THE TRUTH ABOUT “HORMONAL” ACNE

BLOOD SUGAR REGULATION AND IT’S IMPACT ON THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM

We all have that one friend who has perfect skin...and you have always been envious of it. You’ve tried ALL of the skin care products under the sun that promise to heal and clear your hormonal acne. Some have harsh drying ingredients, others actually have well researched ingredients with powerful healing properties. However, even the best skincare routine can’t address the root cause of the hormonal fluctuations that are causing your breakouts. Cue cortisol, the stress hormone. Have you ever noticed that your skin looks great all week, then you have an important deadline or a date and suddenly, *poof* there it is again. Unfortunately, stressing over your skin just makes it worse. Chronically elevated cortisol leads to insulin resistance and increased inflammation. Insulin resistance is when your body no longer responds normally to insulin. Insulin’s job is to maintain a normal blood sugar level, such as after you eat something containing carbohydrates, or sugar. However, there are other situations where insulin has to work overtime. A stress response is a blood sugar response. This means in times of acute (short term) or chronic stress, your body is working hard to maintain a normal blood sugar level to keep you alive. Your body prioritizes survival, which diverts energy and nutrients to your adrenals instead of other important glands in your body. Chronically diverting nutrients to the adrenals over time will lead to adrenal fatigue and decreased efficacy of liver pathways that break down and remove excess hormones and toxins from the body. There is a silver lining! Through diet and lifestyle modifications, you can improve blood sugar regulation and get to the root cause of that stubborn hormonal acne.