Naturopathic Beauty's Clear Skin Sessions
Clear skin and aging beautifully conversations, trainings and challenges by Dr. Stacey Shillington ND.
Naturopathic Beauty's Clear Skin Sessions
Week 5: The 8-Week Clear Skin Challenge
Hormonal acne often appears as a frustrating barrier in the lives of many women, with flares synchronizing with their menstrual cycles. This episode highlights the intricate relationship between hormones and the skin, revealing how various hormonal imbalances lead to breakouts. Dr. Stacey Shillington walks us through her insightful methodology on healing acne through understanding hormonal influences, particularly focusing on estrogen, progesterone, and androgens.
Listeners will gain valuable insights into recognizing the signs of hormonal acne, understanding how stress and lifestyle factors play a pivotal role, and discovering gentle, natural remedies to alleviate symptoms. Dr. Shillington emphasizes the significance of a holistic approach that goes beyond simplistic skincare solutions, urging listeners to consider deeper investigations into their health and hormone levels.
To elevate your skincare journey and cultivate long-lasting results, Dr. Shillington invites you to explore practical practices and treatments that nurture your body from the inside out. Finally, sharing personal stories about your skincare struggles and insights can help foster a supportive community. Join us in this quest for clear skin and take action by leaving a review to access additional resources!
Check out my new FREE Training: Clear Skin Mastery, where I share the different types of acne and how to treat each one. Click here to watch it now.
To get immediate access to the first module of my Clear Skin Group Program, leave a podcast review! Take a screen shot of your review and email it to customersupport@naturopathicbeauty.com and you will be sent your login information!
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Welcome to Naturopathic Beauty's Clear Skin Sessions, where we heal your acne from the inside out. Hello, beauties, and welcome to the Clear Skin Sessions. I'm Dr Stacey Shillington. I'm a naturopathic doctor. For the last 20 years I've been helping women heal their acne from the inside out. This podcast is for you on your clear skin journey.
Speaker 1:I know so many women wake up to new breakouts every single morning and they are wondering why this is happening to them. This is the purpose of this podcast to teach you why you're experiencing acne and what you can do about it. And let me be very clear you can heal your acne. Acne is not something that requires medications. It's not going to be solved by using different skincare. The only way to heal acne, especially chronic acne, is by healing your body from the inside out, and this is what I want to teach you how to do so.
Speaker 1:This podcast is also week five of my eight week clear skin challenge, so I don't know if you've had a chance to listen to the previous episodes, but if you haven't, please go back and give them a listen, because the challenge is organized in a very specific way. Each week is building upon the next, and the purpose is to teach you why you're experiencing acne, a different reason in every single episode and something that you can do to help minimize the effects of that root cause. So by now, here we are. We're at week five and we're going to talk about hormones, and I know women have so many questions about hormonal acne because it's something that almost all of my patients experience. Hormonal acne is very, very common and I want to teach you why you're experiencing hormone acne, what hormones are involved because it's not just estrogen and progesterone and what you can do to actually clear it.
Speaker 1:And I do want to emphasize that there are no magic pills to cure chronic acne. Chronic acne is actually a complex medical condition. There's several different organ systems involved, so we need to heal the body from within very deeply. We need to understand what's going on in your body and heal it from that place. There's not one supplement that's going to take away your acne. There's not one medication that's going to take your acne. Believe me, most of my patients have been on multiple medications. Once they stop the medication, their acne comes back, and I know as well myself and many of my patients. We've spent hundreds and hundreds and thousands of dollars on skin care and treatment that treats acne superficially and that could suppress the acne for a period of time, but it's not going to solve the inner imbalance that's triggering acne. So we need to be patient, we need to understand that healing acne is a journey and that you know superficial treatments are not going to be working.
Speaker 1:So how do you know if you have hormonal acne? Well, the most obvious thing is that your acne tends to flare up around your cycle. So for me, when I had acne, it would flare up a few days before the onset of my cycle. For many women, this is exactly how their hormonal acne presents itself. Other women they might flare up just after the bleeding stops, or they may also get breakouts around ovulation or they may also get breakouts around ovulation. So hormonal acne also tends to be cystic Not always, but usually. Cystic acne is their hard, deep, painful cyst and they take a really long time to go away. Sometimes they just keep popping up in the same spot over and over again, and when this happens we have to take a look at the lymphatic system as well, and hormonal acne is usually concentrated along the jawline. That's where most of it is. Sometimes it can be around the mouth and the chin as well, but it's usually the jawline area. So if your acne doesn't follow these patterns, it's likely that the root cause is more likely the gut or unmanaged stress.
