Spearmint tea for hormonal acne?

[AmethystMoonShine]

I’ve read that spearmint tea can help improve hormonal acne. Anti-androgen effect I believe. I’ve started to have 2-3 cups per day, only started two days ago though. I wondered has anyone else tried this and if so, was it effective?

I take ginger in hot water in the morning, and mint leaves in hot water at night. Only started this week so following with interest!
The ginger is meant to help with PMS so that could include hormonal acne?

Honestly I tried everything for my acne and the only thing that really worked was cutting out meat and dairy.

It helped me at first saw a difference after 2 weeks but I think it’s best to also use acne treatment too from the doctor. That’s what worked for me :)

I’ve cut out dairy too, started about three weeks ago. I’ll try the ginger tea, thanks @TwilightSkies.
I don’t eat meat anyway and have had nearly every treatment going from the GP over the years. I’m using Adapalene currently but have an awful breakout that started two months ago. Huge cystic lumps, about 8-10 plus around 20 smaller spots. So painful

I really feel for you. I took roaccutane 3 times! Each time cleared them for 6-12 months and then they returned.
Be consistent with the dairy, it really does work!

I don't think any internet cures or teas will help to be honest. I agree with others, you need to go down a medical route.

Adapalene is very effective so give it a few weeks. You need to be using it consistently and regularly. Any cream containing benzoyl peroxide will also work. You can get those over the counter e.g. Boots pharmacy. Acnecide is very good.

Are you taking anything to regulate your hormones? The combined contraceptive pill will help with the hormonal imbalance causing your acne.

There's a series on at the moment on bbciplayer called Skin which would be worth a look. A couple of the episodes show acne sufferers being prescribed different treatments from dermatologists and it follows the results on their acne over several weeks.

The woman that took Roaccutane had amazing results, as did patients using other treatments, include topical creams and antibiotics.

@SmileyClare I’ll check out the programme, thank you.
I’ve been using Adapalene for two years and have had it previously. Acnecide and so on don’t work either sadly. I’ve had oral antibiotics several times over the years plus topical antibiotics like Zineryt, which help a bit but don’t really work.
I’m going persist with cutting out dairy.
I know the contraceptive pill Dianette works but I can’t take it any more because of my age (45) and I’m high risk for breast cancer so I can’t take hormonal meds.
It cleared up when I was pregnant but I can’t do that again!

I find Clear Skin Coach on Instagram to be very good, she talks about balancing hormones etc. Worth a look!

Ah sounds like you've persisted with Adapalene then if you've been using it for 2 years. Sorry, I thought you'd just started with it!

I started getting awful acne when I stopped the combined pill. (due to age, I'm also 45) The sudden drop in oestrogen wreaked havoc with my skin. Have you recently come off it?

Another factor is mask wearing! I'm getting breakouts from wearing a mask. The material ones seem to let my skin breathe more. The disposable ones are made with plastic which creates an ideal moist warm breeding ground for skin bacteria.

I actually saw a different doctor who has allowed me to continue with a combined pill (of a lower oestrogen content). He said If my weight and blood pressure remain in the normal range there's no reason not to continue with it until menopause.
Some doctors are very cautious about prescribing it to older women due to an increased risk of blood clots. This is significantly lowered by a healthy weight and BP. I don't know if your breast cancer risk is a factor though.

You can ask to be referred to a consultant dermatologist who can prescribe a course of Roaccutane. Yours does sound quite severe at the moment so that would put it into remission.

No reason not to try the tea anyway. I hope it improves, acne really affected my mood and confidence so I sympathise.

I would recommend trying DIM (a supplement made from green veg basically, available online) and/or Spironolactone (on prescription from GP). Both good for hormonal acne IME.

Spironolactone is not hormonal but seems to help regulate androgens.

Roaccutane didn’t work for me, twice. I am in a small minority there though.

I’ll look that up @TwilightSkies, thank you.

@SmileyClare oh goodness yes, I’ve tried it all many times! I stopped the pill nine years ago, so not recent. I’ve had acne ever since though and it keeps getting worse!
I’m speaking to my GP about it in a couple of weeks so I’ll enquire about the pill again and Roaccutane.

@minipie I’ve wondered about Spironolactone so will ask about that too.

Thank you for all your ideas and sharing your experiences. It massively affects my confidence and mood. I’m a therapist so see clients face to face, well via Zoom now, but I’m so self conscious.

Yes, yes spearmint tea is anti androgen - ginger won't have same effect. Spearmint tea is a natural form of spironolactone.
Spearmint tea, no dairy and DIM supplement have cured my acne of 35 years - I had been on roacutane twice too.

You need to see a dermatologist. I had to go on Roaccutane - did antibiotics/duac, adapalene, all sorts of internet cures, nothing kept it away but Roaccuntane.

Dairy had nothing to do with it. I've been lactose intolerant my entire life.

Dairy didn’t affect me either. If you give up dairy you must supplement with vit d & vit k. It’s very important.

I took roaccutane too for hormonal acne.

Most acne is hormonal isn’t it?.

It didn't do much for me really, other than make my acid reflux worse . No harm in it if you sre already a mint tea drinker though OP, but I probably wouldn't force it down in hopes of clear skin. The proper pure spearmint tea isn't that cheap either.

It's depressing isn't it. The only thing that ever worked for me was the pill (yasmin) and I definitely saw improvements giving up dairy and also when I had to give up gluten (was diagnosed coeliac so had no say really). Double cleansing, clean pillowcases every other night (flip them in between) and being careful with what skincare and makeup I use also help to a degree but dont 'cure' anything.

Sincerely hope you find something that works

@dontgobaconmyheart yes, so depressing. I actually like spearmint tea so it’s no hardship
I know technically there is no cure for acne, I guess I just keep hoping something might help!

Spearmint tea messed with my cycles and didn't help with my acne.

Spiro plus retinol has cleared my skin. Also a bit of PC 2% bha in the morning before spf and makeup.

Thanks @Elllllle I think I’m going to ask about the Spironolactone.

DIM is the only thing that knocked my hormonal acne on the head. Had it for 14 years but it was gone within 2 weeks. I still take it.

@LadyH846 can I ask which DIM you take? I googled and there seem to be lots!

Roaccutane cured mine. Not had a spot for 14 months after coming off it & I’ve got pcos.

I was at the end of my tether with horrible acne on my chin every ovulation and every period. Which was basically always.
Then I signed up to dermatica - online subscription. But gives you access to Tretinoin. Which has basically cleared it up after a couple of months.

As an aside dim has made amazing peri menopausal improvements for me