Acne Post Birth Control and How To Clear Your Skin_108
Show Notes:
Items Dani Mentions:
Megaspore Probiotic - Referral Code “DANI”
Microbiome Labs Total Gut Repair - Referral code “DANI”
Mother Earth Labs GI Pro-Max
Full Circle Prenatal
The Gift Humic and Fulvics
Balance by Dr. Jolene Brighten
Gluco-Optimizer - Patient Direct Code BIqh01t8
Body Love by Kelly Leveque
Connect with Dani!
IG: @TheAcneWellnessCenter
Facebook Group: Detoxing with Dani
The information provided by the Detoxing with Dani Podcast, Dani Ferguson CN, or any of its guests is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Please consult your physician first before implementing any of the information provided.
Acne Post Birth Control
The birth control pill is often seen as a cure all for acne. I can even remember in high school it almost being like the cool thing to do was get on the birth control pill. Why? I have no idea but everyone was doing it and frankly it was pretty easy to get...But it didn't really fix anything, instead it just masked a problem that under the surface was just getting worse and worse and worse until one day you decide it's time to get off either because you want to expand your family or you realize you feel like complete shit when you're on it. So you stop. Cold turkey. Whatever. And then the acne rears its ugly head and that voice in the back of your head tells you "oh F this is not what I signed up for" I'll just get back on it and deal with this later. Which might help but for others doesn't do a damn thing. So now what? More medication? Accutane? Antibiotics? WTF doc? I think this is a cycle that us as females are all too familiar with. But I am hear to easy your frustrations and hopefully help you get started on the path that leaves good old birth control in the dust and leaves you with a glowing clear complexion skipping on down your merry way.
So let's start off by first understanding what it is the birth control pill is actually doing inside of our bodies. Well it's basically sending so much synthetic (that means fake) hormones into your body that it tells your brain to tell your ovaries to stop producing that natural hormones they typically produce on a day to day basis. So they shut down all the systems and go dormant. That is what the pill does inside of your body to your hormones, it shuts down the natural production of your hormones. Then when we decide its time to get off the pill, we suddenly expect all those hormone producing engines to just turn on at full speed right away. And unfortunate for us and our skin that is not the case.
You see our hormones get along in this very delicate, whimsical dance and when that dance is interrupted it can take awhile to get back in the groove. At times tripping over one another, fighting each other to lead the dance, and sometimes getting wayyyyy off beat. All of this combined creates a perfect storm for acne. Especially when it comes to your androgen hormone production. Androgens like testosterone can try to bounce back a little too quickly and with a little too much force that they cause over production of androgens which will leave your skin feeling oily and thus causing too much oil production in the pore thus leading to more acne... FUN right?
So what do we need to do to help these hormones get back in sync and start dancing again? A few things needs to happen:
Support the gut, I know you hear me say this all the time but it is seriously the #1 place you need to start when it comes to acne. Birth control completely disrupts the microbiome of your gut and even allows for yeast and bad bacteria to grow because those guys actually like to feed on synthetic hormones and toxins that are all present in the pill.
Replenish nutrient stores - the pill is really good at depleting our bodies of nutrients. Not only does it shut down our hormone production but is also steals nutrients from our bodies that slowly over time leave us feeling slow and low in all aspects of life, simply because our body doesn't have the proper nutrients it needs to keep going. Its a slow painful process that kind of like death by a thousand paper cuts.
Detox the Liver - Our bodies are bombarded by so many toxins these days its unreal. Sure when birth control was first introduced into the market our livers might have been able to withstand the added toxin load, however nowadays its out of control. The amount of environmental toxins we are exposed to on a daily basis is pretty much out of our control aside from the water your drink, what you drink it in, the products you put on your body and the food you eat. But you wouldn't believe that amount of toxins that are left in the air and environment all of which our liver has to detox. Take all of that and add on the pill it can be a recipe for disaster. Especially if you have any sort of genetic mutation (SNP) that also hinders your detox pathways, think MTHFR, COMT, etc.
Balance Blood Sugar - Insulin is just another hormone in the delicate dance of hormones that also needs to be in sync. And for most of us this guy is bouncing all over the dang place day after day sometimes even hour after hour. We want him to be this nice smooth bell shape curve instead of peaks and valleys that look like you're going into heart palpitations.
Open those detox pathways - Your liver may be doing all the heavy lifting but its the lymphatic system, kidneys and bowels that flush those toxins out of your body and down the drain. And we want to make sure those are open and clear, just like your pipes at home. No one likes a clogged toilet... Keeping your detox pathways open will also make it a whole heck of a lot easier on you, your mindset and your body when detoxing. Because that is essentially what we are doing is detoxing these synthetic hormones out of the body. And when they can't get out the way they're suppose to they will typically get pushed out through your body's larges organ, the skin.
Now that I've explained what we need to do, let's talk about HOW we are going to do this:
Support the gut - Using a Megaspore, spore based probiotic is going to be your best option when it comes to healing and restoring your gut microbiome.
Seal the gut - Often times with birth control comes some gut permeability or leaky gut which can lead to inflammation, food intolerances, and even more severe conditions like autoimmune. Incorporating a good gut sealing blend of herbs and nutrients can help support the body in sealing the gut wall.
Replenish Nutrient Stores - My favorite way of doing this is through a good Prenatal vitamin. Even if you aren't TTC. My favorite is the Full Circle Prenatal.
An added bonus for restoring nutrients to the body is through humic and fulvics which help with nutrient absorption, promote a healthy gut bacterial balance, support cellular detoxification and are powerful antioxidant supporters. The Gift: https://www.motherearthlabs.com/product/humic-fulvic-sc/ref/detoxingwithdani/
Detox the Liver - Specifically hormone detox through the liver is what we are after, herbs like chaste tree, black cohosh, green tea extract, DIM and others are all supportive and helping the liver detox hormones. Balance by Dr. Jolene Brighten is my fav for supporting liver detox.
Blood Sugar Balance: Having optimal estrogen and testosterone rely heavily on having a healthy blood sugar balance. To do this you want to make sure your meals are well balanced with protein, fat and healthy carb and you are not snacking throughout the day. This will only make things worse. For some they need a little bit of extra support when it comes to balancing blood sugar which Gluco-Optimizer can help with.
Open Detox Pathways - This can be done a few different ways. The key is supporting and aiding your body in ridding it of toxins:
Dry Brushing
Rebounding
Hot/Cold Showers
Saunas
Epsom Salt Baths
Lots of water to flush the kidneys
If you are thinking of getting off the pill or have tried and jumped right back on because WHOA wasn't ready for that, try adding in these 5 steps to help aid your body in the process. And even if you aren't ready to get off the pill just yet, doing some of these will still be immensely beneficial for you!