A hormonal acne diet can look different for each person, depending on what causes their acne and what they need to eat.
This article talks about what hormonal acne is, what foods may cause it, and how a person’s diet for hormonal acne can be changed to help. It also talks about some other treatments for acne.
What is hormonal acne?
When pores get clogged and inflamed, acne can happen. Pores are small holes in the skin that let sebum, an oily substance that keeps moisture out. When sebum or other things get stuck in a pore, a pimple can form.
Acne can be caused by a number of things, such as:
- Having oily skin and using products that block pores (comedogenic).
- Taking certain drugs based on your genes
- Hormonal effects of sunlight
- People use the term “hormonal acne” to talk about acne that seems to be caused mostly by changes in hormones.
People with hormonal acne may notice they break out more often:
- before or during a period
- during or after pregnancy
- when starting or stopping birth control pills
- during perimenopause or menopause
It’s not always easy to tell the difference between acne that is mostly caused by hormones and other kinds of acne. For some people, though, the timing of their breakouts may be a sign.
What triggers hormonal acne?
The thing is, scientists are still trying to figure out how hormones affect skin. What they know for sure is that hormone changes can cause pimples.
If you get your period (and all the hormone-related fun that comes with it), your hormone levels change naturally during your cycle. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone all go up and down in turn, but sometimes things aren’t quite right. Let’s hear about that new chin volcano.
Researchers think that this is because hormones called androgens (hello, testosterone!) help control the amount of oil your skin makes.
There are some things that can turn up your androgens, such as:
- Stress during puberty
- PCOS
- Obesity Hormonal Medications
Oh, and what you eat can also change how much androgen is in your body. That’s where we start to look at diet for hormonal acne.
What your diet has to do with hormonal acne
Unfortunately, even women who eat well can’t completely change the link between hormones and outbreaks. However, they can reduce outbreaks by eating well and staying at a healthy weight, “says Goodman.
“What you eat can heal and bring your hormones back into balance, or it can throw you completely out of balance and keep you there.” Fahad agrees, and she says, “There are certain foods that have a stronger effect on hormones in the body than your daily green juice.”
Some research shows that people who eat a low-glycemic diet for hormonal acne may get fewer pimples. This is because a low-glycemic diet reduces the spikes in glucose levels that can cause inflammation, which can make our skin produce more sebum, or oil.
Hormonal Acne Diet Do’s & Don’ts
Even though acne is caused by clogged pores full of dead skin cells, oil, and bacteria, that’s not the only thing that causes it. Breakouts are caused by many other things as well. Food is often to blame. Hormones are the second one. It’s not clear what role food plays in acne, but it is clear what role hormones play. Many types of acne can be caused by or made worse by hormones that are out of balance.
When we eat certain foods, the hormone levels in our bodies can change, which can then cause our bodies to make more or less oil. Knowing which foods work best for your body can help you balance your hormones, which can help with your acne symptoms and keep you from breaking out. Read on to find out how a hormonal acne diet and effective acne treatments can help you deal with your skin problems.
Foods That Help Hormonal Acne
If you tend to break out because of your hormones, you might want to learn how to reduce acne with a healthy diet and which acne treatments will work best for you. We’ve listed below the foods that should be part of what we think is the best diet for hormonal acne. This is a diet that can help balance your hormones and stop this type of acne from happening in the first place.
Healthy Fats
Healthy fats might be the answer you’ve been looking for if you have dry skin, oily skin, or something in between. The cell membranes of your skin are made up of healthy fats like Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids help keep your skin healthy and hydrated, and they also make your skin feel soft. Add more healthy fats to your diet for hormonal acne by sautéing your food in coconut oil, eating more avocados every week, or making your next dinner recipe with wild-caught salmon.
Cruciferous Vegetables
Want to know how to stop getting pimples and keep your estrogen levels in balance? A plant-based diet for hormonal acne with leafy green vegetables like kale, arugula, and broccoli might do the trick! These vegetables are great for your skin because they are full of nutrients. Their sulfur-based compounds work with your body to clear up your skin and get rid of any gunk that might be causing your pores to get clogged.
Probiotics
Setting up healthy habits, like eating probiotics, is important for keeping your skin in good shape. Foods like kombucha that are high in probiotics have good bacteria that help your digestive system get rid of toxins and extra hormones. It’s easy to add probiotics to your diet for hormonal acne. We suggest starting with sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha, which are all fermented foods. Don’t worry if fermented vegetables don’t taste good to you. There are a lot of probiotic supplements you can buy over the counter and use every day.
Foods to Avoid for Hormonal Acne
Dairy
The first step of a hormonal acne diet is to figure out what foods you might be sensitive to. Food sensitivity is often caused by dairy. Also, more and more research shows a link between eating dairy and getting acne[3]. Even if you don’t drink milk and eat cheese every day, it’s likely that you still eat some dairy. There is dairy in a lot of processed foods. If you want to get rid of dairy from your diet for hormonal acne, look at the labels to see if there is a warning about allergens. This will tell you if the recipe has milk, butter, or cheese.
Another easy way to get rid of dairy from your diet for hormonal acne is to switch from cow’s milk to milk made from plants. You can easily make cashews, almonds, coconut, soy, and even peas into many dairy-based products. Not only are these alternatives to milk full of healthy things, but they also taste great.
Refined Carbs & Sugar
Pasta, sugary drinks, and white bread, which are all high on the glycemic index, may also make your skin break out. But kale and whole grains, which have low glycemic indexes, have been shown to help acne. If you’re looking for foods that can help prevent acne, try eating more quinoa, barley, spinach, and lentils. You’ll feel better, and your skin might even start to get better.
Fast foods
Fast food shouldn’t be a surprise on the list of foods that cause acne. Many fast foods are full of unhealthy oils and processed dairy-based foods that are known to make acne worse. You can help your body fight acne from the inside out by avoiding fast food and eating more home-cooked meals. Also, when you make more meals at home, you get to choose what goes into them. If you eat foods with healthy fats, probiotics, and lots of nutrients, they will not only help clear up your acne, but they will also help balance your hormones, which can stop you from getting acne in the future.
Hormonal Acne Diet and additional Treatment
When looking at the best foods to supplement diet for hormonal acne, it’s important to remember that everyone’s body is different. Even though these healthy food swaps may help a lot of people, they won’t be enough to completely get rid of acne on their own. In addition to eating well, you can help prevent breakouts by keeping your face clean, getting enough sleep, and using topical acne treatments like the Eradikate Acne Treatment.
Visit your dermatologist if you have tried a strict diet for hormonal acne or other skin care methods and they haven’t helped. They might be able to answer questions about a possible hormonal imbalance that is causing your type of acne. For now, we encourage you to start using the clean eating tips we’ve given to help get rid of hormonal acne!
In Conclusion
Hormonal acne can be caused by both stress and your genes. Your diet and other parts of your lifestyle also play a role.
There is no one diet for hormonal acne that will help everyone with hormonal acne, but research shows that eating low-glycemic foods, staying away from dairy, and choosing whole, fresh foods can help.
A balanced diet for hormonal acne and home remedies can work better together than just one of them. If home remedies don’t work, you should see a dermatologist.