just looking for some advice
so im almost 30 years old, and i get horrible hormonal acne.
its almost like, as soon as my acne is almost cleared up - it turns around gets worse again because now im about a week and a half away from my period
i get it all over my face, back, chest, neck even my scalp
i used to take BC pills but id rather do it naturally... partially because for years my period has also been extremely irregular and i just dont want to be on BC pills my whole life
so ive been taking black cohosh, vitex, and a DHT blocker (combo of zinc, selenium, saw palmetto, pumpkin, quercetin, fo-ti, & kudzu)
my cycle is actually normal. i use a period tracker app and it is never late (previously i swear it had a mind of its own and just came and went whenever it felt like it)
only thing is my acne i feel is getting worse!
based on what i've been reading, the higher levels of progesterone can cause the acne, as well as testosterone (which i know actually is high from blood work, but last time i checked it was normal)
but i guess my question is, also based off of what i've read, vitex could increase progesterone production. so i'm wondering if i should stop taking it the week before i know i am due for my period? or should i take an extra pill of the DHT blocker?
im just nervous that by changing my dosing it's going to mess up my cycle and i reeeeeeally dont want to do that so i'm nervous about it.
but does anyone here have a lot of knowledge on these supplements that might be able to give advice?
I bought Vitex and decided to slowly incorporate it into my diet. I only took 2 pills spaced 2 days apart and i noticed a huge increase in acne. That was around St. Patrick's Day and my skin is still recovering. I would recommend getting your hormone levels tested before trying and supplements that affect your hormones. I'm getting mine tested by my gynecologist tomorrow, hopefully I can get a referral to a an endocrinologist to get to the root of the problem because I refuse to go back on BC or antibiotics.