4 Ways to Address Period Breakouts & Hormonal Acne Naturally

Period breakouts driving you crazy? Not only are time-of-the-month breakouts obnoxious, but they are also painful, long-lasting, and can wreak havoc on your self-esteem.

If your period acne woes seem like they’ll never end, and you feel like you’ve tried every remedy possible, maybe it’s time to look beyond the surface of your skin.

More specifically, it might be time to address hormonal imbalances in your body that are likely the culprit of your acne troubles.¹

smiling woman holding acne supplement in front of her cheek — Period breakouts are common, but luckily there are some natural tools to fight them

Hormonal Imbalances and How to Spot Them

Hormones are the chemical messengers of the body.²

They come in many different varieties that stimulate specific processes in the body to occur.

A hormonal imbalance occurs when you have too little or too much of one or more of these hormones.²

As a result, essential body processes can go haywire and cause numerous mild to severe health outcomes.

Causes of hormonal imbalances can be both internal and external, but the most common are:³

Stress⁴
Menstruation
Aging
Injury
Medications
Certain medical conditions (i.e., diabetes, thyroid disease)

Spotting a hormonal imbalance can be difficult because each hormone has its own unique set of signs and symptoms.³

Indicators of imbalance can also vary based on your age and sex.

But luckily, there are common symptoms across hormonal imbalances you should be able to identify, including³:

Sudden weight gain or loss⁵
Elevated sweating
Increased sensitivity to temperature
Mood irregularity
Inflammation of the face
Poor health of skin and hair

In general, if you suspect you are experiencing an imbalance in your hormone levels, you should address these concerns with your primary care provider.

Hormones and Period Acne: The Connection

When experiencing an imbalance of sex hormones – primarily estrogen and testosterone – you may suffer from noticeably worse-than-usual acne⁶.

Nearly 65% of those who menstruate suffer from breakouts at and around their period due to hormonal imbalances⁶.

This unpleasant acne, which usually manifests itself as deep and painful cysts on the chin and jawline, occurs due to natural hormone fluctuations through your menstrual cycle.

As your period begins, estrogen and progesterone levels drop, which can cause your sebaceous glands to secrete excess amounts of oily sebum⁶.

Too much sebum can clog your pores and lead to breakouts.

In addition, imbalanced hormones can also increase PMS-related stress, increase skin inflammation, and imbalance the skin microbiome, increasing the production of acne-causing bacteria⁶.

4 Ways to Address Period Acne

If hormonal imbalances and subsequent acne is an issue for you, this news may not be what you wanted to hear.

But don’t despair!

While it may seem that you’ve tried everything to quell your period-skin woes, there are still plenty of research-backed options to provide you relief.

For best success, you will likely have to employ multiple or all options for acne relief during your time of the month⁷:

1. Choose the right skincare products

If you suffer from acne surges caused by hormone imbalances, a quick rinse of your face in the morning and before bedtime night just won’t cut it.

For fresh, glowing, and blemish-free skin every day, you’ll need to choose skincare products strategically. These products should help control your breakouts while fortifying the overall health of your skin, such as⁸:

Gentle cleansers with salicylic acid
Chemical exfoliators with AHA, BHA, or PHA; limit use 2-3 times a week
Nourishing moisturizers to replenish your skin barrier (yes, even if you have oily skin)

2. Don’t skip the sunscreen

As hormones shift during your period, they have the potential to compromise your skin barrier.⁹

The skin barrier is the outermost layer of your skin that protects you from an onslaught of internal and external threats.⁹

To preemptively protect your skin from menstrual hormone shifts, protect it 24/7 from harmful UV rays by using non-oily sunscreen every day.

3. If needed, see a doctor

Suppose you’re experiencing never-ending period acne. In that case, it may be time to consult with a primary care provider or a dermatologist.

They can help provide intensive therapy for your hormonal imbalance and acne difficulties to provide your skin and body some relief.¹⁰

4. Build balance from within

The cause of period acne is much more than just ‘skin deep’.

Hormonal imbalances are an internal issue that your day-to-day lifestyle can influence.²

Therefore, how you care for and nourish your body is an essential part of treating and preventing period breakouts.

An integral approach to balancing your hormonal imbalances and acne is adopting a hormonal acne diet.

hormonal acne supplement in front of vanity mirror — An antioxidant-rich supplement can help reduce hormonal acne.

