Wild Yam increases progesterone. Spearmint reduces testosterone. It is very rare that reducing testosterone will make acne worse. Stimulating progesterone when your progesterone levels are fine will commonly increase acne. So I would stick with the spearmint tea only.

Could someone explain to me why adding progesterone if your levels are fine could increase acne? Is it the same with the other hormone DHT?

Could someone explain to me why adding progesterone if your levels are fine could increase acne? Is it the same with the other hormone DHT?

Increasing DHT (dihydrotestosterone) almost always increases chances of acne. This is why many bodybuilders come to this forum wondering why, just as they're getting the muscle results they want, their acne goes up. Weight lifting rapidly increases DHT...and acne. This is why lowering testosterones is usually a safer bet, especially if you're female, because there is a very direct correlation with elevated testosterone (or testosterone sensitivity) and acne problems.

Progesterone is more...eh...complex than testosterone, in some ways. In the right doses it acts as a regulatory hormone, and keeps other hormones at proper levels. This regulatory action can help if you have an estrogen or testosterone imbalance because your progesterone is too low. If progesterone gets too high, though, it changes gear and becomes inflammatory, which increases acne.

Thanks Green Gables. Is DHT the one that can be obtained from broccoli or am I crazy thinking I read that somewhere?

Thanks Green Gables. Is DHT the one that can be obtained from broccoli or am I crazy thinking I read that somewhere?

No, no, you're thinking of the supplement DIM. It's not the same as DHT.

DIM is usually taken if you have an estrogen dominance issue.

Ok thanks :-S. Could DIM cause an acne breakout?

[...] If progesterone gets too high, though, it changes gear and becomes inflammatory, which increases acne.

I'm super curious to where you heard or read that... as far as I know it's really difficult to be too high in Progesterone. When women are in their third trimester during pregnancy, their progesterone skyrockets to prevent premature births and is crucial to the survival of the fetus. It can also be used in the first trimester to prevent miscarriages.

The inflammatory thing doesn't seem to compute with me either, as studies have shown that progesterone greatly reduces swelling and has protective effects when used on brain injury patients (see here; http://whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=7840 ).

When very first supplementing progesterone, I could see a initial breakout being possible, as it wakes up the hormone receptors. Your body needs time to adjust... this can happen with almost any hormonal treatment for acne (e.g., spironolactone, DIM, saw palmetto, BCP, etc). However, this period eventually passes.

To answer Etude's question You are only 16... it could be that you are dealing with your natural hormone levels still adjusting since you are probably still in puberty. If I were you I would wait a couple years before drastically treating your hormones. Also, I'm not sure what "Yam Extract" you're talking about... I have no experience taking that particular supplement, just the progesterone cream.

DIM and natural progesterone cream both helped me greatly. I'm clear now after over a decade of cystic acne. Everyone's different so it may or may not work for you, but it is a potential solution if you want to give it a try down the road. Just be aware that it does take time for hormones to adjust if you choose to go that route. It took me at least 3 months to start clearing up.

[...] If progesterone gets too high, though, it changes gear and becomes inflammatory, which increases acne.

I'm super curious to where you heard or read that... as far as I know it's really difficult to be too high in Progesterone. When women are in their third trimester during pregnancy, their progesterone skyrockets to prevent premature births and is crucial to the survival of the fetus. It can also be used in the first trimester to prevent miscarriages.

The inflammatory thing doesn't seem to compute with me either, as studies have shown that progesterone greatly reduces swelling and has protective effects when used on brain injury patients (see here; http://whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=7840 ).

When very first supplementing progesterone, I could see a initial breakout being possible, as it wakes up the hormone receptors. Your body needs time to adjust... this can happen with almost any hormonal treatment for acne (e.g., spironolactone, DIM, saw palmetto, BCP, etc). However, this period eventually passes.

To answer Etude's question You are only 16... it could be that you are dealing with your natural hormone levels still adjusting since you are probably still in puberty. If I were you I would wait a couple years before drastically treating your hormones. Also, I'm not sure what "Yam Extract" you're talking about... I have no experience taking that particular supplement, just the progesterone cream.

DIM and natural progesterone cream both helped me greatly. I'm clear now after over a decade of cystic acne. Everyone's different so it may or may not work for you, but it is a potential solution if you want to give it a try down the road. Just be aware that it does take time for hormones to adjust if you choose to go that route. It took me at least 3 months to start clearing up.

Pregnant women frequently breakout when progesterone increases. Hey, I know two women right now who are pregnant, never had acne, and are now breaking out. Anecdotal, but there you have it.

Progesterone at high levels increases sebum production in females (for some reason it decreases sebum production in males). Strangely enough, though, at more moderate levels it will inhibit 5-reductase and reduce sebum production. With progesterone supplementation, it is crucially important that your level is spot on.