Speaker 1:However, I do want to emphasize that all chronic acne is caused by androgenic hormones. Always and there's different things that can stimulate the production of the androgenic hormones it's not just an imbalance in estrogen or progesterone that's what we often see when there's cyclical hormonal acne but there's other hormones that are at play as well. So some of the hormones that we're going to talk about today include estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, androgens and especially DHT, which is the most active form of androgen in the skin insulin and cortisol. So let's talk about estrogen and progesterone to begin with. So estrogen and progesterone these levels are going to fluctuate at different points in the cycle, and the most important part of the cycle is ovulation. When you ovulate optimally, the follicle that ovulates, it turns into something called a corpus luteum, and the corpus luteum produces progesterone. Now, often what I see in my patients is they're not ovulating optimally, the corpus luteum is not producing enough progesterone, and so they have a progesterone deficient cycle. That's often why they get a lot of PMS symptoms. That's often why they get acne just before their period.
Speaker 1:However, there's other patterns that I see as well. I also see estrogen dominance, and estrogen dominance can be due to deficient detoxification pathways. It can also be due to being exposed to exogenous estrogens in the environment. But then I also see low estrogen levels, and when there's low estrogen levels, it means that androgens are working unopposed, because estrogen balances the activity of androgens, which are the hormones that actually cause acne. When we put low estrogen, the testosterone just does what it wants, including stimulating acne. So there's many different patterns that we can see with estrogen and progesterone that can lead to acne. So testing is so important. We need to understand the levels of your hormones so that we can, you know, adjust correctly.
Speaker 1:So the other hormone that I often see dysregulated with women that are experiencing acne is prolactin. So elevated prolactin is caused by stress, the birth control pill, pcos, low thyroid and also tumors. And when we have high prolactin, it suppresses the hormones that are responsible for a normally functioning menstrual cycle and we don't see optimal ovulation. So you know how I was just talking about ovulation being the key to making sure that we're producing all the hormones we require. Ovulation is not happening when prolactin levels are high. In addition, elevated prolactin increases the activity of an enzyme called 5-alphreductase and this enzyme is responsible for producing the active androgen, dht and increased androgens. They're often produced in the ovary. So when we have elevated prolactin, there's a series of events that are occurring that are it's like a perfect storm. We're creating a perfect storm that leads to acne.
Speaker 1:So we have to understand we may see elevated prolactin, but we don't just stop there. We have to ask why is prolactin elevated? And then we have to address the root cause. And then there's androgens. So androgens are they're called male hormones and they include testosterone, dheas and androstenedione. But these hormones are also produced in the female body, and when there's an excess of androgenic hormones, that's often when we're going to experience acne. And these androgens testosterone, dheas and androstenedione they convert to DHT.
Speaker 1:Dht is the most potent androgen. It resides in the skin and it causes acne by increasing the amount of oil that is produced and also preventing normal exfoliation of the skin. Now, often we test DHT, often it's elevated and that's definitely going to give us some clues about what's happening with an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase. But often DHT levels can be high in the skin and we're not actually able to detect it in the blood. So we need to understand what's going on with the androgens. The very best way to do this is via blood testing. Androgens do not show up well when you do Dutch testing or anything like that. So we need to understand what's going on with testosterone, because that's going to be produced in the ovaries. Dheas, because that's going to be produced in the ovaries. Dheas, because that's going to be produced in the adrenal glands. Dht, because that's going to be the result of an overactive enzyme.
Speaker 1:And if all of these androgens are normal, yet there's still acne, then we have to assume that there's elevated DHT in the skin cells, and of course, we cannot test for that. But, as we know, dht is a precursor to a lot of acne. So then we have to ask the question what causes high androgens? And there are so many different variables. So if you're seeing somebody and they're like, oh, you have high androgens, so let's just give you this supplement or that supplement, usually it's salpalmetto, but that's not actually addressing the root cause of the high androgens. We're just giving another band-aid treatment.
