~1 THING~ that healed & reset my hormonal acne, NATURALLY | Acne Series

Summary

In this video, Phil shares her personal experience dealing with hormonal acne caused by a disrupted menstrual cycle. After missing her period for over two months, she developed cystic acne and explains how dietary changes and lifestyle shifts worsened her condition. By returning to a healthier routine, reducing sugar, processed foods, and caffeine, her period returned, and her acne cleared. She emphasizes the role of insulin resistance in hormonal acne and offers tips on balancing diet and lifestyle to manage acne naturally. Phil encourages viewers to be mindful of their body's signals and adjust their habits accordingly.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker, Phil, shares her personal struggle with hormonal cystic acne, which worsened after missing her period for two and a half months.
• 😅 She emphasizes that while she's not a medical professional, she has gained knowledge through research and listening to medical practitioners.
• 🤕 Her acne flared up, particularly on her chin, jaw, chest, and back, during the months her period was absent, causing her to feel frustrated and helpless.
• 🥗 Phil attributes her flare-up to a poor diet during her sister's visit, where she indulged in fried foods, desserts, and excess caffeine.
• 📉 She explains the concept of insulin resistance, where the body struggles to regulate blood sugar and produces excess insulin, which can trigger hormonal imbalances and acne.
• 🤯 Insulin resistance leads to an overproduction of androgens (male hormones), which increase oil production in the skin, causing breakouts and cystic acne.
• 🥦 Phil managed to rebalance her hormones and clear her skin by returning to a healthy diet, reducing caffeine, and incorporating fiber, zinc, and omega fatty acids into her meals.
• 🧘‍♀️ She highlights the importance of listening to your body and being mindful of diet and stress to maintain hormonal balance and reduce acne breakouts.
• 🍫 Processed sugars and simple carbs were major triggers for her acne, and cutting them out was crucial in resetting her cycle and skin.
• 📚 The video offers insights into managing hormonal acne through lifestyle changes, emphasizing that it's a continuous journey with ups and downs.

Q & A

What was the main cause of the creator’s cystic acne breakout?

The main cause of the breakout was hormonal imbalance due to insulin resistance, triggered by changes in the creator’s diet and lifestyle, including increased intake of processed foods and sugars, as well as increased caffeine consumption.

How did the creator's eating habits contribute to her hormonal imbalance?

The creator's diet consisted of a lot of processed foods, carbs, and sugary desserts while her sister was visiting, which led to spikes in blood sugar and increased insulin production. This imbalance triggered the overproduction of androgen hormones, causing hormonal acne.

What role does insulin play in the body, according to the creator?

Insulin is produced by the pancreas to regulate blood sugar levels after eating. When blood sugar spikes, insulin helps rebalance it by distributing glucose to cells for energy. However, in cases of insulin resistance, the body needs to produce more insulin to maintain balance, which can lead to hormonal imbalances.

How does insulin resistance affect acne, particularly cystic acne?

Insulin resistance increases androgen production, which leads to higher levels of oil production in the skin and clogged pores. This results in cystic acne and hormonal imbalances, contributing to persistent breakouts.

What dietary changes did the creator make to help rebalance her hormones and reduce acne?

The creator returned to home-cooked meals, reduced caffeine intake, cut out processed sugars, and incorporated more fiber, healthy fats, and proteins into her diet. This helped reset her hormonal balance and restore her menstrual cycle.

How did reducing processed sugar help the creator's hormonal acne?

Reducing processed sugar prevented blood sugar spikes, which in turn lowered the body's need to produce excess insulin. This helped prevent the overproduction of androgen hormones and reduced the frequency and severity of acne breakouts.

What is the relationship between insulin resistance and androgen hormones in the body?

Insulin resistance causes the body to produce higher levels of insulin to regulate blood sugar, which signals the brain to produce more androgen hormones. Elevated androgen levels lead to hormonal imbalances that can cause acne and disrupt the menstrual cycle.

What natural solutions did the creator suggest to manage hormonal acne?

The creator suggested increasing fiber intake, eating whole grains, consuming omega-3 fatty acids (from sources like salmon and avocado), and reducing processed sugar. These dietary adjustments can help rebalance insulin levels and support liver function in flushing out excess hormones.

