Breakouts are every girl's worst nightmare, and they always seem to come at the worst times. Here are some ways you can limit the amount of breakouts and get back to that clear and beautiful skin you've been dreaming about.
1. Avoid hormone-rich foods
When you ovulate, your hormone production revs up and increases sebum production, which leads to breakouts. Avoiding hormone rich foods such as soy and dairy can help to lower your chances of breaking out.
2. Sleep well
Often when we are PMSing, we can get stressed out and a bit anxious. Take a yoga class or do some light exercise to release stress. It’s also important to sleep well. With hormones fluctuating already, a good night’s rest will let your skin rejuvenate and lower oil production.
3. Avoid alcohol
Alcohol is bad for acne anytime, mainly because of the sugars and dehydrating effects of booze. If you are prone to breaking out before your time of the month, skip that extra glass of wine or rum and coke, your skin will thank you!
4. Take birth control
If you get bad breakouts right before your period, your body might be producing excessive amounts of progesterone and estrogen. A birth control pill will lower production of these hormones, and in addition to safe-planning, the pill might help stave oil production and breakouts.
5. Resist the chocolate
While chocolate might be your favourite cure for pre-period pains, it’s definitely not the cure for clear skin. Sugars in chocolate will spike oil production and when you are moody, sometimes portion control can fly out the window. If you must indulge, opt for organic dark chocolate with a lower sugar content.
6. Vitamin A
If you’re weary on going on Accutane (or your breakouts don’t warrant it), popping supplements of Vitamin A might help lower the recurrence of blemishes. Accutane is derived from the Vitamin (albeit in extremely high doses), but taking a lower dose might stave off that PMS breakout.
7. Acupuncture
If you suffer from pains from PMS, in addition to breakouts, acupuncture might kill two birds with one stone. Acupuncture can help relieve inflammation and help your liver function properly, which will regulate your hormone and oil production.
