Help Out Your Hormonal Acne

If you just can’t shake those monthly breakouts, these tips will still drastically improve your skin 

Knowledge is power. Use an app to track your cycle and look for patterns when it comes to hormone-related skin effects. Estrogen levels are the highest during the second week of a woman's cycle and progesterone is low, so those will typically be the clearest days. If you are breaking out then it is likely not a hormonal culprit but a diet or lifestyle-related issue. If you are on birth control, understand what effect that has on your skin. Learn more about birth control here. 

Time your facial treatments. There is no such thing as TMI when it comes to us, your esthie bestie! Acne often flares the week before your period, so if you tend to only break out then, sync up your facial treatment with your period tracking calendar. Or, consider coming every three weeks to help speed up your skin cycle and clear breakouts faster. 

Mask at home. Doing two masks a week can drastically improve your skin! Our favorites are an enzyme mask for exfoliation and a sulfur clay mask for acne. Do them on the same day twice a week or split it up and mask every other day! 

Ice. As progesterone levels increase days 15-28 in your cycle your skin pores make more oil and clog up the pores which can create inflammation. Icing will help bring down that inflammation and is free, so you won’t see it trending too much on Tiktok. Ice soothes the skin to better fight current breakouts and even keep future ones from coming. And if you do want a trendy tool, skip the ineffective ice rollers and opt for CryoSculpt instead which is anti-aging too! 

Bust out the benzoyl peroxide. Benzoyl peroxide is the most effective acne ingredient. If you have drier skin, the best way to use it is via Vivant’s BP Wash which is a 3% benzoyl peroxide cleanser that can sit on the skin for minutes or just seconds as you’re starting. You can cleanse with this daily or only use it on weeks when you flare up. If you have oilier, more resistant skin go for the gold – Vivant’s BP 10% Gel Medicine used all over the affected area daily, it’s not just a spot treatment!