Breaking out on my face - I knows it hormonal.

DanniPants6
DanniPants6 Posts: 51 Member
edited December 2 in Food and Nutrition
So two months in, my face has broken out so bad closed comedones that turn into big angry under the skin pimple. I drink 2- 4L of water a day. I wash my face before before and water workouts and so on.... my diet is clean and I haven't hand any alcohol in a month. very limited dairy and gluten intake as well. WHYYYYY.

Can someone pleaseeeee reassure me this will pass? Has this happens to you ?

Replies

  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T2olgjnDWY


    ....

    On another note, have you switched birth control? That might be a cause.
  • The_Health_Hit
    The_Health_Hit Posts: 7 Member
    I never, ever suffer from acne or spots or black heads etc but when i started working out properly every day I started getting them on my chin! I think it may be your hormones changing or toxins leaving through your skin - but good news, mines settled and i dont get them anymore! x
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    You said you wash your face before and after workouts, so that's good! Do you subconsciously touch your face / skin while working out though? Do you use a clean towel every day if you sweat?

    If it's not that it could be hormonal or dietary. May take some trial and error unfortunately. Hope you can figure it out!
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    It is usually hormonal, but you might benefit from a prescription gel from the doctor. Oral antibiotics can help, but usually lead to yeast infections.
  • tabbyblack13
    tabbyblack13 Posts: 299 Member
    You could be picking up bacteria from gym equipment that hasn't been wiped down properly.

    Look into getting a face soap with tea tree oil/melaleuca. That will keep away nasty bacteria and fungi that live on gym equipment. Also you can apply the tea tree oil/melaleuca directly on to your face (avoiding eyes and other sensitive tissue) to help with current acne. I use it as part of my daily skin care.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    I get pimples from sugar and a bit during pms. It wasn't bad but I always had 2-4 pimples on my chin, and one on the side of my nose or inbetween my eyebrows. After going keto I now only get maybe one pimple a month on my chin.

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I get them during PMS too. They are just starting to fade away by the time the next one comes. Usually only one a month though.

    Do you cleanse your face? I used to break out horribly during the summer then started using an exfoliating cleanser and it's completely changed my life.
  • meganlc0
    meganlc0 Posts: 34 Member
    I second everything that everyone else said.

    I suffer from acne. Using fresh towels for every shower and gym session seems to help. I also disinfect /clean my phone everyday before I shower.

    I have been prescribed Benze-Clin topical gel and it has helped more than anything else.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    A good friend of mine (never broke out before even as a teenager) had a similar issue and went to a dermatologist found out it was Rosasia now taking pills and a cream cleared right up.
  • DanniPants6
    DanniPants6 Posts: 51 Member
    edited July 2016
    Hey all thank you so much for all the info and there are some fantastic ideas in here.

    I really appreciate it. .. like a lot. Adult acne really sucks.

    For a cleanser I use spectro gel in the morning before and after workouts and before bed, for exfoliation I use baking soda once a week ( it's worked for so long until I started working out and eating clean) I use a teatreeoil /water toner, a teatreeoil oil serum, an organic non-omedonegenic pomegranate face lotion ( a gmo free Cf, Candianacompany - Rockey mountain soap Company ) at night and for day time cetephil oily skin spf 35. I use a facemask once a week. As well. And for spot treatment a benzoyl peroxide at 5% . I do it allllllllll.


    Also! Here is an update I took a lemon wedge after I washed my face and rubbed it all over my face let it sit for 5min and rinsed it off with cool water... and it actually helped A LOT in just one day.

    So I'm going to keep trying that and I'll report back.
  • HSheartsNachos
    HSheartsNachos Posts: 33 Member
    Please do not ever use baking soda on your face!

    Anything that can be used to clean an oven should not be put on your skin! Sounds as if you may be washing your face too much and maybe not with the right products for you. I would definitely recommend going to get a facial as it will help your skin and they should tell you why type of products and routine to follow.
  • brighteststitcher
    brighteststitcher Posts: 62 Member
    If you want a break from the chemical cleansers - try raw honey. You just wash your face with it like normal and it's actually very nice. I've noticed my face is much softer and when I get breakouts (only hormonal now) they go away faster. It's naturally antifungal and antiviral. It's also good as a spot treatment if you can avoid getting it on your pillow at night. One thing I've found that helps with those disgusting and painful cystic ones that are kind of watery is to not touch them at all (as much as you want to) and put either neosporin or vicks on it overnight and it goes down a lot. I do that maybe one more night and then I find the middle and poke it with a pin to pop it. They used to take weeks to go away and would come back pretty soon after, but now I don't get them very often and when they do I'm rid of it within 5 days.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    I have hormonal breakouts... which means it doesn't matter how much you clean its not going to stop it. Luckily for me I'm starting to KIND of grow out of it (at 29) I don't take birth control and won't. Honestly keeping my stress down helps, I also get a lot of peels/laser treatments done on my skin. Its expensive but gycolic acid peels really made a different for me.
  • ScreeField
    ScreeField Posts: 180 Member
    Go soap free. Wash with just water.
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
    I've never had bad acne, but after I first lost a bunch of weight my face broke out terribly. I tried all kinds of stuff, but what actually worked was lemon water. (I know it sounds like *kitten*, but I swear it works.) I started putting lemon wedges in for flavor and then started squeezing in juice, so I discovered it by accident. Once I added the juice, my face cleared up. Now if I break out I just drink lemon water, and the improvement is immediate.
  • aikilady
    aikilady Posts: 35 Member
    OP I just had to reply to you because I have the same thing happened to me when I start to lose weight. I thought I was the only one… It's terrible. I literally have to choose between losing weight and having a clear face.
    I'm guessing it's my hormones because when you lose body fat your hormone levels fluctuate, also estrogen is contained in fat cells and estrogen is beneficial to a woman especially to our skin.
    If you really think about it, women are not meant to be super lean we are meant to be soft and feminine and have body fat. Anytime you mess with that, you may get hormonal problems. Unless of course you take the birth control pill… I had beautiful skin when I was on birth-control, but off of it it's a delicate balance.
    I'm also not obese I'm muscular and athletic and probably only about 15 pounds over what I want to be. But it just wasn't worth it to me because I was too depressed with all of the breakouts I experienced. So I experimented and backed off the exercise and started eating more calories… I gained 10 pounds and my face cleared up.
    Also, not sure if you drink caffeine but I had to cut coffee out or at least only have a couple cups per week because the caffeine also mess with my hormones causing breakouts.
    I get really frustrated because people suggest all sorts of things trying to be helpful like face washes don't touch your face shower right after working out etc. None of that help to me… I literally tried everything and I know it's hormones. Or the people who suggest going grain free or giving up dairy… None of that made a difference to me at all. It's frustrating.
    Sorry I don't have any good news for you.
    I'm currently attempting to lose weight again, but this time I am going to go slower and eat moderate deficit of only about 200 cal and see if that helps.
    500 to 1000 cal deficit plus intense exercise equals hormonal health for me. Just my thoughts.

