can offer to help ease your journey!
Be sure to share your stories in the comments below! Whether they are success stories or about your current struggle, I would love to make this a safe place to chat about your journey!
Yours, happily,
Kristyn xo