How I Improved my Hormonal Acne Naturally in Two Weeks

Acne is never welcomed and can be an issue that many of us deal with even as adults. As superficial as it sounds acne can cause a lack of self-confidence and frustration at not knowing how to deal with these pesky blemishes. I can certainly tell you that in my mid-20’s I never expected to be dealing with hormonal acne. I was lucky enough that in my teen years and early 20’s I was fairly confident my skin often went bare-faced in public.

However, for the last two years, I have been secretly dealing with hormonal acne.

I tried everything out there from Proactiv, natural supplements, changing my birth control and more. Nothing was helping.

I finally decided to seek out a dermatologist (which can be expensive in Switzerland) to hopefully end this hormonal acne once and for all. However, I was going to have to wait a few weeks until I could even get in for a consultation. I thought let’s do one last ditch effort naturally before having a dermatologist give me medications or other topical creams.

I am definitely pro dermatologist, but I would prefer to do everything I can on my own before seeking out professional help. Here are the 7 ways that I have already greatly improved my hormonal acne in just two weeks!

How I Improved My Hormonal Acne Naturally

1. CITRUS CITRUS CITRUS BABY

Citrus will be your best friend when it comes to improving your skin. I definitely recommend looking for products that contain vitamin C (like this serum from Peter Thomas Roth or this one from Drunk Elephant), however, I decided to tackle this internally. Every other day (sometimes every day) I squeeze my own fresh orange juice. It is nothing but 4-5 oranges at a time – no added sugars or chemicals. It’s not only refreshing but helps to destroy bacteria in your pores and rejuvenate the skin by producing collagen.

2. GREEN TEA

I drink 2 cups of organic green tea every day, which you can find at your local grocery store. Green tea is a great anti-inflammatory and is rich in an anti-microbial that destroys acne-causing bacteria. Yes, please! Green tea can be quite bitter so only let it steep for a few minutes, and be sure to not add any extra sugar for flavor. Incorporating tea into your diet is also a good way to drink more water, which we know is one of the best things you can do for your skin.

3. DRINK WATER LIKE A FISH

I have always been a big lover of water so this wasn’t too difficult for me. It’s the first thing I reach for when I wake up and I am extremely conscious of how much water I drink in a day. Drinking lots of water throughout the day is not only amazing for your skin, but also for your overall health. Water is great at reducing the toxins in your body and keeping your skin hydrated. If you aren’t the biggest fan of water I know some people say that using a tumbler helps or just drinking with a straw.

4. TEA TREE OIL

I began using 100% natural tea tree oil every night as a spot treatment in those infected areas rather than my harsh acne creams. Organic tea tree oil can be found at places like Whole Foods or Amazon. Remember a little bit goes a long way. Before you apply the tea tree oil to your face, I suggest giving it a try on your forearm and waiting a few minutes to see how your skin reacts. If you have more sensitive skin then you can dilute a bit of the oil with water. Tea tree oil is great for hormonal acne as it works as natural astringent.

5. REDUCE OVERLY DRYING PRODUCTS

Other than face masks I would say retinols are my favorite skincare products. I notice such a difference in my skin when not using them, and I don’t think I could ever be without one. This is my favorite retinol, and I have continually repurchased it over the years.

I started to get a bit retinol crazy, and was using it every day and sometimes twice a day. Yikes! When I felt that my skin was bad I was also adding my topical acne treatment from Proactiv. Talk about a lot of drying skin products. I now use my retinol only every other night and have completely stopped using my acne treatment. I hope to add that back in slowly. When you use overly drying products your skin thinks it needs to produce more oil, which leads to clogged pores and overactive sebum production. Let’s just say I definitely wasn’t helping myself.

6. MEDICATED FACE MASK

Since I have stopped using my topical acne treatment from Proactive (see above), I still wanted to use some sort of topical medication related to acne. Twice a week I use my Peter Thomas Roth medicated sulfur mask, which I talked about in my favorite face masks post recently. This mask contains 10% sulfur and is great for drying out blemishes, soaking up oils in your skin, and is an anti-bacterial to prevent future hormonal breakouts. Use this mask only in the infected areas and for 7-10 minutes before washing off with warm water.

7. DO NOT OVERLY MOISTURIZE 

Just as I talked about being sure to reduce overly drying products, you also want to be careful to not use heavy products that can clog your pores. I completely stopped using my overnight hydrating sleeping masks, and have only used a light moisturizing face mask once in the last two weeks.

It is still essential to moisturize day and night, however, be sure to cut out those heavier moisturizing products that may be clogging up your pores while you are trying to combat your hormonal acne. Whenever my skin felt a bit dry, I would often throw on an overnight mask or moisturizing face mask. Now I just use my thermal facial sprays and it seems to be helping.

These steps haven’t completely cured my hormonal acne and it has only been two weeks since I’ve implemented these natural steps. However, I have seen a big improvement and haven’t had a fresh breakout since. That’s a lot for someone who would wake up and worry if a new breakout happened overnight. I can’t wait to see how a dermatologist can help with this prolonged skin issue. If you have any skin tips of your own I would love to know them in the comment section below!

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