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As someone who dealt with cystic acne for years, I know the struggle. While topical acne products helped reduce the frequency and severity of my cystic blemishes, they never got to the root of the problem, my hormones.
A hormonal imbalance is often the culprit of cystic acne and it can be a pain to figure out. When I found a way to balance my hormones, my cystic acne finally started to improve. Here’s what I did to balance my hormones. This is how to get rid cystic acne from within with holistic lifestyle tips and natural remedies to balance hormones and reduce inflammation from within.
Natural Remedy #1 to Get Rid of Cystic Acne: Diet
The first way to get rid of cystic acne from within is through your diet. The foods you consume impact every aspect of your health, especially hormonal health.
Hormonal imbalances are usually the cause of cystic acne, which is why it’s incredibly difficult to treat with topical acne products.
In a systematic review published by Clinical Biochemistry, it was found that endogenous hormones levels including serum testosterone, progesterone, glucocorticoids, insulin, and insulin like growth factors were increased in those with acne, while estrogen levels remained low. This imbalance likely increases inflammation and oil production in the skin which can perpetuate acne.
In an article by the Faculty of Health Science within the Department of Human Nutrition at the Medical University of Warsaw Poland, published in Advances in Dermatology and Allergology, high glycemic load diets or high sugar diets may make acne worse.
Making conscious food choices and consistently choosing healthier food options may improve hormonal balance and in turn, heal cystic acne from within.
Reduce Simple Sugars
When it comes to your diet, one of the most important ways to get rid of cystic acne from within is to reduce your sugar intake.
Sugar or carbohydrates, more specifically simple carbohydrates, digest very quickly compared to fiber or protein-rich foods. When these simple sugars enter your bloodstream in rapid succession, they can cause blood sugar spikes that disrupt your hormonal balance.
According to an article published by Frontiers in Immunology, a diet high in sugar can increase inflammation in the body. Therefore, eating a lot of simple sugars can increase inflammation which could potentially make an inflammatory condition such as cystic acne worse.
You may find that the more simple or processed sugars you consume, the more cystic acne pops up and the more red and oily skin you have. This is an inflammatory response.
Instead, if you want to potentially eliminate cystic acne, opt for fiber-rich, complex, and unprocessed carbohydrates. These won’t cause blood sugar spikes and will keep your hormones more balanced throughout the day.
Prioritize Unprocessed Foods
The next aspect of your diet to get rid of cystic acne from within and heal your cystic acne naturally is prioritizing unprocessed foods. Skip those chips, gummies, and sugary snacks made of simple sugars and added artificial ingredients.
While quick grab-and-go snacks are tasty, they can spike your blood sugar and often contain added harmful ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, dyes, gums, preservatives, and even trace amounts of trans fat.
These additives may disrupt your gut health and cause inflammation throughout your body which could result in even more annoying cystic acne.
Instead, choose unprocessed foods such as fruit or vegetables that have fiber to balance your blood sugar and won’t harm your body with any artificial ingredients.
Eat More Plant-Based
Rather than eating tons of unprocessed foods, eat more plant-based. Eating a primarily plant-based diet could improve holistic wellness and even increase longevity.
Based on a systematic review published by Translational Psychiatry, a plant-based diet has been shown to improve blood glucose balance, lower inflammatory markers, and increase gut microbial diversity.
When it comes to cystic acne, an inflammatory condition, eating more plant-based may reduce the body’s inflammatory response and balance your hormones. In turn, your acne would likely decrease as you fuel your body with better foods and heal your body from within.
Natural Remedy #2 to Get Rid of Cystic Acne: Lifestyle
The next way to get rid of cystic acne from within is through healthy lifestyle factors. Living a more holistic lifestyle can help reduce inflammation in your body and improve hormone balance to eliminate cystic acne.
Toxins, physical strain, and emotional disturbances can all cause a stressful lifestyle. According to a journal article published by Dermatology Practical and Conceptual, stress can increase skin inflammation, cause itching, impair the skin barrier, and decrease skin healing.
Stress likely makes inflammatory conditions such as acne worse, which is why it’s important to look at the following lifestyle factors to decrease stress.
Minimize Toxins
The first lifestyle factor to reduce stress and get rid of cystic acne from within is minimizing toxins. We all come in contact with a wide array of toxins every day. Surprisingly, many of these toxins are found in your home and can disrupt your hormones.
One study published by Environmental Science & Technology found that common household cleaning products such as aerosol sprays, air fresheners, toilet bowl cleaners, and surface cleaning sprays often contain toxic chemicals that are harmful to your health and could impact endocrine function.
