My 10 Skin Rules for Hormonal Acne

Well well well, we’re talking my least favorite subject: SKIN.  To my surprise, one of the most popular post’s on MissBassmaster is the one I wrote about Hormonal Acne & Coconut Oil.  I kind of get it, wouldn’t it be ideal if Coconut Oil was the answer to all your acne problems.  I would click on that too.

Since I first wrote that post a lot has changed, I don’t even use coconut oil on my face anymore.  I’ve always had bad acne, but the hormonal acne I got in my late 20’s was the worst.  I was using Coconut Oil and Coconut Oil was working, a little.  But here’s the deal, I would have at least 30 big zits on my chin area at 1 time!  You guys, 30!!  (I counted them for Wafiq one day, when I was having a mental breakdown.)  Coconut oil probably did help my acne, but only for the fact that it was better than the moisturizers I was using before that.

I still had 20 zits on my face!  Although better numbers, equally frustrating.  I SEARCHED DEEP in the internet for every single thing I could find about chin acne & what to do about it.  I went to 2 dermatologists hoping they could help.

I’m a girl who has always felt comfortable leaving the house without any makeup on but this chin situation made it impossible. How could you not stare at me? I looked unhealthy!  Not to mention everyone you see on the internet w perfect skin.  I didn’t care about wrinkles, big lips or long eyelashes – I just wanted clear skin.  The professionals couldn’t seem to help, so I took the situation into my own hands.  Patience & work truly is key, I’m talking about a trial & error journey of about 3 years.

Since clearing up my acne significantly I’ve started using products to help with moisture, texture, scarring, & wrinkles – BUT, I know this post is going to end up being long so I’ll share those rules later.  For now, these are my tips specifically for ACNE.

Below are the 10 rules I use & follow that I know are helping my acne & I’ve been very consistent with them.  I rarely mix this up.

My 10 Skin Rules for Hormonal Acne:

1. MIA CLARISONIC: I’ve wanted a Clarisonic for so many years & never made the investment, but finally got one for my birthday.  Clarisonic “cleansing brushes help you gently remove stubborn makeup, and exfoliate your body without agitating your skin.”  (via)  I’ve always felt like I wanted a deeper clean for my face, without having to use my hands.  This brush gently deep cleans, but my favorite part is the timer function that makes sure you’re cleaning each area of your face long enough. There are several options of brush heads available so you can absolutely find one that works perfectly with your skin.  Love that, because we all have different needs (& different acne).  I can highly recommend you make this investment too!
2. EMINENCE SKIN BRIGHTENING SERUM: This is the newest addition to the acne clearing family so I can’t vouch for it the same way I can with everything else on this list, but I thought it was worth mentioning. I’ve heard several trusted reviews of this natural skin care brand & more specifically this brightening serum.  Not only do I have sun spots from my tanning days, but I also have horrible acne scars, especially around my chin.  I needed something to start helping ASAP.  After I wash my face & apply toner, I pat this serum on my skin before moisturizing.  Stay tuned on this, so far so good.  But again, everything takes time.
3. GRAPESEED OIL:  I spent some time reading about oils because I knew oil is what my face needed, I just wanted to educate myself on which specific one was the best.  I saw grapeseed oil popping up claiming to not only help with active blemishes but also acne scarring. “That’s because grapeseed oil contains vitamin E, beta-carotene, and linoleic acid. These nutrients give the oil antioxidant and antiproliferative properties, helping healthy cells to regenerate and replace aging or damaged cells. The ability of vitamin E, in particular, to help even skin tone and heal blemishes has been acknowledged by researchers.” (via)  I’ve started looking at the ingredients list on several serums & grapeseed oil is typically a main ingredient, confirming this must be one of the best oils to use on your face.  Switching from moisturizers to an oil on my chin area has made a huge difference.  I typically alternate oil one day & moisturizer another for my entire face, but I DO put oil on my chin area every single day, x 2 if my acne is bad.
4. EXFOLIATE:  A breath of fresh air also known as, the Beautycounter Nourishing Cream Exfoliator.  I’ve been scared of exfoliators ever since using an apricot scrub in college & nearly taking my face off – but Beautycounter made me fall in love again.  This exfoliator is incredibly gentle & using it every few days has given my face that deep clean I’ve been missing for a long time.  With this product, a little goes a long way.  I can’t recommend this step enough, especially if you’ve been skipping it.  An exfoliator helps with any blemishes that are on their way out move a little faster and it clears away the dead skin left behind.  Byeeee.
5. SPOT TREATMENT:  I’ve tried a ton of spot treatments for acne since I was 13 years old & have never liked one of them.  However, I recently started using the Kiehls Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque on Wafiq’s face (fun) and started thinking – if this clears & dries out pores than maybe it can do that for my one or two big zits.  As soon as I feel a zit coming I put a little dab of this mask on my zit with a flat foundation makeup brush & leave it while I sleep, the entire night.  When I wake up, I rinse the cream off, and my zit is significantly smaller.  I can’t say it disappears completely, but it’s way less swollen which means it’s easier to conceal.  My theory is that it’s sucking up any bacteria/moisture in the zit that’s making it swollen while helping it heal faster.  You guys, I can 100% back this.  I know I won’t live without it & I think it should be a staple for everyone.  For those pesky zits that randomly pop up, you have a weapon that can help overnight!
6. OLEHENRIKSEN OIL CONTROL TONER:  I’ve tried several toners over the years & recently used an entire bottle of this Olehenriksen oil control toner.  After I wash my face I take a cotton ball & run the toner across my face, spending some time over my acne & pores.  I can’t say I’m absolutely in love w this toner or that it’s making a HUGE difference, but I do love how clean it makes my face feel.  After the toner, I feel like it’s truly clean & ready to apply moisturizers, oil, serums, ect.
7. TEA TREE OIL:  Tea Tree Oil “…possesses antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antifungal properties… A person can treat acne, athlete’s foot, contact dermatitis or head lice using tea tree oil.” (via)  GIVE ME ALL THE ANTIBACTERIAL. You have to be careful with this one & make sure it doesn’t irritate your skin before you get all excited spreading it on your face.  You’re supposed to dilute Tea Tree Oil with a carrier oil so it’s not as potent on your skin.  I use Grapeseed Oil + Tea Tree Oil for a perfect acne fighting mix! I use tea tree oil daily.  When my skin is bad, 2x a day.
8. AVOID COFFEE:  Yep, you read that right.  This physically pains me to tell you…  PAINS.  I know I’ve been seen drinking coffee in my beautiful french press recently, however, I tried skipping a few days.  Not because I thought it would help my skin, because I thought it was making me bloated.  To my surprise, almost immediately, my one or two stubborn zits disappeared & have yet to return.  I can’t say I was happy about this discovery as I love my coffee, but I can be real w myself, and you.  I immediately googled “does coffee give you acne” and turns out I’m not the only one wondering.  One source said: “Caffeine makes you feel alert and awake but also leads to a heightened stress response in the body. In fact, a large cup of coffee can more than double your body’s stress response. Stress doesn’t cause acne, but stress can make existing acne worse. Stress hormones, such as cortisol, may increase the amount of oil produced by your sebaceous glands.”  I saw plenty of back & fourth reasoning, but like I’ve said before – our bodies are crazy unique so the best way to figure this out is trusting what your body is telling you.  Your body is the real-time research.  I cut coffee, and haven’t had my extra 1-2 zits since, so it looks like my body is telling me no.  I’ll admit, I’m not giving up that easily with this one, it might be the type of coffee or time of day – so I’ll experiment a little when I’m willing to risk extra zits on my face.
9. AVOID DAIRY:  This is my #1 suggestion if nothing else is working.  I’ve cut out ALL dairy.  I think a lot of people assume I’m not eating dairy due to my anaphylactic shock results, but it’s actually because of the 30 zits on my face.  I don’t eat dairy because of my acne.  I wanted to deny dairy was the problem for the longest time because I’ve always eaten bricks of cheese at a time, but I was desperate & one day decided to cut out ALL dairy from my diet.  My acne immediately got better.  Since then, it’s been easy to avoid.  Knowing that that tiny piece of cheese is going to make my face flame up is the greatest motivation to completely avoid it.   And yes, that means cheese, milk, yogurt, butter… ALL dairy.
10. L-LYSINE:  I’m NOT a doctor, with any of this information, ask a doctor first.  I’m simply telling you what I did.  I watched {THIS} video specifically & decided to start taking L-Lysine. “Lysine works in the body with other nutrients as a “building block.” It helps form muscles with dietary protein and also helps your body better absorb calcium for bone health.  It may also treat cold sores. There’s evidence that lysine helps build collagen in the skin as well. Collagen is the structure responsible for skin elasticity and firmness.” (via) I recently doubted L-Lysine was doing anything to my skin so I stopped taking it & 3 huge zits magically appeared, so it must be serving its purpose.  I take this SuperLysine supplement when I’m wanting to boost my immune system, around flu/cold season & I’ve been loving it.  Otherwise, I take this L-Lysine supplement daily.

