How To Clear Your Hormonal Acne
What you'll learn: My process for clearing hormonal acne
2-minute read
If you have hormonal acne, whether from birth control, pregnancy or your monthly cycle, in most cases, you can get it under control without changing your hormones.
Managing hormonal acne can seem like an endless battle, but I've always had success helping my clients clear their hormonal acne using the method I'm going to share below.
To give you some encouragement, here are 3 examples of successful hormonal acne clearing - all in 12 weeks or less - and none of them had to change their hormones.
First, here are some guidelines to set you up for success:
1. Plan on tracking your progress for 12 weeks. If you haven't noticed significant improvement in your acne after 12 weeks, there may be another underlying cause of your breakouts.
2. Make sure all of your skin products are non-clogging. Pore clogging ingredients are the biggest obstacle to clearing your skin, and all other efforts won't be successful if your products are causing new acne every day.
3. Make sure to use hydrating skin products so that your skin can easily tolerate strong treatment products.
4. If pregnant, always get approval from your doctor before using any new products.
In the case of hormonal acne, benzoyl peroxide (BPO) is going to be your best friend (as long as you're not allergic to it). BPO is highly anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, and will prevent hormonal breakouts from surfacing in your skin.
But, there's a trick to using it correctly.
Make sure you choose a non-clogging BPO formula, start at a low strength (2.5%), and work up to using it every night by starting with every other night. Use it every other night for two weeks as a final step in your nighttime routine, then use it nightly. After 6 weeks, if your skin isn't dry, increase the strength to 5%.
Keep in mind that if your acne is hormonal, you'll have to be diligent about using your benzoyl peroxide every day, but you can keep your acne controlled long-term.
Benzoyl Peroxide Tips:
Don't use around eyes - avoid applying to your eye area around your entire orbital and brow bone.
Will bleach fabric - be careful not to use your favorite pillowcases or night clothes with using BPO. White fabric is a great option.
Don't spot treat - this is a common mistake that will allow acne to form in your untreated pores. Instead, use extra hydrators (gels and non-clogging moisturizers) and the “every other night method” so the BPO doesn't dry your skin out.
Having hormonal acne can feel like a vicious cycle, but with the strategic use of benzoyl peroxide, you can stop acne from ever making it to the surface of your skin.