What did the creator mean by the ‘vicious cycle’ related to insulin resistance and acne?

The 'vicious cycle' refers to how insulin resistance leads to more insulin production, which signals the body to produce excess androgens. This hormonal imbalance then contributes to further insulin resistance and acne, creating a continuous loop of breakouts and imbalance.

How does the liver play a role in managing hormonal balance, according to the creator?

The liver helps filter out excess hormones, including androgens. A diet high in fiber supports liver function by aiding in the elimination of these excess hormones, which can help prevent hormonal imbalances and acne.

Outlines

00:00

😊 Introduction to Acne Struggles and Personal Experience

The host, Phil, introduces the video as part of her acne series, sharing her personal journey with hormonal acne. She emphasizes her passion for the topic and how she has learned to manage her acne through self-research. Phil also mentions how her period stopped for two and a half months, causing her cystic acne to return. She provides a disclaimer, noting that she is not a medical professional but has learned from various sources. Lastly, she invites viewers to join her beauty community and stay engaged.

05:01

😣 Hormonal Imbalance and Acne Flare-up Story

Phil recounts her previous success in regulating her period, which helped control her acne. However, by December, her period became irregular again, leading to a resurgence of cystic acne on her chin, jawline, chest, and back. She describes the emotional and physical toll of experiencing acne flare-ups after a long period of clear skin. Phil attributes these issues to changes in her diet and routine while hosting her sister over the holidays.

10:01

🍰 Unhealthy Eating Habits and Stress Impact

Phil discusses how her unhealthy eating habits during her sister's visit, including frequent restaurant meals, high-carb dishes, and increased caffeine intake, worsened her acne. She reflects on how indulging in sweets and desserts nightly, coupled with poor dietary choices, led to bloating and a worsening of her hormonal imbalance. Despite enjoying the food, Phil recognizes how it negatively impacted her body and skin. Once her sister left, she shifted back to healthier habits, and her period returned, clearing her acne.

15:04

🧠 Understanding Insulin Resistance and Acne

Phil explains the role of insulin resistance in hormonal acne, describing how insulin helps regulate blood sugar levels. When the body becomes resistant to insulin, it produces more to rebalance glucose, which triggers an increase in androgen hormones like testosterone. This hormonal imbalance causes cystic acne. She highlights that insulin resistance is a common issue for those with hormonal acne and stresses the importance of understanding how diet affects insulin levels.

🥦 Dietary Changes for Balancing Hormones

Phil outlines how dietary changes can break the cycle of insulin resistance, leading to better hormonal balance. She recommends increasing fiber intake, reducing processed sugar, and incorporating healthy fats and proteins into meals. Phil emphasizes that small adjustments, such as eating more vegetables, can help the liver detox excess hormones and improve skin health. She also mentions the importance of zinc and omega fatty acids in regulating hormone levels.

💡 Final Thoughts and Tips on Skin Health

Phil concludes the video by reflecting on the connection between diet, hormones, and skin health. She reiterates that processed sugar spikes blood sugar, triggering insulin resistance and hormonal imbalance. Phil encourages viewers to pay attention to their body’s signals and adopt natural ways to improve skin health. She also teases future content on specific foods and liver function, leaving viewers with tips on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She ends with an invitation for feedback and suggestions.

Keywords

💡Cystic Acne

Cystic acne is a severe form of acne that occurs when cysts form under the skin, often causing painful and inflamed breakouts. In the video, the speaker shares her experience of battling cystic acne, which worsened when her period stopped. This condition is central to the video's theme as she discusses how her diet and lifestyle impacted her skin health.

💡Hormonal Imbalance

Hormonal imbalance occurs when there is too much or too little of a hormone in the bloodstream, which can disrupt normal body functions. In the video, the speaker's acne flare-up and irregular menstrual cycle are linked to hormonal imbalance, particularly due to insulin resistance and increased androgen levels, which she explains as the root cause of her acne.

💡Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is a condition where cells in the body don't respond well to insulin, causing the pancreas to produce more insulin to regulate blood sugar. The speaker attributes her cystic acne to insulin resistance, explaining how it leads to higher levels of androgen hormones, which in turn cause hormonal acne.