What’s a Hormonal Acne Diet?

What you eat is an essential component in managing time-of-the-month acne.

A hormonal acne diet allows you to prioritize foods that help you control your hormone levels, minimize acne, and avoid foods known to stimulate painful period breakouts.¹¹

These foods include those containing high amounts of dairy, refined sugars, and saturated fats.¹¹

Instead, fit more of the following nutrient-packed foods into your hormonal acne diet:

1. Fresh fruits and veggies

Eat plenty of fresh, colorful fruits and vegetables every day that contain high amounts of:¹²

Vitamin A
B-Vitamins (like folate)
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Zinc

These micronutrients have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and even antimicrobial benefits to protect your skin from harm.¹²

They are also known to aid in cell turnover, helping to slough off dead skin cells and prevent clogged pores.¹²

You can also try a skin-clearing vitamin supplement to boost the effect of these nutrient-rich fruits and veggies.

2. Probiotics and prebiotic foods

Microbiomes – beneficial ecosystems of trillions of bacteria strains and other microorganisms – exist all over and inside your body.

Those most critical for controlling hormonal imbalances and acne that the gut and skin microbiomes.

Your gut microbiome is essential for balancing hormone levels in your body.¹³

In contrast, your skin microbiome fends off harmful, acne-causing bacteria from settling on your skin.¹⁴

Consuming probiotics and prebiotic foods can fortify beneficial bacterial colonies in both microbiomes.

Probiotics are great for your skin, and can also be helpful for weight loss, and preventing bloating.

High-fiber prebiotics you can eat more of are:

Onions
Asparagus
Berries
Beans
Oats and whole wheat

Probiotic foods containing live bacteria strains you can add to your hormonal acne diet include:

Yogurt
Kefir
Sauerkraut
Kimchi
Tempeh
Probiotic supplements

3. Starchy vegetables

Colorful starchy vegetables – specifically those that are yellow-orange – are going to be some of your favorites during your period.

Some yellow-orange starchy veggies you should know are:
Sweet potatoes
Pumpkin
Butternut squash
Acorn squash
Spaghetti squash

Not only are these delicious veggies full of fiber, but they also contain beta-carotene.¹⁵

When consumed, beta-carotene the body converts vitamin A – AKA: retinol.¹⁵

Retinol is known for its skin benefits, from protecting the skin barrier, fight oxidative stress, and reducing inflammation¹⁵.

Still, it also plays a role in proper thyroid function¹⁶. An organ essential in controlling balanced hormone release.

4. High-quality and plant-based proteins

Eating enough daily protein is vital for fortifying skin cell structure but also to maintain adequate hormone production.¹⁸

However, consuming foods high in saturated fats – red meat, dairy products, etc. – is linked to increased breakouts and imbalance of hormones.¹⁸

Instead, focus on lean, high-quality proteins and complete plant-based to meet your daily protein needs. Such as:

Salmon
Soy-based products (i.e., edamame, tofu, tempeh)
Chicken
Eggs
Quinoa
Hemp
Seaweed and algae (i.e., spirulina or chlorella)

A grass-fed protein powder that is low in fats and sugars can help you get your daily amount of protein.

5. Omega-3 fats

Omega-3 fatty acids are known as “healthy” fats.

Omega-3’s are polyunsaturated that nourish most of your organs while providing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

These fats help reduce inflammation which is great for your skin, and also great for your brain & mental health.

In fact, Omega-3’s are actually one of the best nutrients for reducing depression & anxiety.

They come in three forms (distinguished by function and food source)¹⁷:

eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)

EPA and DHA – found in seafood, shellfish, and marine plants – are the most effective in improving hormonal acne¹⁷, mainly due to their inflammation-regulatory properties.¹⁷

Find omega-3’s in these foods:

Fatty fish (i.e., salmon, tuna, sardines)
Nuts and seeds
Plant-based oils

6. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant herbs and spices

Herbs and spices have ancient roots in addressing period acne.

Not only are many of these plant-derived remedies anti-inflammatory and antioxidative agents, but they also show strong potential to balance levels of sex hormones behind severe menstrual breakouts.¹⁹

These herbs and spices contain phytoestrogens, which can bind estrogen receptors and have estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects when hormone levels are unstable.¹⁹

Many of the roots that help with acne also have adaptogenic properties.

Some of the most effective you should include in your hormonal acne diet are:¹⁹