Ways to improve hormonal acne (without going on the pill)?

[HarryBiscuit]

I don't want to be on the pill long term. Some is cleared up by good diet, lots of water, sleep and good skincare but still the hormonal bit remains. Any advice?

Following because I have the same problem, it is the bane of my life. I've tried so many skincare regimes but at this point I think only medication will actually make a difference.

I've heard good things about The Ordinary skincare, but I have skincare fatigue at this point.

I'm using the neutrogena acne mask, I have pcos, & it's brilliant.

I get the odd sore spot but it goes away without going red.

Paula's choice BHA is the only skincare product that has helped and I've tried pretty much everything. But I'm hearing good things about witch hazel applied as a toner?

I got antibiotics from the GP which cleared it up. I'm now back to being really lazy with skincare (often cba to take make up off) but don't get acne. Best £8 I spent!

Once or twice a week I do a salicylic peel (Bravura 2%), followed by a clay mask (like Turbliss at the moment) then a moisturizing mask featuring squalane (like Chinata Moisturising).

Biggest thing those was stopping dairy. If you can't stop reduce.

*though not those!

Blue light therapy.

Spironolactone but you would need derm to prescribe. Differin you could get from gp and is topical med (doesn't clear my hormonal acne though).

Cutting down on dairy products helped my skin massively.

Hormonal acne is often due to an excess of oestrogen compared with progesterone.
Dairy cows are often given hormones to increase milk production, so reducing your intake of dairy can help.

If it's your own body producing too much oestrogen, you need to look at why. In perimenopause it can be normal, but in younger it can be due to polycystic ovaries, or an excess of body fat (oestrogen is produced by the ovaries, but also by your body's fat cells). Increasing exercise levels, especially muscle-building exercise, to reduce your body fat percentage, is the best long-term solution (along with weight loss in general if you're over a BMI of 23-ish).

Otherwise, the only real solution is to take progesterone supplements to even out the hormonal balance. This is why the progesterone only pill is often proposed as a solution, although there are other progesterone tablets available, not marketed as contraceptives. There are even progesterone supplements you can take vaginally (pessaries) which offer the same advantages with fewer side effects. I'm not in the UK, but pretty sure you can get them prescribed in most countries.

I just want to point out that for women hormonal acne can often be caused by androgen sensitivity or high levels. (Testosterone = androgen). I believe my eostrogen/progesterone levels to be fairly balanced. I believe my acne is caused by androgen sensitivity as I have acne breakouts around ovulation and period. Which means on a 28 day cycle i literally have every other week of acne and the other weeks with healing acne!

Spirolonactone is an anti androgen blocker. Dianette works in same way. Yasmin also has androgen blocker.

Spearmint tea is also an androgen blocker and studies have shown it to be very effective. (Not peppermint!)

I completely eliminated dairy, used various supplements inc fish oils to regulate hormone balance, increased exercise etc. No impact to my acne. Have tried for a year. I've admitted defeat and am now on course of dianette (this has cleared my acne in the past). Didn't want to go down this route but my skin is seriously getting me down.

I found this post useful as a basis for further research in the past www.acne.org/messageboard/topic/321105-how-do-i-know-if-i-am-high-or-low-in-x-hormone/

Following with interest as running out of ideas to try

@mintbiscuit testosterone is a precursor to oestrogen and is metabolized into estradiol by an enzyme (aromatase), so raised androgen levels have exactly the same outcome in women as raised oestrogen!

I didn't know that about spearmint tea mint thanks. --