💡Blood Sugar

Blood sugar, or glucose, is the main sugar found in the blood and is the body’s primary source of energy. The video discusses how consuming simple carbohydrates spikes blood sugar levels, triggering the production of insulin and contributing to insulin resistance, which is closely tied to the speaker’s acne issues.

💡Androgens

Androgens are a group of hormones, including testosterone, that are present in both men and women but in higher levels in men. In the context of the video, the speaker explains that insulin resistance leads to elevated androgen levels, which increase oil production in the skin, clogging pores and causing cystic acne.

💡Processed Sugar

Processed sugar refers to refined sugars that are added to foods during processing. The speaker emphasizes how her high intake of processed sugars during her sister’s visit led to a spike in blood sugar and worsened her acne, connecting it to the cycle of insulin resistance and hormonal imbalance.

💡Fiber

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body cannot digest, and it helps regulate the body's use of sugars. The speaker highlights the importance of fiber in her diet for helping the liver flush out excess hormones, like androgens, which can reduce hormonal acne and help balance blood sugar levels.

💡Estrogen

Estrogen is a key hormone in regulating the menstrual cycle and reproductive system, particularly in women. In the video, the speaker touches on how her estrogen levels dropped due to insulin resistance, further aggravating her hormonal acne and disrupting her menstrual cycle.

💡Omega Fatty Acids

Omega fatty acids are essential fats the body needs to function properly, often found in fish and plant-based oils. The speaker mentions including omega-rich foods like salmon and avocado in her diet, which helped her restore hormonal balance and clear up her skin.

💡Caffeine Intake

Caffeine intake refers to the amount of caffeine consumed, usually from beverages like coffee. The speaker notes how her caffeine consumption increased while her sister visited, which she links to increased stress on her body and a disruption in her menstrual cycle, contributing to her hormonal acne.

Highlights

The video discusses personal experiences with acne and hormonal imbalances.

The creator experienced a two and a half month period absence leading to cystic hormonal acne.

A period return and acne disappearance coincided with lifestyle changes.

The video emphasizes the importance of not being a medical professional but sharing personal research and experiences.

The use of the app 'Clue' to track menstrual cycles is mentioned.

A change in diet and lifestyle led to the normalization of menstrual cycles and a reduction in acne.

The video discusses the impact of eating habits on skin health, particularly the consumption of fried foods and sweets.

The role of stress and changes in routine on acne and hormonal health is explored.

The video explains the concept of insulin resistance and its link to acne.

A detailed explanation of how glucose and insulin work in the body is provided.

Insulin resistance can lead to an overproduction of androgens, causing hormonal imbalances and acne.

The video suggests that dietary changes can help break the cycle of insulin resistance and acne.

Adding fiber, reducing sugar, and balancing meals with protein or healthy fats are recommended.

Zinc and omega fatty acids are highlighted as important for skin health.

The video shares personal success with dietary changes, including home-cooked meals and reduced caffeine.

The importance of reducing processed sugars to manage blood sugar levels and insulin is discussed.

The video concludes with an encouragement to learn from personal health journeys and make informed dietary choices.

Transcripts

hi guys welcome back to another episode

it's your greasy girl phil and today

we're doing another video in our acne

series because you know this is

something that i'm super passionate

about and i constantly struggle through

and i know that a lot of you guys are

also going through like different types

of experiences within the same the acne

fam so what happened was basically for

two and a half months i didn't get my

period and i got cystic hormonal acne

haunt me all over again i'm gonna talk

about how that happened and then how i

kind of rebalanced it and reset it back

to norm so that you know only in the

last couple of weeks have i figured it

out and my period came again and all my

acne kind of disappeared so that's what

we're going to discuss because the

mighty has fallen

even the mighty have fallen so before we

start i just want to say i am not a

medical professional everything that i'm

sharing with you guys is what i learned

through doing a lot of reading through

journals through listening to medical

practitioners from all kind of walks of

life and i just feel like you know me

being able to share that with you guys

will help you on your own journey okay

so if you haven't subscribed please do

and we also have our beauty within inner

circle where we do workshops we chat

about all things acne related product

related so if you're interested in

joining our community all the details

will be in the description so yes

without further ado let's recap over the

tumultuous two months it's been

[Music]

