Embarrassing. Painful. Frustrating.
Those are common words from new clients when they come to me for help with their cystic acne. Can you relate?
This form of acne is an inflammatory response to a build up of oil and dead skin that can block your pores. It is also common for women with hormonal imbalances or during the menstrual cycle – particularly around the chin and jawline, which is commonly related to hormones.
In order to heal your cystic acne, it’s critical to address the connection between your skin and your gut. While proper hygiene is really important, reducing inflammation should be your number one priority.
While the path to healing can take time, getting a hormone panel done can give great insight into the root cause of your acne, allowing a quicker and more personalized healing protocol to be developed.
For quick relief of cystic acne, be sure to keep your hands away from your face and use ice to reduce inflammation.
If you’d like to reduce your acne altogether, try these tips …
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR CYSTIC ACNE
1. Avoid inflammatory foods
Because cystic acne is a form of inflammation, it would make sense to avoid inflammatory foods in order to help reduce the acne.
Avoiding common inflammatory foods like gluten, dairy, and sugar can have a huge impact fairly quickly. With that being said, you have to be willing to remove them for several months in order to bring down chronic inflammation.
Consider it more of a lifestyle change then a temporary diet.
2. Eat an anti-inflammatory diet
Naturally, if cystic acne is a form of inflammation, then consuming foods that reduce inflammation would be helpful for controlling your acne as well.
Including lots of fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, berries, and leafy greens, as well as nuts and seeds, fatty fish, and oils will help reduce inflammation due to their anti-inflammatory properties.
Eating a more plant-based diet can be a simple and effective way to bring down inflammation.
3. Use the right supplements
While supplements aren’t a must – they can be very beneficial in reducing cystic acne. They are best combined with an anti-inflammatory diet and only as recommended by your healthcare practitioner.
Studies have shown promise on the use of probiotics, omega 3’s, zinc, and chasteberry for hormone support and acne relief.
But please, check with your healthcare practitioner first to see if these are right for you!
4. Switch up your skincare routine
While you may love your current skincare products, they may be doing more harm then good. Your skin is your largest organ, using anything on it with harmful or unnatural ingredients will have an effect, and for some that comes in the form of cystic acne.
I’ve found the BeautyCounter Countercontrol collection to be really helpful with my clients who are struggling with acne. It’s not cheap – but it works (no, I’m not a rep). I exclusively use their products and love them and my clients have seriously raved about this one for their acne.
5. Other helpful hints
Lifestyle also plays a big role! Stress, lack of sleep, going to bed with makeup on (or not having a good skincare routine at all), diet, lack of exercise, etc. all impact your hormones and inflammation.
Focus on reducing your stress and getting a good night sleep. Hit up an infrared sauna every week and exercise daily to release toxins. Consider trying essential oils like tea tree oil and lavender for added relief.
The fact remains that cystic acne is painful and frustrating – but can be controlled. If using these tips doesn’t bring relief quickly, book in a consultation and we can discuss your options for personalized nutrition, or testing like IgG Food Sensitivity or a Hormone Panel.
