Hey I read a lot about these supplements about a year ago when my hormones were all over the place. I had been off the pill for about a year when my skin started to act up so it was a bit out the blue. I kinda came to the conclusion that although they are natural, they pretty much do similar things to the pill but with less effect so I ended up just going back on the pill. Have you recently stopped taking the pill? Sometime it takes a while for your hormones to settle down afterwards and it's usually better just to wait it out and maybe use a good topical treatment until your hormones settle down? Anyway would be good to know how you get on with either, I don't want to be on the pill forever so would be good to know if an alternative did work? I did think that increasing oestrogen would reduce dht (which is the hormone that make our oil glands overproduce) but now some studies show that oestrogen can increase dht...god there is so much conflicting information! It seems the answer is an equal balance of hormones, have you looked in to evening primrose oil?

Gill x

Some of the synthetic progestins in birth control pills cause acne.

I know, I steer clear of progesterone based pills, I find that those using oestrogen to control ovulation work best for acne prone skin types, although the oestrogen is usually combined with another compound to regulate hormones and control oil production in pills which are specifically targeted for acne. Although my sister uses a progesterone based pill, she has really nice skin but oestrogen pills seemed to make her break out more, so I guess it maybe depends on the hormones levels of each individual and finding out which works best . Aternativista, I see you use supplements and diet to help with hormones and inflammation, I would be really interested to hear what has worked for you.

Thanks

Gillx

Avoiding high glycemic impacting meals/drinks/snacks and the food I'm intolerant to is what cleared me and is the major component in keeping me clear. Replaced junk with nutrient dense foods. There are other factors, but I've always been pretty good with stress and sleep, ok with exercise. But now I have even better habits plus a topical regimen that doesn't interfere with skin function.

Also, I'm pretty sure all birth control is progestin based.

So I have read that vitex balances progesterone and estrogen but does it balance it in favor of progesterone? I thought progesterone causes acne?? So wouldn't vitex make acne worse if it increases progesterone? I ordered some vitex to try but I haven't started it yet. I've been using saw palmetto and it is helping but not getting rid of everything yet (well its only been one month and a half on it so).

I have been using saw palmetto from mid november. Recently, only two months ago i added the vitex in my vitex routine. This combo is not long working yet, but i have noticed my pms getting significantly better. I have no water retention, in fact my weight is at its lowest ever, no breast tension, no mood. I still break out but in controlling terms. I dont know how worse it could be. I definately works and i hope it will work on acne long term.

I totally suggest you since you are on sp to add vitex. Both together bring all hormones to balance.

Sorry, mean daily routine!

Vitex helps your body bring itself into balance. Nobody is quite sure what the mechanism is, but it has been proven in a few studies to help irregular cycles. Acne can be caused by hormonal imbalances which are often brought on by insulin resistance and too much carbohydrate. An extreme form of hormonal imbalance is PCOS, which often comes with severe acne, among other issues. PCOS can be cured by eating like a diabetic, and so can acne. Now that my body is no longer insulin resistant, I can occasionally eat heavy carbs and sweets because my body responds to the insulin like a health person's does. The thing is, I took vitex when my insulin response and hormones were out of control and it helped, but not that much. The only sure thing was to avoid sugar, milk, and excess carbohydrate, particularly grains. After I did that, my cycles got back in line and my skin cleared up. For a while, my cycles were so irregular that I did not menstruate for over 6 months... Needless to say, I needed to do more than just taking vitex and saw palmetto, though these supplements do help!

I've been trying my best to avoid high sugar foods, I do still eat a lot of fruit though and I know that fruit is high in sugar but have heard that because it also contains a lot of fibre it can help counteract any blood sugar spikes, there is so much information out there. All pills have progesterone in them, but you can get a progesterone only pill, combined pills have both progesterone and oestrogen but you can get different levels of each hormone in different combined pills and those with higher oestrogen are used to helped with acne. Progesterone alone shouldnt cause an acne flare up but if there is too much or it is not balanced with other hormones I think it can cause problems, I just know that when you have acne you are advise to avoid the progesterone only pill.

BCP doesn't contain progesterone. They contain synthetic progestins. There are different forms. Some are androgenic and do cause acne. There's a board for discussing birth control and other hormone drugs. i used to visit it once and a while. There was a post with links to a chart covering the brands, the progestins they used and whether or not they were androgenic, and the amounts of progestin & estrogen.

No I did not just get off of the pill..also my cycles are pretty regular which is one reason why I am hesitant to use vitex. I break out right before and after my period and other than that I'm pretty clear but I am just trying to avoid those big ones for my wedding in 5 months. SP has definitely been helping and I am also on DIM. I tried primrose oil a long time ago and don't remember it helping much. I do not want to go on spiro or birth control pills because my body is sensitive to birth control pills and spiro scares me hah.

ahh you should just do the spiro and dont be scared i have been on it for over 16 months and have no side effects. i was so hesitant to go on it that i kept breaking out and then i got more scars and if i did it when the derm suggested it over 3 years ago i wouldnt have most of the scars i do now. birth control only made me break out more but spiro has been a god send. best decision i ever made regarding my skin.

Thanks for clearing that up Alternavista...it must be progestin I am thinking of, a chart which shows all the different break downs of the pill would be great, I'm happy with the one I am on now but it took a while and a lot of reading up on it to get there.

If you're only having problems at certain times and your cycles are regular then I would avoid the pill or anything that would alter your hormones, it might just make things worse. It's really common to get the odd one or two around your period, you're lucky that your skin is clear most of the time. Have you thought about any topical treatment/ I don't like benzoyl perxoide but salicylic acid has worked great for me, I use a serum under my moisturiser. There are lots of good topical recommendations on the boards

You are taking a cocktail for herbs and pills right now based on what works for other people. You need to spend time understanding your symptoms and tracking your hormonal breakouts (if they are hormonal). Otherwise, you will end up making things worse if you take so many things at once. One day you are posting about saw palmetto, the next about spironolactone, now about vitex...you can't take all those at once, especially if you have no idea what's causing your imbalance. I would suggest picking one for now and sticking with it for at least a few months. If you rush things, you could end up causing other problems.

I am only taking saw palmetto right now I have just been researching a lot. I think I am just gonna stick with saw palmetto though because I do feel like its working. And I know it is hormonal because the breakouts come with my pms symptoms. I am just trying to understand if its extra estrogen or progesterone that is causing me to breakout since everyone's hormones are different. I guess I'll never know unless I get them tested.

If you're only having problems at certain times and your cycles are regular then I would avoid the pill or anything that would alter your hormones, it might just make things worse. It's really common to get the odd one or two around your period, you're lucky that your skin is clear most of the time. Have you thought about any topical treatment/ I don't like benzoyl perxoide but salicylic acid has worked great for me, I use a serum under my moisturiser. There are lots of good topical recommendations on the boards

Benzoyl peroxide makes skin super oily and destroys all the good bacteria from your skin so that you get acne more easily and all the other crap.. I remember when I got a couple of pimples on my chest a few years ago and I had the genious idea to destroy those pimples with benzoyl peroxide. After a while my chest started to get oily and I never get any oil on my chest! I also startd to get more and more pimples on my chest, until after some months after that I said f*ck it, I just wash my chest once a week with a mild cleanser and do nothing else. After that all the oil was gone and the pimples were gone as well. Benzoyl peroxide is a great way to prolong acne and get all kinds of problems, if that's your thing go for it baby, I don't judge, only god can judge.

Then why the heck do dermatologists give it to us? What do you know about gylcoylic acid washes?