okay so remember how i was saying like i

finally figured out you know my cycle i

made it come every month because before

it used to come once every three months

and then i kind of learned what my body

needed and the triggers so that it

regulated itself right so i got my

period and i got rid of my acne okay so

i used this app called clue

i started tracking my cycle and so you

know it was september and then i had it

and then it was october i had it

november i had it and then boom all of a

sudden in december it was like a dry

month i was kind of like eh i used to

live before with you know months on end

with not getting out what's one month

it's fine and then

came january also dry

and then i was like it got kind of

halfway into february i mean we're on

the 20s we're like basically at the end

of february right so it was like mid feb

and i'm like what the heck i still

haven't got it and within that time in

january i realized it wasn't really bad

but i started getting a lot of little

like bumps on my skin only towards the

bottom chin and jaw area and then there

would be pustules and it wasn't that bad

until like the end of december to early

january that i was like okay what are

these like lumps and bumps that are

forming underneath my skin that aren't

rearing its head and i was like oh my

god i'm getting cysts again like it was

huge i literally haven't had a cystic

pimple let alone three come up on my

face for

like at least four to five years before

i kind of learned all about the skin the

body and everything so i was like oh my

god what is that happening and on top of

that i started getting a lot more kind

of like chest acne where there's like

little bumps and pustules and then my

back was also really inflamed so i know

normally the week leading up to my

period i will normally get breakouts on

the back and then it goes away when my

period comes but this time it was just

like weeks on end that both of them were

just kind of like

really like pustuly and i was just like

oh my god i feel like i'm going

back to where i was like five years ago

and i was just like

wow no matter how much we know if we

don't live up to you know like this

lifestyle standard it will come back and

haunt you so easily so there are a

couple of things let's talk about my

eating habits at the time so my sister

was visiting she was here since december

28th basically when my period stopped

coming and every day she was here until

february

i was eating out we were having like

korean fried chicken we had barbecue we

had pasta so we were like going all

around in new york and you know how

there's like so many restaurants um and

when you have people visiting it's like

a different type of stress like i

wouldn't call it stressful but it is

stressing on the body and so all my

normal routine was completely thrown off

on top of that because she's visiting

when you have guests i was eating

dessert like every other night so we

would either go out and have like all

these cakes i'll put the photos up they

look delicious would have cake and

coffee after dinner a dinner that's

already loaded with carbs and like

probably not enough fiber and vegetables

and everything was so flavorful

it was like so delicious and all this

but it really was not good for the body

and for the soul because i actually felt

terrible and it just kind of kept going

on a daily basis and then on the days

that we didn't go and have dessert we

would come home and i kicked up like my

snacking so i normally never really

snack i don't like have cravings for

chips or chocolates and like little

things to bite on i'm just like not that

type of person because i think i've

trained myself to not want those things

and then coffees remember how i say i

only have one coffee a day whether

that's in the afternoon or in the

morning but when she was here because we

were out and about i would have at least

two coffees sometimes three if we were

out all day so that was another thing my

caffeine intake also doubled and it was

like uncomfortable i was like bloated

and i felt really like even worse

because my p like mentally i knew my

period wasn't here and i was like oh my

god my stomach is huge like what do i do

so overall i think everything just like

heightened so when i think back now i

was like ah yes this was exactly the

diet and the way i used to live and eat

before i figured out how to change my

hormonal acne and actually now that i

think about it i felt like i was doing

one of those documentaries like when

people go on a binge for one month just

to see how their body reacts and they

like feel terrible at the end of it

that's actually how i felt i was like i

am a human documentary at this point in

time

so anyway like on the surface not only

did i like feel bloated and all that it

made it worse because every morning i

would look at my skin i'm like oh my god

i am dull and just dullness and texture

aside the pimples were

crazy like i kept getting them these

huge like purpley red ones all along my

jaw there was some on my chin and like i

even started getting a little bit on my

like forehead temple and i'm like okay

this is like too much after my sister

left i completely shifted everything

back into like home-cooked meals reduced

the amount of coffee reduced the

caffeine

and

my period came like it was literally

