Do you ever wonder why you get flare ups right before your period? More than half of women can experience PMS acne, which means it is very common – and you are not alone.
Acne breakouts, especially along your jawline, just before your period can indicate that progesterone is not able to exert enough of it’s calming, nurturing action on your body. This can be caused by two things:
High Estrogen Levels. This often occurs because we are either being exposed to too many exogenous estrogens (from outside sources) or that the body is not metabolizing and detoxifying estrogens optimally. A combination of these two actions is also very common.
When we have high estrogen levels, our progesterone levels are going to seem naturally lower because the ratio of estrogen to progesterone is going to be very high.
Sub-optimal ovulation. When our bodies are inflamed, ovarian follicles cannot mature optimally, which means you don’t ovulate optimally. When you ovulate, an unfertilized egg transforms into a corpus luteum, which is responsible for producing progesterone in your body. Natural progesterone is critical for smooth functioning of our body, mind and spirit – not to mention our skin!
Progesterone is really, really important for preventing acne because it does three critical things.
- Progesterone manages levels of DHT in your body. DHT is a very active androgen, and it increases oil production in the skin and it affects keratinocyte exfoliation, which is basically how our skin sloughs off dead skin cells. Without adequate progesterone, nothing is regulating DHT levels, which means that your skin becomes oily and clogged.
- Progesterone blocks an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. 5-alpha reductase converts androgens to the active androgen, DHT. When you don’t have enough progesterone, this enzyme is just going to speed up andproduce more of the active androgen that’s going to increase oil production and dysregulate exfoliation.
- Low progesterone leads to high insulin levels. High insulin levels are going to lead to an increase in a hormone called IGF-1, which can lead to elevated androgens and DHT.
The bottom line is that if you have acne just before your period, it can be a sign that you do not have enough progesterone in your body. How do you produce more progesterone?
- reducing inflammation in your body
- healing your gut
- supporting detoxification
- balancing your insulin levels
- ensuring that you’re eating the right diet
- managing stress levels.
If you need help putting this all together, be sure to check out my FREE Clear Skin Masterclass, where I share my strategies to heal acne that have helped thousands of women solve acne safely, naturally and permanently. Click the link to join!