Speaker 1:So we have to dig deeper, because there's something going on in your body and your body is producing acne as a way to communicate with you. It's saying to you there's something going on, we need your help, let's figure this out. And, of course, acne is right in the middle of your face, so you cannot ignore this sign that your body's sending you. So some of the things that can cause high androgens, high insulin and IGF-1. I see this a lot with my acne patients Impaired detoxification, inflammation in the gut, dysregulated cortisol, pcos, high estrogen levels, low estrogen levels, low progesterone levels and high prolactin levels. So there's a lot of investigation that needs to be done to understand why hormones are imbalanced and why you're experiencing hormonal acne.
Speaker 1:And we always need to do testing. There's just no way around it. Usually, blood work is a great way to test hormones. I use blood work all the time. Usually I do it from a cost perspective and also because I'm always looking at androgens and androgens don't show up well on the Dutch test. So I want to look at the androgens via blood work. I do love the Dutch test as well. Many of my patients just they come see me and they're like, yep, I want to do the Dutch. Other patients are like well, I want to save money, so give me the test that I need the most. Usually the Dutch isn't the first test that I want to do and if you know my work, if you've listened to some of my podcasts, you know the test that I really do love. If they don't want to do the Dutch, then we'll do blood work and, based on what we find out, we can put together a prescription that really makes sense and addresses the root cause for that particular person.
Speaker 1:And I just want to emphasize that I'm not going to suggest a specific supplement for you to take during this podcast, because it's so different for everybody and if you take the wrong supplement it can actually make your acne worse. So that's why you have to be so very cautious about taking certain supplements. I know that there's a huge run on DIM diindoly methane because it lowers estrogen levels, but you can't just take these herbs without doing some investigation. If you already have low estrogen and you take DIM, it's going to drive your estrogen levels even lower and this is going to wreak havoc with your skin and your hormones and your whole system. So you really have to be very wary of the supplements that you're taking when you have acne. And when you're treating acne you want to work with a professional, because these herbs can be very strong, they do have an impact on your body and you do not want to mess around with your hormones. You want to heal them, you don't want to make them worse.
Speaker 1:So I was talking earlier about the Dutch steroid hormone test. This is the gold standard test for hormone analysis other than androgens Not going to work for that. So this test is done through a naturopathic doctor or functional medicine practitioner and it's going to give us an idea of what your hormones are doing. It also gives us a lot of insight into your detoxification pathways and I really love to see this information because most acne patients not great detoxifiers, but that's for another conversation. So the most important part of the equation in discovering why your hormones are unbalanced in the first place is understanding why we need to understand why hormones are imbalanced because, as I explained earlier, there's so many reasons for elevated androgens. Usually it's cortisol dysregulation, insulin dysregulation, drainage and detox dysregulation and gut imbalances. And that's where the real magic happens is when we balance those root causes of acne, then the hormones are going to fall into place effortlessly.
Speaker 1:And I do want to tell you, you know, in the past I mean I've been doing this for 20 years and there was a point where the Dutch test you know it was pretty new and everybody was doing the Dutch test all the time. I mean, we were so excited, so excited about this test and I was excited about it too. I ran so many Dutch tests on all my patients. I would see the results and I would try to teach them treat them based on what I was seeing with their hormones. And the results were very, very mediocre. And the reason was is because I was not addressing the root cause. I was seeing low progesterone, so I was like, oh my gosh, let's give Vitex or you know, low estrogens. And I would be like, oh, maybe some black cohosh. I was, you know, really trying to teach treat based on what I was seeing in the test. And it did not work.
Speaker 1:So don't rely on Dutch hormone testing and hormone testing to solve your acne. It's not where you're, it's not where the magic's going to happen. The magic is going to happen when we address cortisol, when we address insulin, when we address drainage and detox and when we heal the gut. And you know, if that's not working, then we have to do even deeper, a deeper dive, and see. Maybe there's mold going on. Maybe there's environmental toxins that really need to be pulled, maybe there's heavy metals. You know we need to really understand what's going on.
Speaker 1:So some of the testing okay, so I'm going to talk about the testing that I do. So I always do blood work. Blood work is just key. It's going to give us so much insight into what's going on in your body. And then I love doing some gut testing.
Speaker 1:Gi mapping is my favorite. It lets me know what's going on in your gut and, as you may or may not know, there is a very strong connection between the gut and the skin. It's called the microbiome. Then organic acid testing this tells me what's going on in your body systemically, at a cellular level. So I can understand if there's, I can see if there's mold going on, I can see if there's systemic yeast, I can see what your neurotransmitters are doing, how you're metabolizing amino acids and fats and carbohydrates, if there's nutrient deficiencies, if there's a toxic exposure. So there's so many things that I can see from organic acid testing. And you know, when I put my favorite tests together, we get a really complete picture of what's going on in your body and we can figure out why your hormones are imbalanced.