    ***** there is one supplement that has helped me dramatically improve my acne. It's a multivitamin supplement called PMT by Biotics research. I highly recommend you try it out, it made a huge huge difference in my skin. Also there's another vitamin called Optivite PMT that I've achieve similar results with. You can buy them both on Amazon. Honestly they clear my skin almost as good as birth control.
    I can't stress enough… When I'm not taking these vitamins my hormones are not balanced. So they definitely help.
  • DanniPants6
    DanniPants6 Posts: 51 Member
    aikilady wrote: »
    OP I just had to reply to you because I have the same thing happened to me when I start to lose weight. I thought I was the only one… It's terrible. I literally have to choose between losing weight and having a clear face.
    I'm guessing it's my hormones because when you lose body fat your hormone levels fluctuate, also estrogen is contained in fat cells and estrogen is beneficial to a woman especially to our skin.
    If you really think about it, women are not meant to be super lean we are meant to be soft and feminine and have body fat. Anytime you mess with that, you may get hormonal problems. Unless of course you take the birth control pill… I had beautiful skin when I was on birth-control, but off of it it's a delicate balance.
    I'm also not obese I'm muscular and athletic and probably only about 15 pounds over what I want to be. But it just wasn't worth it to me because I was too depressed with all of the breakouts I experienced. So I experimented and backed off the exercise and started eating more calories… I gained 10 pounds and my face cleared up.
    Also, not sure if you drink caffeine but I had to cut coffee out or at least only have a couple cups per week because the caffeine also mess with my hormones causing breakouts.
    I get really frustrated because people suggest all sorts of things trying to be helpful like face washes don't touch your face shower right after working out etc. None of that help to me… I literally tried everything and I know it's hormones. Or the people who suggest going grain free or giving up dairy… None of that made a difference to me at all. It's frustrating.
    Sorry I don't have any good news for you.
    I'm currently attempting to lose weight again, but this time I am going to go slower and eat moderate deficit of only about 200 cal and see if that helps.
    500 to 1000 cal deficit plus intense exercise equals hormonal health for me. Just my thoughts.

    ***** there is one supplement that has helped me dramatically improve my acne. It's a multivitamin supplement called PMT by Biotics research. I highly recommend you try it out, it made a huge huge difference in my skin. Also there's another vitamin called Optivite PMT that I've achieve similar results with. You can buy them both on Amazon. Honestly they clear my skin almost as good as birth control.
    I can't stress enough… When I'm not taking these vitamins my hormones are not balanced. So they definitely help.

    THANK YOU! I'm so glad you are willing to share your story. I did some research and totally accredited this to my estrogen levels. I am going for blood work tomorrow to check all my hormone levels... i truely appeciate your insight.
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    edited July 2016
    What do you wash your face with? I used to use all sorts of chemical and acne fighting soap crap on my face that only sorta worked. I switched to all natural soap (basically just olive oil bar soap or homemade soap without additives or fragrance) or natural soap with lemongrass and tea tree oil. Really doesn't matter, just something natural. Haven't had a pimple in years. Even the tiny blackheads on my chin are gone, and I had those my entire life.
    Please do not ever use baking soda on your face!

    Anything that can be used to clean an oven should not be put on your skin! Sounds as if you may be washing your face too much and maybe not with the right products for you. I would definitely recommend going to get a facial as it will help your skin and they should tell you why type of products and routine to follow.

    I agree with these statements and recommendations. It could be that one of the products you're using (especially the Cetaphil one) may have ingredients that could be causing more harm than good.
  • DanniPants6
    DanniPants6 Posts: 51 Member
    Update: skin is clearing. It was my protein powder.... it's not not even whey, it was Vega.

    Stopped the protein about a week ago ... skin stopped freaking out almost immediately.

This discussion has been closed.