Why Acne Get Worse Before Your Period

I always ask my patients about whether or not they deal with acne. It can be a good indicator of what’s going on in the body in terms of hormones, reactions to food and stress levels. One of the most common responses I get from patients is that their acne gets worse before their period. Why does this happen? Is it a normal phenomenon that we just have to live with or is it a sign that something is off?

Hormonal Fluctuations

For most women, the spike in acne happens within the week before the period starts. If they normally have clear skin, this is when a few pimples can pop up. If they struggle with acne already, this is when it can get even worse. 

Influencers in the wellness world like to blame estrogen for a lot of problems but when it comes to acne around the period, the main culprits are progesterone and testosterone. Progesterone is supposed to be high in the week before the period and it plummets as bleeding begins. This natural, high progesterone level can trigger an increase in sebum production in the skin which can clog pores. Before the period, estrogen is on the lower side but relative to this, testosterone is on the higher side. This relatively high testosterone can also contribute to more sebum production. For some women, this spike in sebum is the perfect fuel to grow acne causing bacteria. 

What Can Be Done

These are all natural, normal hormonal changes. However, for women who are already dealing with hormonal imbalances like elevated testosterone throughout the month, insulin resistance, or low estrogen, these normal hormonal fluctuations could exacerbate their acne. There are natural ways to bring these hormones to a healthier level.

Other ways to combat acne around the period include a good skincare routine, wise diet choices and a concrete stress management plan. 

So to answer my questions above, these acne-causing hormonal fluctuations are natural and normal but there is still a lot that we can do to minimize their impact on our skin. If you need help managing your acne naturally, book a free 15 minute consultation to learn more. We work on diet, hormones, sleep, stress management, inflammation, skin care and sometimes facial acupuncture to address acne.

PCOS, Anxiety and Depression

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that involves irregular periods, metabolic issues like weight gain and insulin resistance, and symptoms of excess androgen hormones like acne and hair loss (or excess growth). It’s a common condition but what is often not talked about is its connection with mental health.

Women with PCOS are more likely to have anxiety or depression. This could be because some of the symptoms (like acne, hair loss, and infertility) take a psychological toll on those who experience them by impacting self esteem, relationships, and important life goals. It’s possible that the biological factors in PCOS like insulin resistance and elevated androgens are contributing to the anxiety or depression directly but there is limited and inconsistent information on this from studies. 

Associations have also been found between PCOS and eating disorders, bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder. 

Treatment 

Treating the mental health aspects of PCOS means treating the PCOS itself by balancing the hormones that are out of range and improving the symptoms. Because it can take time for symptoms to improve, treating anxiety and depression directly can also be beneficial. Some of the natural remedies that help with PCOS can help improve mental health too. Talk to your naturopathic doctor to get a treatment plan that address both your mental and physical PCOS symptoms.

Acne: Get Help for Stressed Out Skin, Naturally

Stressed out skin seems to be on the rise right now. With masks, higher stress levels and changes to daily routines and diet patterns, more patients are coming to me complaining about new or returning acne.

Luckily with a combination of face and body acupuncture, dietary tweaks, skin care regimens, a stress management plan and other natural remedies, we can usually get the skin back to a healthier state.

Tips for Acne Prevention

It’s super important that face hygiene is taken seriously to prevent acne. In addition to a good skin care plan (inside and out), these are the other steps that you should be thinking about:

• Wear a clean mask: Many patients are noticing breakouts in the “mask area” of their face and also between the brows. Wearing a clean mask may help prevent this (plus it’s also important for infection control in general).

• Don’t touch or pick your face: patients have told me that since they’ve been working from home, they’ve been resting their face on their hands more or touching their face more than usual. This can lead to breakouts.

• Keep makeup brushes, face towels and your phone clean.

• Try to change the side of your pillowcase every night: use one side, flip it for the next night, turn it inside out for the next night and flip it again for the fourth night - then change the pillowcase.

• Don’t let your hair get too greasy. If it is greasy, take steps to prevent strands from touching your face.

Get Your Acne Under Control

If your skin is in need of some help right now, book a free 15 minute consultation and we can go over how I can help you.

Zinc for Acne and Mental Health

Do you get pimples every time you’re anxious? When this happens, it can be extra frustrating. Not only do you have to deal with anxiety but now you’re faced with blackheads, cystic acne and acne scars. For many of my patients, when they are experiencing depression or anxiety, that’s when their skin is at its worse.

