Acne

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megsta91
megsta91 Posts: 92 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been suffering from adult hormonal acne for about 7 years. It was moderate to severe but after losing 40lbs and tinkering with my birth control, it became mild for the last 2 years. I usually get 2-3 cystic pimples a month on my chin that take a very long time to fade away.

I have been in a calorie deficit and working out 5 days a week for the last 3 weeks. I've lost 7lbs. No major slip ups, lots of fruit, no makeup and tons of water daily. My chin is very inflamed with both cystic acne and whiteheads.

Not sure why my skin was fine while I smashed restaurant food and iced coffee almost daily, but now that I'm getting healthy my face is flaring up. Part of me hopes it's just my skin "purging", but another part assumes that's wishful thinking.

Thoughts?

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Replies

  • AJB1014
    AJB1014 Posts: 1,380 Member
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    Hormones are weird at best and horribly disruptive at worst. It's super frustrating to deal with - I get jawline hormonal acne too. Change in diet can definitely shake your hormones up. Are you eating more dairy by any chance? Everyone is different but getting rid of traditional dairy entirely helped me a lot. Can you check in with your doctor?
  • LeatherValkyrie
    LeatherValkyrie Posts: 3 Member
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    Stress can trigger acne as well.
    Also drastic routine changes (even when those are for the better)
    One thing that can help is what you use to wash your face with.
    Simple is best.
    Try Dove for sensitive skin with no perfume.
    I used to have acne,went to dermatologist after dermatologist.
    Put on this pill,that cream,the other wash....
    Tried a new dermatologist who asked one simple question."What do you wash you face with?".
    My answer was "What ever soap was on sale that week."
    She told me to switch to the Dove for sensitive skin.
    Never had an issue again.
    Sometimes the simplest things are the answer.
    Maybe it will be for you as well.
    One other thing I keep in my arsenal is Kheil's Blue Astringent.
    Gentle on the skin,but strong on balance.
  • megsta91
    megsta91 Posts: 92 Member
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    My stress levels have stayed the same, although there could be hidden stress from my routine change like you said. I have never been to a dermatologist in fear of the cream/pill loop, so I will definitely try the Dove fir sensitive skin. Never heard of that astringent but I will keep it in mind.

    Right now I'm using Aveeno for sensitive skin, fragrance free and once a week I used a OTC medicated acne wash. I'm going to start washing my face directly after the gym as well.. I think that will at least help the Whitehead situation.

    I've actually cut my dairy way low, not even purposely, just kind of came with the calorie deficit. I use coffee creamer and MAYBE a yogurt, that's about it. I've heard of that being a trigger for a lot of people.

    Thanks for the replies, guys :)
  • PumpkinPeril
    PumpkinPeril Posts: 22 Member
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    If have to dig to find the source, but one of the pinned threads had some interesting reading(can't remeber if it was one about weight loss and TOM or diet breaks) but...

    Fat cells store estrogen(among other hormones), vitamins, toxins, etc. As you start to empty the fat cells, that stored estrogen and other materials are released.
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
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    My skin gets better in a caloric deficit. Maybe it’s from the training? See an endocrinologist for hormones or dermatologist
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
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    Good skincare can really help. I use a good cleanser and an oil free moisturizer daily. When I get flareups, I also add in something with a very low percentage of salicylic acid. Or clay based masks
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
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    AJB1014 wrote: »
    Hormones are weird at best and horribly disruptive at worst. It's super frustrating to deal with - I get jawline hormonal acne too. Change in diet can definitely shake your hormones up. Are you eating more dairy by any chance? Everyone is different but getting rid of traditional dairy entirely helped me a lot. Can you check in with your doctor?

    Regarding dairy, I have no reaction to yogurt & ~1oz cheese almost daily, but my whey protein powder gives me acne when I have it several days in a row. Have you added anything new to your diet or skin routine?
  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
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    At the risk of getting woo’d right out of this post.....acne can be related to hormones. Estrogen is stored in fat cells and when you lose weight the estrogen is released back in to your body. Many women have hormonal issues during the beginning stages of weight loss for this reason, including hormonal acne.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    ^^^ milk is a common cause of acne. Increased fats and lower refined an processed carbs often helps too.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    megsta91 wrote: »
    My stress levels have stayed the same, although there could be hidden stress from my routine change like you said. I have never been to a dermatologist in fear of the cream/pill loop, so I will definitely try the Dove fir sensitive skin. Never heard of that astringent but I will keep it in mind.

    Right now I'm using Aveeno for sensitive skin, fragrance free and once a week I used a OTC medicated acne wash. I'm going to start washing my face directly after the gym as well.. I think that will at least help the Whitehead situation.

