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.

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.