There are so many reasons for why the skin misbehaves when we’re not feeling great emotionally. When you’re feeling down you may eat differently, you may change up your skin care and hygiene practices, you may exercise less. On top of all this, changes in hormones and other biological factors could increase your chances of breaking out during emotionally tense moments in life.

Zinc is an important nutrient for the skin and for mental health. It’s found in our diet in pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, poultry and many other foods. Some studies have been able to show a connection between zinc supplementation and reduced depression or anxiety symptoms. Other studies have found a connection between zinc and reduced acne.

In my practice, I have found that zinc supplementation alone is often not enough to treat acne, anxiety or depression but it has been useful in some cases when I add it on to other recommendations. Zinc could be an important part of your plan to mange anxiety, depression and acne. Working with your naturopathic doctor to figure out the right dose to maximize effectiveness while decreasing side effects is important (zinc is known for causing an upset stomach at higher doses).

Working in the area of stress and mental health, I often end up treating patients who are also struggling with acne. That’s because mental health and skin health go hand in hand. If you find that you can relate to this, reach out to me and we can talk about some options for getting you clear skin and a calmer mind. To contact me with questions, fill out the question form on my website by clicking HERE.  

Facial Acupuncture for Pimples, Acne and Scarring

Facial acupuncture has become increasingly popular in recent years. It’s something that I have incorporated into my practice because skin health can be a significant source of stress for people. One of the most popular conditions I treat with facial acupuncture is acne and acne discolouration scars (dark spots and red spots). I’ve seen facial acupuncture calm down active acne - i.e. reduce the number and intensity of pimples but I find it’s also great for correcting uneven skin tone from scarring.

Pimples come and go but one of the most frustrating things about acne is the dark or red marks that get left behind once the pimples go away. Many of my patients find facial acupuncture is helpful for reducing these spots of discolouration. After a few sessions, most patients report back to me that their skin looks more vibrant, more even, and that it feels softer and healthier.

The awesome thing about being a naturopathic doctor is that we never just focus on the skin when it comes to pimples. There are so many contributing factors to acne such as hormones, diet and stress. At each facial acupuncture session, I make sure we address these underlying factors so that we’re treating your acne from the inside as well as the outside.

Many of my acne patients find that they break out more in response to high stress. Because mental health is a core focus of my practice, using acupuncture to manage stress and anxiety is an obvious choice for me. During a facial acupuncture session, I’ll often include acupuncture points that promote relaxation and stress reduction. 

If facial acupuncture sounds interesting to you but you’re new to acupuncture or hesitant about it, read my FAQ article on facial acupuncture by clicking HERE. The more you know, the more comfortable you’ll feel diving into treatment.

If you feel like you’ve tried everything to clear your skin up without satisfying results, facial acupuncture may be the perfect next step for you.  

My Stress Gives me Acne and my Acne Gives me Stress!

Acne doesn’t stop for everyone after high school. I’ve seen plenty of patients in their 20s and older looking for help with their acne. I often hear a similar story from patients: things are really stressful right now, my diet has been off, I’m not sleeping well, my periods have been wonky and I think all this is causing me to break out! And they are usually correct. Acne is often the end result of a lot of things going wrong. That’s why creams, washes and face procedures may help partially but they don’t always completely resolve it. To get good results, acne needs to be treated from the outside and the inside.

Stop the Stress Cycle

Stress is one of the most common acne triggers I’ve seen in my practice. Acne can also trigger a lot of stress. This can make for a cruel stress-acne-stress-acne cycle. Implementing strategies like mindfulness and exercise is important for soothing stress. When that’s not enough, I recommend acupuncture and certain nutrients and herbs to cool down the body’s stress response. Sometimes you may benefit from a cortisol test to see whether this stress hormone is too high or too low. Both scenarios may contribute to acne and they are treated differently.

It's also important to make sure you’re going to bed at a reasonable time and getting enough hours of sleep. This is key for the health of your skin cells and for keeping inflammation and your stress hormones in check. If you struggle with sleep, there are many natural options for improving the quality of your sleep.

When you’re more stressed, you’re more likely to pick at those pimples. That means spreading more acne-causing bacteria around your face and worsening your acne. We’ve all been there. Quelling stress can help you break those nervous habits that are worsening your skin.