WOW if you made it this far you’re either dealing with the same acne problems I am or you just really enjoy my writing. Hehe.  The one tip you have to follow:  DO WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU.  Like I said – I read & read & watched videos on top of videos – let this post be one of your many.  Don’t try everything at once or you won’t know what’s working. Stick to a plan and make your changes slowly or you won’t give your face a chance to show any results.

You’ll notice I didn’t include any face masks or facials.  I’m very cautious with both, I went through a phase where I would rotate through a few face masks often but always had a breakout afterward.  As much as I see other people swear by them, this goes back to – DO WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU.   That’s what I mean when I say pay attention to what’s working or not working for you, rather than what you see everyone pushing.  I first wanted to figure out my daily skin routine, then slowly add in one face mask or treatment at a time & see if my face is happy with it.  I’ll share those when I get to that point.  This is a process of patience!

I’m still tweaking what I use & do to make my skin something I’m confident in.   At the end of the day, acne & poor skin made me feel incredibly self-conscious.  I wanted so badly to look awake, vibrant & happy but knew my skin wasn’t projecting that, so it has become a mission of mine.  Confidence is so important to being happy, finding success, staying motivated, & loving yourself.  Working on your skin is completely acceptable & okay to be frustrated with when it’s not appearing the way you expect it to.  As an adult I felt embarrassed to go to a dermatologist for acne, or complain about it – but there’s no reason to be!  It’s a big freaking deal, it’s your face! So keep working on it until you’re happy with the skin you’re in 🙂

That’s my current skin situation, but don’t be surprised if something changes.  My skin is far from perfect & it reminds me of that almost daily.  Sometimes butter accidentally falls into a dish & that glorious asshole of an acne situation will present itself again. HELL YES IT WILL.  One thing I can always depend on to catch me when I slip?  Acne.

If you have any questions please let me know, I can’t say I’m an expert but I can share what’s been going on with me!  If you have any additional tips or products feel free to share – we with the acne would be so grateful.

Have a great week everyone, be thoughtful

Xx