If you have acne, you’ve probably been offered the Pill to fix all your problems… or maybe you’ve been taking the Pill and you have or haven’t had results with your skin.
There are a lot of things that we are told as women that we should stop listening to…
That having painful periods is normal
That we will grow out of acne
That going on the pill will "regulate our hormones"
That the answer to acne is the pill or antibiotics (or both!!)
I treat so many women who have been put on the Pill to treat their acne - some have noticed positive changes, and some haven’t.
The only reason that the Pill will improve your acne is if your acne is hormonally driven.
And, this is what leads to a big misconception amongst women (and medical professionals)…
If you take the Pill and it helps your acne, then your acne is mainly being driven by hormonal imbalances.
How do I know this? Because the Pill shuts down your natural hormone production to a large degree! And, if that approach helps your skin… then that’s a major driver to your acne.
The misconception here is not that the Pill can be effective for hormonal acne… the misconception here is that the Pill fixes your hormone problems and therefore has healed your acne.
Now… I need to put this in CAPS because, yes, I’m screaming it.
THE PILL DOES NOT REGULATE OR FIX YOUR HORMONE PROBLEMS.
IT PAUSES THEM.
The Pill does this by overriding our natural reproductive system, shrinking our ovaries and providing synthetic hormone that keeps our body basically suspended in a pre-ovulatory state.
It may look like the Pill has fixed your hormone problems when your acne clears up, or your period** cramping reduces or your period** becomes more regular… but the truth is, the Pill has just over-riden your natural hormonal fluctuations.
I refer to a Pill Period** because when you take the Pill you actually aren’t having a period at all, you are simply having a withdrawal bleed from not taking the synthetic hormone contained in the Pill… completely different to an actual period, which occurs because of ovulation and hormonal fluctuations. Remember, these things are shut down whilst taking the Pill.
And, because the hormone imbalances haven’t been addressed, as soon as you stop the pill, the problems that you previously had will return (often with a few additional ones).
If more women knew this, then more women would be able to make informed decisions when it comes to serious medication like the Pill being used to treat acne.
It can be so heart-breaking to be sold “The Answer To Acne” under the guise of hormone replacement therapy, only to find that the acne has swiftly returned when you come off the pill (and sometimes isn’t even improved by the pill… which is pointing towards acne that may not be hormonally driven).
I think the most frustrating thing for women is that there’s also no other answer given in the medical system.
When you go to the doctor for help after your acne returns when you stop the pill, you are just told to renew your prescription of the pill…
I think we deserve better options.
Options that don’t have as many detrimental effects on our bodies and hormones.
Options that aren’t just masking the problem, but can actually help to improve the cause of those problems.
This is why I am so passionate about education when it comes to acne… because the more you know, the better equipped you are to make a decision that works for you.
As a Naturopath, I look at all the factors that may be causing your acne because, believe it or not, there are many other reasons why acne can develop outside of hormone imbalance.
And, if the Pill hasn’t helped to clear your skin, then you need to start looking at these other areas of influence.
This can be:
Hormone imbalances (like increased androgens, PCOS, low estrogen to progesterone ratio, estrogen dominance… some of these can actually be caused by the Pill, so might be an issue that needs to be treated if you are experiencing post-pill acne)
High stress, affecting hormones and increasing inflammation (not helped by the Pill)
Poor detoxification capacity (not helped by the Pill.. in fact, the Pill will impact your liver’s ability to clear all the synthetic estrogen)
Sluggish lymphatic function (not helped by the Pill)
Poor gut function (not helped by the Pill… in fact, your microbiome changes when you are on the Pill)
Diet (not helped by the Pill)
The answer to your acne is going to be different than the answer to somebody else’s acne.
Everyone has different triggers, different patterns, and different presentations of acne.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach that works, because you are not one of many… you are one in 7 billion.
It is in your uniqueness that you will find your answers.
And uncovering the driving factors behind your acne is absolutely essential in making long-lasting change to your skin.
If you are struggling with acne, I want you to know there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Sometimes you just need some guidance to find it.
Let your beauty shine, spots or not.