magic and i'm just like wow the body is

an amazing place so i want to talk about

why this happened and what's actually

going on inside the body because after

this it sparked another thing in me

where i was like oh my god how did this

work so if you're also going through

cystic acne it all boils down to one

root thing and it's insulin resistance

so before i used to just think like i

hear insulin and i just think oh like

it's related to diabetes you know but

actually it has everything to do with

acne and i feel like if you guys know

about this it will make your life so

much easier to kind of control what

you're eating and how it's affecting you

and it will just be life-changing why do

we eat food we eat food to get energy

right so when we eat

we chew it it goes into our system into

our stomach into the intestines the food

that we eat gets broken down into

glucose and glucose is also known as

blood sugar and it's the sugar that's

traveling in our blood through our blood

vessels and the blood vessels run

basically all throughout our body to

deliver the food that's turned into

blood sugars into energy and it's spread

all throughout the body so this goes

into different cells like our brain

cells to give us that like mental energy

to do what we need to do it's all

throughout our limbs and literally like

blood vessels are everywhere that's what

food gets converted into and how our

body uses it so that's the first thing

to kind of wrap your head around blood

sugar and glucose the same thing so

let's say we're eating a lot and we're

actually creating a lot of glucose in

our system so in our blood there's a lot

more of these glucose molecules that are

coursing through it right so we can't

have this huge surge of glucose in our

blood all the time so what our bodies do

is create something called insulin and

we have these special cells called b

cells that react to levels of blood

sugar and they're like oh my god there's

a lot of blood sugar right now so let's

make some insulin and then these b cells

will then create insulin which is

created from the pancreas so then

insulin is created to kind of rebalance

and bring back our blood sugar or

glucose levels within a healthy range

and this also works the other way let's

say we don't eat for a long time then

our blood doesn't have as much glucose

in them and therefore insulin won't be

made so it's kind of like this really

intricate balancing act that our bodies

naturally do so that's why when you hear

people say like oh when you eat simple

carbs it spikes your blood sugar or your

glucose levels it's essentially saying

there's a lot more of these sugar

glucose molecules in your blood and

therefore your body needs to rebalance

it by creating insulin so hang in there

with me so we have two things blood

sugar and glucose and we also have

insulin which helps to rebalance it

right now for some people if you are

like i or if you have symptoms of

hormonal acne there's something that

happens in our body and it's called

insulin resistance this is when the same

amount of insulin that we normally

create to rebalance the blood sugar is

no longer enough to keep that healthy

balance so our body needs to make more

of it for simplicity for one blood sugar

to rebalance that one blood sugar or

glucose we need one insulin right and

that keeps us within the healthy range

insulin resistance is when for that one

blood sugar or glucose we now need 10

insulin because it's now resistant to it

so our pancreas need to create more to

balance that one so while our pancreas

are busy creating more and more insulin

to try and rebalance our blood sugar and

glucose levels it's also signaling to

the brain that it should be creating

more androgen or testosterone hormones

which then throws our entire hormonal

imbalance way off which then affects our

cycle

and our mood and then it just creates a

positive loop and when i say positive

it's not actually positive it's because

it's a vicious cycle so when we eat we

now need more insulin and we need to

create more insulin it keeps signaling

to the brain to create more of this uh

hormone that is creating hormonal

imbalance because it's imbalanced

there's more of it than necessary which

then

feeds into the insulin resistance yet

again and then we're like this

so on one side that's the hormones part

right maybe that's why your period isn't

coming and why there's hormonal

imbalance and what does this mean on the

skin so when we're in the situation

where our androgen levels are high our

estrogen is low and when this happens

where your androgen levels are higher

there's a higher level of oil production

in our skin our pores are clogged and it

further limits the production of the

right hormones which leads to breakouts

cystic acne and all that stuff that we

see on the surface of our skin so that

was a summary right so we have blood

sugar glucose we have insulin we have

insulin resistance which leads to

androgens and so this is just a vicious

loop and i think for a lot of us who

have symptoms of cystic acne hormonal

acne pcos this is essentially what's

happening behind the body and it just

keeps going so what can we do about it

so in my previous videos i was always

talking about nutrients and how you kind

of bio-hack it through the foods you eat

this is 100 achievable obviously like i

