Hello,
I have hormonal acne and PCOS.
I wish to come off birth control and spironolactone but I just know my acne will come back really bad!
I've decided to change my diet. Its not been confirmed but from what I can work out, my testosterone levels are too high.
Every single web page I visit talks about how to rise testosterone levels or I will find a page that I think helps and later see that they've mentioned the same foods that you would been to higher testosterone!
I'm so confused.
So far I've cut out dairy and junk food.
Has anyone been successful at changing their diet to keep acne at bay? What did you change? What supplements did you use?
Thank you for any help!
Hello,
I have hormonal acne and PCOS.
I wish to come off birth control and spironolactone but I just know my acne will come back really bad!
I've decided to change my diet. Its not been confirmed but from what I can work out, my testosterone levels are too high.
Every single web page I visit talks about how to rise testosterone levels or I will find a page that I think helps and later see that they've mentioned the same foods that you would been to higher testosterone!
I'm so confused.
So far I've cut out dairy and junk food.
Has anyone been successful at changing their diet to keep acne at bay? What did you change? What supplements did you use?
Thank you for any help!
Yes keeping sugar intake low is a big help for me. Not just the obvious food like chocolate and soft drink. There is alot of sugar in seemingly healthy food as well - fruit juice, honey, coconut water, muesli bars, dried fruits like dates, some yogurts. I find eating a diet of mostly salads, vege, eggs, meats is the best for my skin. Don't eat huge amounts of grains especially bread or too much fruit. And try to limit sugar as much as you can. This will help balance blood sugar and therefore also keep androgens lower.
Diet hasn't 'cured' my acne but it makes a big difference. I currently take the supplements - fish oil, vit d, multi vit, vit a. I am also experimenting at the moment with estroblock and vitex to balance hormones. I'm not sure if these would help pcos/high testosterone - they're more for balancing estrogen to progesterone ratio. Vitex is often recommended for people coming off the pill though. It is too early for me to say whether its helping or not. I definitely believe there are lots of natural ways that we can improve our skin. Everyone's different though so you might have to experiment a bit.
I believe I have PCOS as well. I feel that my testosterone is elevated although I haven't had a panel done yet. I know I had an ovarian cyst before because my gyno discovered it with an ultrasound. I was put on a week's worth of estrogen to shrink the cyst. BEST WEEK OF MY LIFE! Lol. I wasn't on spiro at the time, that I recall. Years later I think I got another cyst due to pain and pressure that was very reminiscent of what I experienced before, but apparently it took care of itself.
I've been on spiro for years except for last month I was off of it for about a month because my prescription ran out and wasn't able to get back to the doc for a new script. I broke out HORRIBLY!!!!!!! Needless to say, I won't get off of it again. I'm on the pill, but I'm not sure I really see a difference one way or another. I'm actually on it due to incredibly erratic periods. If you don't mind me asking, what BCP are you taking and what's the dosage of your spiro? And why are you deciding to get off both? I'm on Tri-Sprintec and take between 100-200 mg of spiro a day (2 pills).
I should be getting insurance again soon and plan to get a full blood panel done...hormone levels as well as blood sugar, since there's apparently a connection between elevated blood sugar and PCOS.
Like you, dairy and sugar are triggers for me. Initially it was just milk, ice cream, and yogurt that gave me trouble. Now it's progressed to all cheeses (used to be able to eat Parmesan or the melted white cheese at Mexican restaurants without any trouble), ranch dressing (even powder!), cheese powder, butter (used to be able to eat that)...I mean, ANY and ALL dairy. Even Cheese Nips. So I've cut absolutely EVERYTHING dairy out of my diet. I'm thinking I see a problem with sugar, too...I'd drink iced coffee with almond milk and started noticing breakouts, so I've cut back on that, too.
It's difficult to accurately assess macronutritional/micronutritional variables and their impact on hormonal related acne if one does not accurately keep track. Now you don't have to begin recording everything you eat for the rest of your life. However when creating a new diet protocol its best to miticulously cover your daily eating routine for a bit (4-6 weeks to be safe) and recognize the physiological changes that occur gradually over time.
I honestly wouldn't see the logic behind intentionally introducing supplements to increase your total testosterone count. The thing about the endocrine system is that it possesses a negative feedback loop mechanism so any severe alteration to the HPTA (for females HPOA) will be swiftly corrected. Not to mention testosterone is a 100:100 ratio on androgenic/anabolic affinity and the androgenic nature can/will increase sebum production. This would also have the chance to increase the cellular acitivity of keratinocytes.
Testosterone isn't the only aggressor. A portion of circulating testosterone that is currently not bound to any AR receptor has the possibility of being converted into Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) via the 5au-reductase enzyme. DHT is far less anabolic, but possesses a much higher androgenic affinity. Also, is notorious for binding to hair follicles and if you have the genetic predisposition for the androgenity at that level....then you may increase the rate of hair loss...
(word of advice..spironolactone is an antagonist to the androgen receptor (AR) and antagonizes the production of adrenal androgens. Its very faint in its affinity though.. Trying to increase testosterone would be virtually worthless because of its activity on the androgens. This also affects estrogen (for females, E1,E2,E3..males only worry about E2) because estrogen is a byproduct of the aromatase enzyme's conversion of androgen to estrogens)
Just a little lesson on the complexity of hormones...
Remember that you are a female so you have a very very complicated endocrine system.
Supplements.....(supplementation to a good diet, not a replacment*)
Zinc gluconate/picolinate which ever vitamer you desire.. Zinc is a partial antagonist to 5au-reductase enzyme. Also is a partial antagonist to the activity of keratinocytes (Cornification is the cellular process that creates the structure to our epidermis, over production of keratin can cause clogged pores due to the protein's activity in relation to lipid bonds. That is why we exfoliate to help break down this protein binding)
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) Exhibits regulatory mechanics in reference to barrier function and keratin differentiation. Is a major component of lipid metabolism (free fatty acid oxidation) Keratin is a protein that makes up the out
Copper-If you supplement your diet with a form of zinc then it his highly advised you supplement with copper as well. It is possible to trigger copper deficiency via zinc supplementation (zinc and copper are regulated by the same protein, metallothionein) Copper also possesses antioxidant properties. It is a key element in the production and regulation of collagen, elastin, glycosaminoglycans...etc etc
In a nutshell without further complicating the science behind it...it allows the skin to be as regenerative.
I don't necessarily advice further supplementation of minerals due to the very feeble nature in regards to the balance. With that being said you should always emphasis sufficient amounts of iron, magnesium, manganese..etc from dietary sources when you begin any form of mineral supplementation.