What causes hormonal breakouts?
Just before yoor period starts, estrogen & progesterone levels drop. This can trigger yoor sebaceous glands to secrete more sebum, an oily substance that lubricates yoor skin. Too much can result in clogged pores & breakouts. Hormones can also increase skin inflammation & the production of acne-causing bacteria.
Common places hormonal pimples pop up.
Notice a deep, throbbing pain in yoor chin or along yoor jawline? It’s not unusual for hormonal acne, especially cysts, to pop up in these areas. They might not look like much on the surface, but they can cause a world of pain.
#YooTip
Don’t try to pop chin cysts. Seriously. Yoo won’t win & it will lead to more pain + increase yoor risk for scarring.
How to soothe deep + painful breakouts.
The deep pimples and cysts that sometimes come with periods can be pretty painful for some but there are things yoo can do to ease the pain.
To get relief during a painful breakout try:
- a warm compress for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, three or four times a day to soothe pain & help draw out pus
- a cold compress or ice 5 to 10 minutes at a time to relieve pain and swelling
How to tame an active breakout.
Period-related acne can be particularly stubborn. You can help speed up the healing process!
Here’s what to look for & how to build it into your routine:
- Wash yoor face twice a day using a gentle non- soap product, try gently wiping over yoor effected areas with our toner, especially after sweating.
- Use gentle scrub to remove dead skin cells, reduce inflammation & promote the growth of new skin. Don’t go hard just gently in the shower. Scrubs that dissolve during washing are the least abrasive, that’s why we use jojoba wax beads, they melt.
- Use a spot treatment or soak the toner onto a makeup pad remover & hold. Avoid irritating products such as greasy sunscreens, cosmetics, oils & concealers.
- Protect yoor skin from friction, things like tight collars, straps or helmets.
- Limit yoor exposure to UV rays by staying out of the sun when possible.
- Use acne products as directed. Applying too much will irritate & dry out yoor skin.
How to prepare for your next cycle.
One of the most frustrating aspects of period acne is that it usually just keeps coming back. Here are things yoo can do throughout your cycle to stay two steps ahead of those pesky hormones.
Keep a good record of when your hormonal breakouts emerge, about a week prior use the pimple mask to start to move & draw them to the surface to start treating.
Diet
There’s some evidence that regulating your blood sugar levels by eating foods that have a low glycemic index (GI) can help with hormonal acne. The GI is a measure of the rate at which a food spikes blood sugar levels.
High-GI foods have been shown to worsen acne. They include:
- sugary foods & drinks
- white bread
- other highly processed foods
Many of these same foods have been linked to increased inflammation which also plays a role in acne.
If yoo can, try to limit your intake of these foods. Yoo don’t need to completely avoid them but reducing them might give yoor skin a boost.