8 Best Foods for Hormonal Acne
What is Acne?
In each pore of our skin, we have sebaceous glands that produce sebum, an oil-like liquid, which helps to moisturize and protect our skin.
When too many dead skin cells collect on the top of the skin combined with high amounts of sebum, this can create a clog in our sebaceous glands and will result in inflammation.
Our body will respond to this inflammation by sending white blood cells to the site of the clog which forms the white-headed pimples called acne.
Why do I get hormonal acne?
But, what are the main reasons (or root causes) for hormonal acne?
If you are experiencing cystic acne, anywhere on your face, and it gets worse around mid-cycle it’s likely due to high androgen levels (like testosterone or DHEA).
High testosterone levels can be due to blood sugar imbalances or insulin resistance, while high DHEA levels can be driven by stress.
If you are experiencing jawline acne that shows up a week or two before your period it’s likely due to imbalances in estrogen and progesterone, or estrogen dominance.
Estrogen dominance doesn’t simply mean high estrogen (although that is a possibility).
There are several patterns of estrogen dominance:
high estrogen and normal progesterone
high estrogen and low progesterone
normal estrogen and low progesterone
normal estrogen and normal progesterone, but low progesterone to estrogen (Pg/E2) ratio
Acne can show up with any of these pictures of estrogen dominance.
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The important question we need to be asking is: why is my acne showing up in the first place?
Hormone testing can help you uncover how your hormones are affecting your acne.
This is taking a root cause approach when it comes to understanding our health and hormones. When we answer this question, we are understanding what is driving the imbalance (which is showing up as symptoms in the body).
By addressing the root cause, not simply just the symptom (or the hormone imbalance for that matter), we can find long-term, sustained healing.
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As always, I’m giving away my best hormone tips here, answering your burning questions, and letting you in on the what the science says.
This is the kind of insider info I share with all of my 1:1 coaching clients and students in my signature course, Heal Your Period.
I’m so passionate about sharing this info with anyone on a hormone healing journey, so I’m letting you in with all the info here!
You’re wondering: “are there any foods I can include to help my hormonal acne?”
So, let’s dive in into it!
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What foods can help my hormonal acne?
Here are 8 types of foods for hormonal acne:
1. Zinc Foods for Hormonal Acne
Foods for hormonal acne that contain zinc can be very beneficial. Zinc can help to enhance skin appearance and decrease acne due to its anti-inflammatory properties and it also can effectively reduce cutibacterium acnes which is a bacteria linked to acne production in the skin. Additionally, zinc can inhibit sebum secretion and production by its anti-androgenic property. Zinc foods for hormonal acne include meat, oysters, mussels, shellfish, beans, seeds, and nuts.
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2. Omega-3 Foods for Hormonal Acne
Another one of the great foods for hormonal acne is foods with omega 3s. Polyunsaturated fats are fatty acids that contain at least 2 double bonds in the structure. Two types of polyunsaturated fats are omega-3 and omega-6. Most western diets consume a ratio of 1:20 of omega-3 to omega-6 when it should be 1:3. This evidence is correlated with acne incidence, showing that omega 6s are pro-inflammatory and cause acne while omega-3s have protective effects to helpdecrease acne. Omega-3 sources include oily fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, and sardines; fish oil and flaxseed oil; flaxseeds, walnuts, and chia seeds.
Source: 20808513
3. Gut Healing Foods for Hormonal Acne
The gut play an important role in maintaining healthy skin and reducing acne. Another group of foods for hormonal acne is gut-healing foods. The gut contains a large diversity of bacteria that aids us in regular bowel movements and digestion. When this bacteria is reduced or overpopulated, it can cause certain symptoms, like acne. Studies have found that the gut microbiota or bacteria have a connection to acne production due to the inflammatory response. In addition, studies have shown that gut flora can transport excess microbiota to the skin directly. This is because when the intestinal wall becomes permeable, the bacteria can pass through the wall and enter the bloodstream to then collect in the sebaceous glands which clog the pores to create acne. Gut healing foods will contain properties to help decrease the permeability of the intestines. The main thing you want to focus on is whole unprocessed foods, this will be the best way to efficiently digest food. Sources of gut-healing foods for hormonal acne are lean meats, fish, eggs, leafy greens, and root vegetables.
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4. Antioxidant Foods for Hormonal Acne
Antioxidants are chemicals that help to neutralize oxygen radicals in the body that contribute to oxidative damage. Oxidative damage from the radicals destroy cell DNA, damage lipids, and proteins and they cause inflammation. This inflammation can lead to acne production and irritation. This is why foods for hormonal acne contain antioxidants. Food sources include almost any fruit and vegetable, eggs, nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate.
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5. Vitamin C Foods for Hormonal Acne
Vitamin C has great benefits toward immune function and it has antioxidant properties, which is why it is one of the foods for hormonal acne. Oxidative stress creates nuclear transcription factor kappa B (NFkB) which contributes to a pro-inflammatory response as well as skin aging. Vitamin C is able to inhibit NFkB, creating an anti-inflammatory response. Foods for hormonal acne with vitamin C include, citrus fruits, broccoli, cantaloupe, kiwi, sweet potato, tomatoes, and berries.
Source: 23741676
6. Lower Caffeine for Hormonal Acne
Caffeine intake is linked to the body’s stress response. This is why foods for hormonal acne are low in caffeine. The caffeine is a stimulant, so it causes the body to produce more cortisol, a stress hormone. Emotions that come with stress are anxiety, anger, and depression, and these have been predicted to change the gut bacteria balance which will increase inflammation and skin irritation. Other studies have looked at different mechanisms for why stress correlates positively with acne severity. One is that stress can increase the androgen secretion from the adrenal glands which cause the sebaceous glands to grow larger. Additionally, the stress response leads to a release of corticotropin-releasing hormone which is a derivative of cortisol, and this hormone leads to excess lipid production in the sebaceous glands. Foods for hormonal acne that are low in caffeine include dandelion tea, ginseng tea, decaffeinated coffee, chai tea, and ginger tea.
7. Healthy Fats for Hormonal Acne
In addition to omega-3s, foods for hormonal acne also include other healthy fats. Healthy fats are unsaturated which means they have at least one double bond in the fatty acid chain. Polyunsaturated fats are fatty acids that contain at least 2 double bonds in the structure. It has been evaluated with evidence that omega-6s can be correlated with acne incidence, showing that they are pro-inflammatory and cause acne while omega-3’s have protective effects to decrease acne. Additionally, polyunsaturated fats have been shown to decrease activation of SREBP-1c which is an enzyme that upregulates sebum production. Foods for hormonal acne that contain healthy fats include nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, and fish.
Source: 20808513
8. Estrogen Detox Support Foods for Hormonal Acne
Another property in foods for hormonal acne is estrogen detoxification properties. Balanced estrogen is found to be beneficial for inhibiting the androgen activity with sebaceous glands and additionally can have regulatory effects on the genes that function in negative acne production. Due to this, one of the hormonal acne causes can be estrogen dominance. When estrogen excess estrogen is produced, you can develop overly dry skin, which causes inflammation, irritation and the sebaceous glands will respond by producing more oil. Foods for hormonal acne that contain estrogen detox supporting properties include soy, flaxseed, cruciferous vegetables, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, beans, and grass-fed meat.
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FINAL THOUGHTS
There are several foods to help heal your hormonal acne.
While we chatted through lots of different options, remember that every body is unique and it’s about determine what works best for your body.
Remember: simple shifts build to make a big impact over time!
Healthy skin is possible for you.
-Krista
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KRISTA KING, MS, RDN, LDN, IFNCP
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