    I've actually cut my dairy way low, not even purposely, just kind of came with the calorie deficit. I use coffee creamer and MAYBE a yogurt, that's about it. I've heard of that being a trigger for a lot of people.

    Thanks for the replies, guys :)

    Sometimes we can be so good at handling stress that we don’t realize we are stressed. I have psoriasis on my scalp and it flares up when I get stressed. It sometimes seems like a surprise when it flares and that’s my cue to take a breath and slow things down.
  • peggym4640
    peggym4640 Posts: 156 Member
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    For me cutting out milk made a big difference. Good luck.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
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    Cutting out dairy made no difference for me. I have found that diet doesnt matter.
  • Deviette
    Deviette Posts: 979 Member
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    My acne flairs when I have stress bouts. Trust me, changing the way you eat and increasing your working out schedule puts your body under stress, even if you don't think it. Give it some time, once you get used to the change it might get better without anything else.

    Remember that your body don't always react to things the way you think it should. A few years ago I realised I was barely drinking any water so I made an effort to up my water intake. My skin broke out really badly and it took a few weeks to settle down.
  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
    edited July 2018
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    A gentle facewash, applying benzoyl peroxide 2.5%, then a gentle mosturizer helps me when I keep up the routine.

    I also take a birth control that's for skin and it helps the most with the hormonal acne, but I know not everyone wants/can take BC pills.
  • pinaycoco
    pinaycoco Posts: 59 Member
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    megsta91 wrote: »
    I have been suffering from adult hormonal acne for about 7 years. It was moderate to severe but after losing 40lbs and tinkering with my birth control, it became mild for the last 2 years. I usually get 2-3 cystic pimples a month on my chin that take a very long time to fade away.

    I have been in a calorie deficit and working out 5 days a week for the last 3 weeks. I've lost 7lbs. No major slip ups, lots of fruit, no makeup and tons of water daily. My chin is very inflamed with both cystic acne and whiteheads.

    Not sure why my skin was fine while I smashed restaurant food and iced coffee almost daily, but now that I'm getting healthy my face is flaring up. Part of me hopes it's just my skin "purging", but another part assumes that's wishful thinking.

    Thoughts?

    Maybe quit meat and dairy for a while to see if it makes a difference? I have been vegan since I was a child but the few times I have eaten cheese since I ended up with severe acne. Good luck!
  • lillyblack1982
    lillyblack1982 Posts: 61 Member
    edited July 2018
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    I’ve struggled with acne my entire adult life. I’m 35 now and still break out. Not binging helps somewhat but I still break out even when eating more reasonably. I was also using Proactiv skincare products before; it didn’t really work for me. Earlier this year I started a new skin care routine and it’s really helped. I still break out, but it’s one small zit per month that goes away in 2-3 days instead of 1-2 big ones constantly somewhere on my face.

    1. Wash twice a day. I use neutrogena face wash for the most part but I also have cetaphil and dr bronners. I actually feel like the cleanser isn’t that important, but I use a small complexion brush for one daily wash. The other wash I just use my hands.

    2. Witch hazel. Honestly I think this has made the biggest difference. Use it before or after washing, on a cotton ball and just swipe it all over your face.

    3. Change/ wash the pillowcase on the bed every other day. Use a clean towel or washcloth every time you use one. Try not to touch your face or pick at it with your hands. Do what you can to keep bacteria off your skin.

    4. I started using aloe vera gel after washing and it’s made a huge difference in the way my skin looks. It really plumps up the fine lines around my eyes/ between my brows. I can see a big difference when I don’t use it.

    I have before and afters but I don’t know how to post them. It took about 3-4 weeks for it to get noticeably better.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
    edited July 2018
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    I get hormonal cystic acne. I never had acne in my teens and started developing it around 25. When I have a breakout it can be on only my face or sometimes face and body. It’s painful. I have found that tea tree helps. I started ordering and inexpensive product through Amazon.com made by a company called TruSkin. It’s worth trying. Cystic acne isn’t like regular pimples.

    When I keep my skin clean and use the tea tree stuff my breakouts are limited to just before my cycle starts now
  • Mrsindepenant1
    Mrsindepenant1 Posts: 196 Member
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    Iv never had acne as such, just the odd white head. I got married recently and leading up to it I broke out. I had huge cystic ones on my chin and back. After the wedding I started using liquid foundation which made it even worse. I started washing my face and exfoliating really well and using the juice of a lemon all over my face and my skin is clearing up amazingly fast! I swear by using lemons on your skin! It can sting a bit but definitely tolerable for the results. Within 3 days my skin has cleared up to almost nothing

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