There are published studies on this I read ages ago, you can find them if you wish, I don't really have the desire to search for those on a mobile phone.

I have always seen progesterone as a two-edged sword. It is great at the right levels, but unless you know you are deficient, it is not the first step I would recommend, especially to a 16 year old girl who may still be going through the last stages of puberty...

A little spearmint tea may help her acne without negatively affecting other things. But birth control or even progesterone is, in my view, a bad idea at that age unless a clear hormonal diagnosis has been made.

Pregnant women frequently breakout when progesterone increases. Hey, I know two women right now who are pregnant, never had acne, and are now breaking out. Anecdotal, but there you have it.

Progesterone at high levels increases sebum production in females (for some reason it decreases sebum production in males). Strangely enough, though, at more moderate levels it will inhibit 5-reductase and reduce sebum production. With progesterone supplementation, it is crucially important that your level is spot on.

There are published studies on this I read ages ago, you can find them if you wish, I don't really have the desire to search for those on a mobile phone.

I have always seen progesterone as a two-edged sword. It is great at the right levels, but unless you know you are deficient, it is not the first step I would recommend, especially to a 16 year old girl who may still be going through the last stages of puberty...

A little spearmint tea may help her acne without negatively affecting other things. But birth control or even progesterone is, in my view, a bad idea at that age unless a clear hormonal diagnosis has been made.

Cool there could be multiple factors with your pregnant friends but whatever, I'm not here to argue.

I don't know why I have to defend what cleared me completely on here so much... I seem to be the only one posting on here currently who has actually tried NPC and DIM at a decent dose consistently for a long period of time. I am only trying to help others, like I appreciated so much when I read this post. But again, whatever. I'm pretty much f-ing done with this.

I told the OP exactly what you just said in my last reply. She should wait until puberty is well over before messing with hormones. I really do think so. I hope spearmint tea does help her... I have seen studies on it reducing excess facial hair in women but never on enough anti-androgen action to reduce acne. But maybe.

Pregnant women frequently breakout when progesterone increases. Hey, I know two women right now who are pregnant, never had acne, and are now breaking out. Anecdotal, but there you have it.

Progesterone at high levels increases sebum production in females (for some reason it decreases sebum production in males). Strangely enough, though, at more moderate levels it will inhibit 5-reductase and reduce sebum production. With progesterone supplementation, it is crucially important that your level is spot on.

There are published studies on this I read ages ago, you can find them if you wish, I don't really have the desire to search for those on a mobile phone.

I have always seen progesterone as a two-edged sword. It is great at the right levels, but unless you know you are deficient, it is not the first step I would recommend, especially to a 16 year old girl who may still be going through the last stages of puberty...

A little spearmint tea may help her acne without negatively affecting other things. But birth control or even progesterone is, in my view, a bad idea at that age unless a clear hormonal diagnosis has been made.

Cool there could be multiple factors with your pregnant friends but whatever, I'm not here to argue.

I don't know why I have to defend what cleared me completely on here so much... I seem to be the only one posting on here currently who has actually tried NPC and DIM at a decent dose consistently for a long period of time. I am only trying to help others, like I appreciated so much when I read this post. But again, whatever. I'm pretty much f-ing done with this.

I told the OP exactly what you just said in my last reply. She should wait until puberty is well over before messing with hormones. I really do think so. I hope spearmint tea does help her... I have seen studies on it reducing excess facial hair in women but never on enough anti-androgen action to reduce acne. But maybe.

Hey, no worries, obviously I think we really agree on the fact that progesterone can be really helpful.

I just have a hard time recommending it to the general population because there is so LITTLE information on proper dosaging and such...you're one of the few people that seems to have figured out how to resolve your hormones with OTC progesterone. Most people don't have the patience or confidence to sort that out through trial and error...they just want to be told what to take, how much to take, and how long to wait for results. With progesterone you can't do that, you have to be willing to adjust and re-evaluate until you find a personal balance.

Hearts, no need to feel defensive. Many people on this forum are just confused and voicing their opinions/experiences. Plus type or text can often be misinterpreted as more frank or short.

It's AMAZING that you have found the answer to your acne!!!!

I love hearing about the varied experiences on this forum, keep it up ladies!

Go get your hormones tested via saliva testing. Do a full panel, where they take saliva samples every week of your cycle. It's the only way to know which hormones are causing your imbalance. The endocrine system is very complex, and it could be multiple hormones (including thyroid) causing your acne and other symptoms, or it could be the ratio of those hormones. In other words, all your hormones could be in the "normal" range, but the ratio of - for instance- estrogen: progesterone/ estrogen: testosterone could be off.