Hormones, Acne and Seed Cycling

Do hormones cause breakouts?

can I balance my Hormones and clear my skin?

What is Seed Cycling?

These are some questions you may be asking. I am hopeful that you will find this blog (and my future seed cycling education) helpful in finding answers.

Hormones and the Skin

After learning more about hormones in my study of PCOS, I’m even more interested in learning about hormones and their effect on the individual (especially their skin!).

You may know that hormones are your body’s “Chemical Messengers”, with the job of telling the body what to do. Some of the better-known hormones are reproductive hormones. You know about estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone, to name a few. These hormones are created naturally in the body and can be found in males and females but in differing amounts. Those three chemical messengers primarily have an effect on the reproductive organs, but they also play a role in other systems, especially the integumentary (skin) system:

In addition to regulating the menstrual cycle, estrogen affects the reproductive tract, the urinary tract, the heart and blood vessels, bones, breasts, skin, hair, mucous membranes, pelvic muscles, and the brain. [Hopkins]

Estrogen and progesterone are primarily female hormones produced mostly in the ovaries, and testosterone is primarily a male hormone and is produced in the testes. Estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone are not needed in the same concentrations, but they are all important and affect each other; Progesterone is necessary for estrogen to work and for the production of enough testosterone. [MedNews].

Besides helping in the process of the formation of new life, the reproductive hormones can also affect skin in these ways:

Estrogen helps to stimulate collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid production that helps the skin to stay plump and firm.

Progesterone stimulates the production of sebum or the oil glands in the skin. It can cause the skin to swell, and compress the look of pores.

Testosterone, which typically presents during menstruation, works similarly to progesterone by activating the sebaceous glands to produce oil. [AxiaWH]

You may be wondering what happens when the levels of each of these hormones go “out of whack.” We know that our bodies want to be in balance- all the hormones in the right concentrations at the right time and in the right anatomical location. When they’re not, normal bodily functions can be disturbed. For example,

• too much progesterone or testosterone can trigger the sebaceous glands to produce more oil. The oil build-up contributes to acne formation. This is common, especially in teen boys while they’re in puberty, when their bodies are still learning to regulate testosterone!

• During a phase of a woman’s menstrual cycle, estrogen and progesterone levels change causing more oil, and thus the often expected period breakout.

• Other skin conditions affecting women that are caused by changes in the reproductive hormones are hyperpigmentation disorders, called melasma, or cholasma in expectant mothers. This is when there is a patch or “mask” of darker skin, especially on the cheeks or around the mouth.

• In menopausal women, estrogen levels are lower- leading to potential dryness and sagging skin.

With that in mind, lots of people are looking for ways to achieve hormonal balance to avoid or slow conditions caused by hormonal imbalances. One method is through the strategic consumption of the right foods.

Seed Cycling

This is when Seed Cycling swoops in to help!

Seed Cycling is a technique that helps your body naturally re-balance it’s hormone levels by including different seeds during the two different phases of your menstrual cycle. [MBK]

This approach can help achieve equilibrium with reproductive hormones. Seed Cycling is a method of supplementing with the right seeds at the proper times to reap the benefits of these seeds, and certain seeds can assist in bringing hormone levels back to normal.

The seeds used in seed cycling contain omega 3’s, omega 6’s, which aid the natural production of hormones in the body. These seeds also do a good job of helping the body process and excrete excess hormones because they contain lignans - they’re like packaging plants for hormones, getting the extras ready to be shipped out of the body.

Additionally, seeds are packed with fiber which helps the body eliminate waste. There are many other benefits to including a healthy amount of seeds into your diet. If you are looking for a natural solution for unbalanced hormones, I would love to help!

My Clear Skin Boot Camp is a a non-medical approach to clearing acne through healing both outside and inside the body. It works with skincare and lifestyle changes. My boot camp clients are now being offered the opportunity to try a seed cycling program, alongside their boot camp, for additional hormone balancing help. Clients will receive an Ebook full of more information and instructions about how to properly give seed cycling a try.

Seed cycling is a tool I am hoping will help many current clients and new ones, too… including you! If you have chronic acne, schedule your boot camp appointment. Learn more on my Acne Page, or Request an appointment to schedule your Clear Skin Boot Camp Consultation. I’m looking forward to getting you started on your Clear Skin Journey!

Thanks so much to the sources of information cited/linked in this Blog.