Some products you can find in your home that often contain toxic and hormone-disrupting ingredients include candles, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, beauty products, perfumes, cleaning products, and cookware. If you want to balance your hormones, try swapping these toxic products for clean and natural alternatives.
You can read more about how to reduce toxins in your home here.
Use these links to purchase some of my favorite non-toxic cleaning products…
- Sal Suds Biodegradeable All Purpose Cleaner
- Puracy 99.9% Natural All Purpose Cleaner Concentrate
- Molly’s Suds Natural All Purpose Cleaner
- Molly’s Suds Original Laundry Detergent Powder
- Grove Co. Plant-Based Multi-Purpose Cleaner
- Bon Ami Powder Cleanser
Reduce High-Impact Workouts
Another lifestyle factor that can make cystic acne worse, are high-impact workouts. When you do high-impact exercise for the majority of your workouts or most days of the week, you can increase cortisol and inflammation in your body.
This increased inflammation and stress on your body can make cystic acne worse. To improve hormone balance and decrease hormonal acne, stick to mainly low-impact workouts and incorporate only a couple of high-intensity workouts a week.
This will help your muscles recover and reduce stress to help you achieve a clearer complexion.
Use these links to purchase some low-impact workout essentials to upgrade your at-home workouts…
- Bala Bangles – 2 1lb each | Adjustable Wearable Wrist & Ankle Weights
- WeGym Premium Yoga Mat 4 mm Thick Large Exercise Mat
- Retrospec Solana Yoga Mat 1″
- BalanceFrom Neoprene Dumbbell Hand Weights
- BURNCALO Weighted Jump Rope
Reduce Stress
Going along with reducing stress through low-impact workouts, try reducing stress in other ways too.
These can include nervous system regulation techniques such as deep breathing, applying deep pressure input to your muscles and joints with a weighted blanket, or calming your mind through meditation and mindfulness techniques.
You might consider writing in a journal to release any negative thoughts or energy, or having an at-home spa day. Find stress-reducing techniques or relaxing self-care activities that speak to you to decrease your stress and balance your hormones.
Use these links to purchase products to quickly calm your nervous system and reduce stress…
- Sensory Basics Knit Weighted Blanket – 15 lbs
- yescool Weighted Blanket for Adults
- SuzziPad Microwave Heating Pad
- Intelligent Change The Five Minute Journal: Gratitude, Reflection, Mindfulness
- The 6-Minute Diary | 6 Minutes a Day for More Mindfulness, Happiness and Productivity
Get Quality Sleep
The last lifestyle factor to get rid of cystic acne and heal cystic acne from within is getting quality sleep. Sleep is vital to your health and well-being and plays a major role in hormone function.
Quality sleep between 7-10 hours each night will help reduce stress and inflammation to balance your hormones and possibly reduce cystic acne from within.
You can find out more about how to achieve a deeper night’s sleep here.
Click these links to explore some simple products to improve sleep quality…
- Cushion Lab Deep Sleep Pillow, Patented Ergonomic Contour Design for Side & Back Sleepers
- VERCART Bed Wedge Pillow Adjustable
- SNOOZ Smart White Noise Machine
- DROWSY Silk Sleep Mask: Face-Hugging, Padded Silk Cocoon for Luxury Sleep
- CYMBIOTIKA Sleep Supplement, Melatonin 1mg with L-Theanine 200mg
My personal hormonal acne skin transformation after using these techniques…
References
Arora M.K., Saini V., & Yadav A. (2011). Role of hormones in acne vulgaris. Clinical Biochemistry. 44(13), 1035-1040. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2011.06.984
Dodson, R.E., Knox, K.E., Polsky, C., Rudel, R.A., & Schwarzman, M.R. (2023). Identifying toxic consumer products: A novel data set reveals air emissions of potent carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, and developmental toxicants. Environmental Science & Technology, 57 (19), 7454-7465. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.2c07247
Graubard R., Katta R., & Perez-Sanchez A. (2021). Stress and skin: An overview of mind body therapies as a treatment strategy in dermatology. Dermatology Practical & Conceptual. 11(4). https://doi.org/10.5826/dpc.1104a91
Huhn S, Medawar E, Villringer A, & Witte V.A. (2019). The effects of plant-based diets on the body and the brain: a systematic review. Translational Psychiatry. 9(1) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-019-0552-0
Kucharska A., Sińska B., Szmurło A. Significance of diet in treated and untreated acne vulgaris. (2016). Advances in Dermatology and Allergology. 33(2), 81-6. https://doi.org/10.5114/ada.2016.59146
Fan X., Hou Y., Liang H., Ma X., Nan F., Shu P., Song X., & Zhang D. (2022). Excessive intake of sugar: An accomplice of inflammation. Frontiers in Immunology. 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.988481
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