A Functional Medicine Approach to Hormonal Acne
A Functional Medicine approach to hormonal acne involves a whole person, root cause analysis of the many factors which may contribute to acne. In conventional medicine, if you go to the dermatologist, you may be give a few topical products and maybe even some oral products which *may* help somewhat. If you go to your PCP or GYN and discuss acne, especially hormonal acne, you will likely walk out with a prescription for birth control. While these may help, it is not getting to the root cause of why the acne is happening in the first place. Let’s dive into a functional medicine approach to hormonal acne…
What hormones are causing hormonal acne?
There could be several hormones at play involved in hormonal acne. For example, excess androgens (think testosterone and DHEA) may be a trigger and is often seen in the PCOS. Estrogen dominance or too much estrogen in relation to progesterone may cause more frequent breakouts. And for many its the changes in hormones throughout the menstrual cycle that can lead to hormonal acne – during ovulation, in the luteal phase or at the beginning of the cycle. Thyroid hormones may also contribute to acne if they are not optimal. The good news is, there is a lot we can do for this and no two treatment plans look the same because a functional medicine approach to acne, takes a personalized approach.
What else contributes to hormonal acne?
You may be thinking, it’s all hormones, duh! But the truth is, there are many things that can contribute to hormonal acne including:
- Inflammation
- Dysbiosis
- Increased intestinal permeability or “leaky gut”
- Blood sugar dysregulation or insulin resistance
- Stress
- Food sensitivities
- Micronutrient deficiencies
- Environmental toxin exposure
- Medications
Treatment for hormonal acne
As you read above, there are so many different factors that could contribute to hormonal acne, the functional medicine approach to hormonal acne is not a one-size fits all but these are some things to consider:
Balance blood sugar. Make sure you are getting adequate protein and fiber with each meal so that blood sugar levels aren’t fluctuating high and low which can lead to insulin resistance and inflammation.
Get your gut health in check. This includes many things and check out my many past blogs on gut health, leaky gut, the 5 R gut restoration program for a start! The internal environment of our gut is often reflected on our skin by the way of acne, eczema, psoriasis.
Food sensitivities. Food sensitivities are different than food allergies which cause an IgE response like hives, shortness of breath and can be a medical emergency. Food sensitivities can cause more subtle symptoms like acne, brain fog, fatigue, digestive changes and more. The gold standard to identifying food sensitivities is to do an elimination diet – ideally for 3-4 weeks and then reintroduce the foods to look for symptoms. The elimination diet also reduces inflammation by eliminating potentially triggering foods.
Stress reduction. Stress causes increase in cortisol which can impact the rest of our hormones including the thyroid and sex hormones which as mentioned above can drive hormonal acne. Stress reduction in the form of exercise, mindfulness, saying “no” if you are too busy can seriously help.
Micronutrient deficiencies. Vitamin A, D, E and zinc are all implicated in healthy skin. While high levels of b12 (sometimes) can contribute to acne. Omega 3s are also essential for healthy glowing skin. Personalized testing can help identify any deficiencies or insufficiencies and I always recommend to test, not guess but we want to keep the body in a good balance.
Environmental toxins. Many environmental toxins are what we call endocrine disrupting chemicals meaning they literally disrupt our hormones. We refer to may as xenoestrogens or estrogen mimicking chemicals so it is a good idea to avoid these when you are able to. We can’t avoid everything in our environment but we can be mindful about we are consuming, applying and ingesting. For more on avoid toxins and how to start read more HERE!
Medications. Some medications are notorious for causing acne such as certain antibiotics, anti-seizure medications, steroids, etc. On the other hand there are medications that can be helpful like spironolactone to help with excess androgens and sometimes hormone replacement therapy can help!
As with all things health, the functional medicine approach to acne is very personalized and no two people may have the same triggers. This can be frustrating for patients because they will read online that “X product will cure your acne!” “Y supplement promises perfect skin!” It takes a deep understanding of the internal environment to make progress in both overall health and skin health.
If you have been struggling with hormonal acne and looking for a functional medicine, root-cause approach, book a free 15 minute consultation call to learn more about my approach today!