Don’t Forget the Rest

Lowering stress is important for reducing acne but there is also other work that needs to be done. I work with my patients to optimize skin-essential nutrients, reduce foods that trigger inflammation in the skin and test and treat hormone imbalances like estrogen and testosterone abnormalities. Combining all of these approaches makes for a powerful punch against acne.

Facial Acupuncture

To reduce acne scarring, even out skin tone and improve the health of the skin I recommend facial acupuncture to some of my patients. I like to combine it with regular, traditional acupuncture which is especially powerful for reducing stress. Like I said before, acne needs to be treated from the outside and the inside.

So if you’re longing for that dewy, fresh skin, let's make it happen. Treating acne may seem superficial but once it’s under control you would be amazed at how much your confidence can soar. Once you feel confident, you feel more excited about heading out into the world and facing work, social situations and life in general.

Facial Acupuncture FAQ

Does it actually work? Almost all of my patients have been happy with their results.

How many sessions do I need? 5-10.

When will I start seeing results? Usually by the 3rd session - earlier for some people!

Does it hurt? It feels like little pinches on the skin. Most patients agree that it is not a very painful experience.

Is it covered? If you have naturopathic medicine coverage, you care will be covered under that. When I do facial acupuncture, it’s not just about the skin. I also incorporate acupuncture points for addressing other concerns (e.g. stress, sleep, anxiety) and we work on improving your overall health. This wholistic approach to health (and to skin care) is the basis of naturopathic medicine.

Where do you put the needles? I insert them in different regions of the face. I can also put needles in different acupuncture points on the body to help with your other health goals (e.g. digestive issues, stress, anxiety, poor sleep and so on).

Is there anything in the needles? No. Nothing is injected. The needles stimulate your own skin to boost circulation and trigger a healing response.

How long are the sessions? 30-60 minutes.

Will it make my skin worse if I stop doing it? No. Facial acupuncture does not make your skin dependent on it.

What do I do if I want to ask more questions before starting? Book a free 15-minute consult by clicking the button below.

How Sugar Affects Your Skin

Sugar takes a toll on your skin. It can age the skin and contribute to acne. You may have heard that the sugar-acne connection is a myth that was debunked by science. This argument is usually based on a single study. In this study, one group of people was asked to eat a chocolate bar and the other was not. There was no difference in acne between the two groups. Some took this as proof that there is no connection between sugar (or diet in general) and acne. However, many scientists have found flaws in this study. The focus is shifting to newer studies showing that there is indeed a sugar-acne connection.

The Results

Studies have found that replacing high glycemic load foods with low glycemic load foods reduces acne. The lower glycemic load diet was often lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein. Researchers actually counted the number of pimples before and after the diet changes. Pimples reduced by 30-50%. The trick is you have to be patient. Milder pimples started to go away by 5 weeks after the diet change. But most of the regular/ severe pimples took 10-12 weeks to fade. In fact, one study only lasted 8 weeks and found that the diet did not help within that time - so timing is everything.

The Diet

So what does glycemic load mean? To put it simply, glycemic load refers to how “sugary” the food is and how quickly it affects blood sugar.

Some high glycemic load foods are:

- White bread/ white pasta/ white rice

- Sweet drinks (pop, juice, sugary coffee)

- Candy, chocolate, baked goods

- French fries and chips

- Pizza

- Sweet cereals

Some low glycemic load foods used in the studies were:

- Lean meat (e.g. poultry) and fish

- Whole wheat bread/pasta (but not an excessive quantity)

- Vegetables and fresh fruit

- Barley

The Biology

There are a few theories on how sugar leads to acne. High glycemic load foods can spike blood sugar leading to a spike in insulin. This makes it easier for other hormones like androgens to cause acne. For example, androgens increase sebum production. Insulin spikes also increase cell growth and inflammation in a way that can clog pores. All these changes make the skin more prone to infection by acne-causing bacteria.

Naturally, replacing sugary foods with these healthier foods will boost levels of other nutrients. These nutrients, like vitamin A, zinc, good fats and fiber, are also good for the skin.

So, if you’re struggling with acne there are natural options out there. Work with a naturopath to sort out the right diet for you. Often there are other diet changes that need to be made in addition to reducing sugar. Herbs and nutritional supplements can help as well. In stubborn cases, ask your naturopath about food sensitivity testing or cosmetic acupuncture to manage acne.