Coming off the Pill without Breaking Out
How I supported my body whilst coming off the Pill
Post-pill acne is real, and coming off the Pill can wreak havoc on the skin. But here’s the good news, there are so many ways to support the body during this time.
This guide holds some of my favourite tips to support the skin in the transition off of hormonal birth control.
Disclaimer: This guide is for educational purposes only. This guide is not a substitute for professional care by a doctor or otherwise qualified medical professional. This guide is provided on the understanding that is does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services.
How to Guide: Coming off the Pill with no Acne
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Step One: Stress
Stress management is key for clear skin post-pill.
First things first, let’s get on the same page on how the body react to stress. Stress directly affects our hypothalamus which is the brain’s hormone command center. Put more simply this means stress affects all communications.
Stress increases cortisol levels, which is the body’s normal fight-or-flight response of the body to get it through times of danger. Something to note is that the body does not differentiate this response, meaning that it will prepare itself the same way for a life-threatening situation and an average stressful work meeting. Daily life stressors may put one in a state of chronic stress. Which weakens the immune system, steals protein from the muscles and decreases one’s sensitivity to insulin.
Chronic stress can also lead to HPA axis dysfunction, more commonly known as adrenal fatigue, which is the impaired communication between the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands. HPA axis function controls vital communication systems in the body. All these communications within the body are key to having clear skin, as you probably already know acne is hormonal and if hormones can’t communicate properly, we have a problem.
Steps for Stress Management for Clear Skin:
Healthy diet
Exercise daily
Relaxation or meditation practice
Social interaction and support
Manage one’s energy
Epsom salt magnesium bath
Step Two: Lifestyle
Sleep
Sleep and sleeping well is so important for clear skin. It’s called beauty sleep for a reason. Getting a good 8 hour sleep each night will do more for the skin than any diet or supplement combined! Sleep stabilizes the HPA axis and cortisol. It also improves insulin sensitivity and regulates the release of the acne-fighting hormone progesterone! Sleep is essential for happy hormones.
Steps to improve sleep for Clear Skin:
Sleep in complete darkness
Commit to a phone curfew
Natural light exposure in the morning
Exercise
Well, we all knew this one was coming. Exercise is key for healing acne. It reduces overall inflammation, manages stress, reduces cortisol, increases sensitivity to insulin, and promotes blood and lymphatic circulation. The lymphatic system is different from the blood stream in that it doesn’t have a heart that pumps cells around the body. The lymph is reliant on gravity and exercise to keep cells moving and eliminate toxins. By exercising and getting the body moving you help the lymph eliminate toxins which is key to help heal acne.
Step Three: Diet
Inflammation is such a hot topic for skin health. Great News! Diet can be anti-inflammatory!
By making tweaks one can dramatically reduce overall inflammation and therefore see huge improvements in the skin. Something to remember, is that everyone is different and nutrition is extremely unique. .
A few foods that commonly contribute to inflammation in the body and can cause acne are:
Sugar
Sugar causes inflammation within the body, which will directly affect the skin. It does this in two ways.
Sugar sticks to other cells in the body and triggers the immune system to make inflammatory cytokines to fight against these sugar-damaged cells
Sugar causes insulin resistance which messes with the body’s ability to balance blood sugar levels. This results in the pancreas having to dump out more insulin to keep everything in check. Too much insulin impairs ovulation and stimulates the ovaries to produce more testosterone. This free testosterone turns into free estrogen and the body just can’t keep up. These fluctuating and imbalanced hormones cause more acne.
Bottom line, sugar disrupts what’s going on in the body.
Dairy
Dear Dairy,
I am sure this is not the first time you have heard about how cow’s dairy can cause acne. The problem with cow’s dairy is the protein A1 casein. A1 casein can be inflammatory because it stimulates the immune system to produce inflammatory cytokines.
One way that A1 caesin causes acne is that it stimulates histamine. Histamine regulates the immune function and plays a key role in ovulation and female reproduction. Histamine in return up-regulates estrogen, which starts a vicious cycle between the two, both increasing the other. Basically, what this curdles down to is that dairy stimulates an inflammatory response that causes hormones fluctuations that can cause acne.
Gluten
Gluten, gluten, gluten.
This can be a very controversial topic. Especially as it’s now a main stream health trend. Wheat affects everyone differently, it all has to do with genetics, gut microbiome and intestinal permeability.
A gluten sensitivity is an inflammatory response that typically manifests itself in digestive symptoms. And gut health is directly related to skin health.
Step Four: Patience
Please remember that a hormone cycle is 3 months. Giving the body time and space to heal really helped me during this time.
Treating post-pill acne naturally is not an over-night miracle cure. It is a continual process of body literacy and self-love. Something that really helped me is taking photos and tracking my skin breakouts.
Acne is a deep-rooted condition that is the result of so many lifestyle factors. The best thing I have done for my skin is tune into my body’s unique signals and make changes to help me feel my best! Once I came off the Pill it became much easier to detect and make sense of these signals.
With happiness and clear skin,
Caralyn
Need more? Join the Acne Reset to come off the Pill with Clear Skin.