Speaker 1:And the other thing I want to you know, impress upon you, is that, when it comes to healing hormones, it takes 100 days for a new ovarian follicle to mature and, like I said, ovulation is the key event that is going to balance estrogen and progesterone. So if you're having menstrual difficulties, if there's some type of imbalance with your cycle, you have to wait at least 100 days in an environment of low inflammation to see results. So it takes time to balance hormones. Again, it's not something that is going to happen overnight, all right, so I do want to give you some things to do now, because I know this is an eight week challenge and week five is all about balancing hormones and you have an idea of what you really need to do to balance hormones. Like it's a. It's a big job and it takes time, but there are certain things that you can incorporate into your lifestyle right now which are very gentle, not going to be harmful, and it's going to really potentially help calm down your hormonal acne.
Speaker 1:So one of the things that I really like is spearmint tea. So what spearmint tea does is it reduces testosterone production in the ovarian thecus cells. So you know if you have blood work done and your free testosterone levels are high, spearmint tea is definitely the herb for you. So have a cup of spearmint tea a couple times a day, you know, and within a few months you should start to see a reduction in acne. Another tea that I really like is nettle tea. So nettle tea works a little bit differently than spearmint tea. This is a good tea to drink if your blood work shows that you have high DHT. So this reduces the activity of an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase, so it's going to reduce the overproduction of DHT. Now I believe that most people that have acne do have higher levels of DHT, even in their skin cells, even if it's not showing up in blood work. So nuttled tea is one of those herbs that's really good for almost any kind of acne.
Speaker 1:And then holy basil tea. When there's high DHEAS levels, holy basil tea is great because it reduces stress and it really normalizes and it balances the HPA axis, and the HPA axis is where all the stress hormones are produced and where our bodies really respond to stress. So when we have unmanaged stress and I will say most acne patients do have unmanaged stress the adrenal glands, they start to produce elevated levels of DHEAS and some people say that these elevated levels of DHEAS are actually produced to counter the high cortisol levels, to protect the brain from high cortisol levels. This absolutely could be so. There's not a lot of research on it yet, but holy basil tea will help to counter those high DHEAS levels and that DHEAS will convert to DHT via that enzyme, 5-alpha reductase. So holy basil tea is good.
Speaker 1:So those are three different teas that you can incorporate into your routine. They're gentle, they're not too strong, but if you have blood work to identify which one would work best for you, that's obviously optimal. But most importantly, you want to focus on healing, digestion, managing stress, supporting detox and balancing your insulin levels. So hopefully this has been an impactful and insightful podcast for you. Hopefully it's helped you understand a little bit more about why you're experiencing hormonal acne and how we really need to do a deep dive to heal the root causes of hormonal imbalance, not just balance estrogen and progesterone, because that's a short-term fix and you're just going to be left trying to balance those hormones almost desperately in order to get rid of your acne and instead of really healing the root cause. Your body naturally balances those hormones effortlessly. There's a huge difference between the two different ways of healing.
Speaker 1:So if you want to know more about how I clear acne, I really invite you and urge you to watch my free training Clear Skin Mastery. The link is in the show notes. I'm going to go through my acne healing methodology with you in more detail. So those root causes that I talked about, I'm going to tell you how they create inflammation in the body, what that inflammation does to the body and, most importantly, how I address it. And if you found this podcast helpful, I would so appreciate if you could leave a review.
Speaker 1:When you leave a review, this is how I'm able to reach more people. This is how I'm able to teach people how to clear their skin, because so many women are suffering out there. So many people are struggling with acne. They're spending all their money on skincare and taking medications that are dangerous, and I want them to know that that is not the way to go. The way to go is healing your acne from within.
Speaker 1:If you do leave a review, you will get access to module one free access of my Clear Skin Group program. So if you want to get in, go into the show notes and there's directions there on how to leave a review. I really appreciate it and thank you so much. Enjoy week five of the Clear Skin Challenge. Enjoy those teas and if you have some bloodwork lying around, take a look at the bloodwork so you can see which tea is going to be best for you. So that's it for now. Have a wonderful week. I'll be back next week with week six of the eight-week Clear Skin Challenge. I'll be back next week with week six of the eight week clear skin challenge.