would say consult your healthcare

professional because i'm not one but i

can tell you that it is definitely

possible because over the two and a half

months that i didn't get it after my

sister left i was able to live my life

again in the way that i know my body is

uh receptive to my period came back

right so it like truly is if you're

listening and seeing the signs and you

know what to do about them then it makes

it easier so i have a few

simple tips adding fiber into your diet

reducing the amount of sugars

and

balancing out when you do have calms to

instill like either protein or healthy

fats into it so i started making um like

fish and salmon again i was eating more

nuts i reduced the amount of caffeine i

cut out like majority of the processed

sugars and i think all of that just took

everything back down to the norm or the

healthy range and so it broke the cycle

then your body can kind of recalibrate

it basically resets itself so the first

thing you can do is just add vegetables

as i said in my previous videos it's not

about not having certain foods it's just

about

having a healthy balance because the

fiber in vegetables really helped the

liver because our liver is basically our

body's filter and it's also the place

that's able to get rid of excess

hormones so remember how we were talking

about the fact that we're creating too

many androgen hormones that's actually

creating this imbalance our liver is

actually able to flush out any excess

but it needs things like fiber so some

things you can start off you can easily

just google what's high in fiber but

there's things like uh broccoli

banana brussels sprouts there's kidney

beans chickpeas

like basically all of these things right

and it's not just they're high in fiber

they have a bunch of other things as

well and you'll tell because you'll be

able to do your twozie quite easily

because it's flushing everything out the

second thing you can do is also zinc

zinc really helps um and you can find

that in whole grains and nuts i wouldn't

necessarily say you need to take

supplements from it because to me like

it's always best in its natural form and

any time i don't know you head into the

supplements kind of category i'd rather

you talk to like some sort of

nutritionalist or like your healthcare

person because you might not actually be

deficient in it you just need to boost

it up but honestly just eat your

vegetables and then third thing is omega

fatty acids so i love salmon fish and

then avocado those are on the top of my

mind the two things that can also really

help to rebalance all the while you

don't even need to think too much about

that just like find some green things

and in your vegetable section but also

just reduce processed sugar just be very

vigilant on what your triggers are so

obviously i talked about dairy i just

didn't have much dairy i still had like

cheese and stuff but in terms of milk it

was always oat i actually have this new

one that ruiner gave me and it's almond

milk so we shall is it no pistachio milk

we shall see how that goes but yes it

was like i didn't even do anything that

drastic honestly after it was just like

not eating out and going back to normal

and voila it came so i think the sugars

were such a huge factor of that because

sugar processed sugar especially spikes

the blood sugar so high and then you

need to release so much insulin to bring

it back to the norm but because in the

process of creating that you're

creating more like androgen levels which

creates the insulin resistance and so i

can just see now like how what a vicious

cycle it was and i was basically just

like

suffocating my body in actually being

able to create the right hormones to

like live healthily and you can feel it

right it's not just like seeing it on

the skin but you can feel like you go

through certain moods or your energy

levels it like spikes up and then it

depletes all the time anyway there's

like so much i can get into the next

time we might even just like go through

some foods i'll like show you what you

can do or talk about the liver more

because it's like so good but anyway i

just wanted to like share with you guys

the main thing of this video really is

to hopefully get you to see the cycle in

which your body goes through when you're

not feeding your skin and your body the

right things and you know our skin and

bodies are the first signs we can see

and feel that something is off so i

think it's like worth kind of thinking

about and looking more into i'll leave

all the kind of

research and the videos that i looked at

there's a few animations that i think

are really interesting as well so i'll

leave all that below so you guys can um

see it as well and hopefully this was

helpful and i love like having you guys

on my journey as well even if we revert

back to not so great things but i think

that's what you know life is all about

it's just about going through the

journey ups and downs learning new

things from it each time and feeling a

little more empowered and confident

every time and being able to you know

hack it yourself in natural ways so yes

hope you guys enjoyed if you have any

other questions or suggestions on what

you want me to talk about in our next

acne series leave them below as well

give it a thumbs up and i'll see you

guys very soon bye