Acne Before Period: 8 Ways to Prevent
Acne before your period is definitely common, but that does not mean it is normal or something you need to struggle with every month. Our skin is like a window as to what is going on internally. It’s important to understand the root cause of why is this presenting? Acne before your period, or hormonal acne, can be related to:
elevated estrogen or testosterone (or both)
poor liver detoxification, meaning your liver isn’t breaking down and clearing hormones as well as it could be
gut issues like bacterial overgrowth, dysbiosis (an imbalance of good and bad bacteria), gut inflammation, or constipation (you’re not eliminating hormones so they recirculate)
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Luckily there are many natural solutions to help prevent acne before your period that take into account each of the mentioned possible root causes.
Here are 8 ways to prevent acne before your period.
1. Include Zinc Foods
Zinc can help to improve PMS symptoms (1). Zinc is a trace mineral that is involved in many reactions that occur in the body. It has anti-inflammatory properties and can help to reduce acne before your period. Zinc supplementation has shown to have skin benefits for those experiencing acne (2). Great food sources of zinc include: nuts, seeds, shellfish, meat, and legumes.
2. Include Cruciferous Veggies
Cruciferous veggies include vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, bok choy, kale, and arugula. These are sulfurous vegetables that contain a compound called indole-3-carbinol (I3C). I3C converts into another compound called diindolylmathane (DIM). DIM helps to support estrogen detoxification (3). This is important to make sure we are breaking down and clearing estrogen from the body. If we are not then estrogen can build up in the body and lead to hormonal imbalances. Including 1-2 cups of cruciferous veggies daily can help prevent acne before your period that shows up as a symptom of a hormonal imbalance.
3. Reduce Dairy
Dairy may be associated with acne in some individuals (4). This can possibly be due to dairy cows being treated with artificial hormones that can throw off our own hormone balance and trigger acne (5). Growth hormones are naturally found in milk and could also affect our hormone balance (5) and have been shown to trigger acne (6). Try removing or reducing dairy to see if it helps you to prevent acne before your period. I like to say to try removing dairy as an experiment for 2-4 weeks to see if this is a possible trigger for your acne. The only times I say to remove a food group is if you have a specific reaction to the food, it makes you feel better, or it helps your symptoms.
4. Balance Your Blood Sugar
Blood sugar imbalances can lead to hormone imbalances, most notably elevated androgen levels like testosterone. This is often seen in those with PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome. Insulin is the hormone whose job it is to clear sugar from the blood. With blood sugar imbalances insulin has a difficult time keeping up with demands and the cells may become less responsive to allowing the sugar into the cells, where it is needed for energy. Over time insulin can signal the ovaries to start producing more testosterone (7), which can result in symptoms like acne. A way to prevent acne before your period is to balance your blood sugar. Do this by not skipping meals, eating consistently throughout the day, and including protein, healthy fat, and fiber at meals and snacks.
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5. Include Healthy Fats
Studies have linked an imbalance in essential fatty acids with a variety of skin problems. Specifically, “dry, itchy, scaly skin is a hallmark sign of fatty acid deficiency” (8). Essential fatty acids include omega-3s and omega-6s, which need to be in careful balance of 4:1 (9). Omega-3s are associated with decreased inflammation (8). Often we get plenty of omega-6 fatty acids from seed and vegetable oils, but are lacking in omega-3s. The best food source of omega-3s are fish like salmon, tuna, or sardines. Including healthy fats can help to prevent acne before your period.
6. Use Gentle Skincare Products
Many skincare products contain harsh chemicals and ingredients that function as xenoestrogens, compounds that mimic estrogen in the body (10). Sulfates are a type of harsh chemical found in many cleansers. Sulfates can strip away moisture from the skin, leaving it dry, and signaling to the body to produce more oil. Since your skin that is struggle with acne is likely inflamed and irritated, it’s best to opt for gentle skincare products that retain moisture and don’t strip your skin. Using gentle skincare products can be a great way to prevent acne before your period. I recommend the brand Osmia Organics.
7. Include Probiotic Foods
Acne has been associated with gut dysbiosis (11). This means those with an imbalance of gut bacteria can more at risk of experiencing acne. Our skin really is a window to what is going on internally. Supporting gut health is an important aspect of skin health (12). Probiotics help to boost the beneficial bacteria that lives in the gut. Including probiotic foods can help to rebalance the gut balance and can be a way to prevent acne before your period. Include foods like fermented veggies (sauerkraut, kimchi), tempeh, miso, kefir, and yogurt.
8. Limit Caffeine and Alcohol
While caffeine and alcohol may not directly cause acne, they can have an affect on the body in ways that lead to higher likelihood of acne, especially if you have acne-prone skin. Both caffeine and alcohol can affect your body’s stress response. An altered stress response can have a downstream effect on the rest of our hormones. Alcohol specifically can negatively affect your GI tract and balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which as we discussed can have a link to skin health. Limiting caffeine and alcohol can help to prevent acne before your period.
Take away message:
Acne before your period does not have to be your norm . If you’re looking to understand the root causes of your acne, check out my hormone testing packages HERE.
