Skin Healing and Cycle Syncing
Something exciting happened when I gave a shoutout to experts who helped me through my skin health journey… I was given more opportunities to be extra vulnerable, share personal details, and even provide discounts* to help others who are on the healing journey too…
My Skin Story
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
I began struggling with acne as soon as I started birth control. At age 17, I was put on birth control to make me “normal” as I wasn’t having a regular cycle. Instead of “fixing” my period, my gut health spiraled. For 10 years, when I rose concerns regarding the pill, Doctors told me I had to stay on the pill or else “develop cancer” and that the pill was not the cause of my acne. I felt stuck, but I knew something was not right… I was no longer able to digest the foods I used to (i.e. gluten, certain vegetables, etc) and my skin/mental health was a suffering. I’m glad I chose to listen to my gut and find reliable support and resources —
“Did you know […] your natural hormones are anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer, but the hormone-mimicked in birth control are pro-inflammatory and increase blood pressure, blood clotting, and cancer” - Dr. Felice Gersh
THINGS I TRIED TO CLEAR MY SKIN
Naturally, I went on a quest to seek healing for my skin.
I tried too many expensive k-beauty products, invested in weekly facial$, and kept my skin squeaky clean. My skin barrier was damaged from all the incredibly strong topical treatments I put on, and the acne persisted despite my efforts.
The journey was like a puzzle, but the missing piece was this:
Proper Nutrition
THE ROOT CAUSE OF MY SKIN ISSUES
birth control had damaged my gut so intuitively I knew my healing had to happen in the gut.
Acne = inflammation.
I began to heal my gut by
coming off of the pill (allow my natural hormones to have a chance at healing my body) AND
swapping inflammatory foods & foods that my body could no longer tolerate with foods that my body recognized as medicine
FACTORS & FOODS FOR SKIN HEALTH
Please note that every body is different and this is what worked and continues to work for me / my body
Quality meats (i.e. grass fed & finished beef, pasture-raised poultry/pig, and organ meats — i.e. LIVER daily!)
Oysters (2-3 times a week)
Wild caught fish (i.e. sardines, salmon, and mackerel)
Raw carrots (I love Dr Ray Peat’s Carrot Salad Recipe and the why behind each ingredient)
Probiotic rich foods / supplementation (i.e. kimchi, SEED, and P3OM)
*Collagen rich, clean protein (i.e. 100% grass fed beef protein isolate Be Well By Kelly Protein Powder - Use Code: MUMWITHABUN for $5 off)
Magnesium - sprouted pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, supplementation
*A skin barrier healing skincare protocol — I credit mine to @healthyskinglows skin healing protocol (use my code JANE10 for a discount)
INFLAMMATION, ACNE, SKIN TRIGGERING FACTORS
These are the foods/factors that hindered my healing and was causing inflammation:
Industrial Seed oils (i.e. sunflower oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil, etc)
Gums / preservatives / fillers (found in plant based milks, yogurt, etc)
Most Pasteurized Cow’s Milk based products (if it isn’t raw, I will break out with acne and I can’t digest it!)
Sugar (I’m not keto, but if I’m not mindfully keeping my blood sugar levels stable, I will experience acne)
Antibiotics (I have taken it when I absolutely needed it for surgery, but otherwise I refuse it because it directly impacts my gut and thereby my skin health and immune system)
Gluten (within a few hours to a few days of consuming gluten I not only experience immense abdominal pain, but acne too)
Not enough sleep (using red light, getting up / going down with the sun, and taking magnesium before bed all really help me)
Over exercising
Helpful Lifestyle Changes for Skin Health
I learned to respect my female cycle via cycle syncing. Not only did it help me respect my body via food but also via activity choices.
CYCLE SYNCING VIA FOOD
Focusing on specific foods depending on what part of my cycle I’m in looks like this:
Menstrual Phase
Since hormone & energy levels are at their lowest in this phase, food can be leveraged during this phase to support mood & restore energy levels as the brain gets used to the hormone fluctuation
Iron & Zinc rich foods for remineralization
organ meats, oysters, grass fed red meat, kelp/nori/seaweed, fatty wild caught fish, sprouted seeds,
+ healthy fats for absorption of all the goodness in the above listed foods (i.e. avocado, coconut oil, etc)
Nourishing & energizing foods
bee pollen* (watch my video for all the details you need to know about bee pollen), cottage cheese, bone broth, BWBK protein powder*, buckwheat, dark chocolate
Vitamin C rich food to help with iron absorption
Berries, broccoli, acerola powder, camu camu, watermelon, bell peppers, burdock root
Hydration
Ginger/Green (i.e. bancha) tea, trace minerals via quality salt & electrolytes like LMNT packets* / coconut water, and bone broth!
BEETS for helping with blood flow especially considering blood loss is occurring
Follicular Phase
Magnesium rich foods
spinach cooked, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, broccoli sprouts
Fiber
acacia fiber, carrots, avocado, fermented foods, broccoli/cauliflower
Omega 3 rich foods
wild caught salmon/sardines/anchovies, cod liver oil - Rosita brand, eggs
Ovulation Phase
Iron & Zinc rich foods
organ meats, oysters, grass-fed red meat, soaked & soured beans, sprouted organic sunflower seeds
Vitamin C rich food to help with cervical mucus production
Berries, broccoli, acerola powder, cauliflower, broccoli sprouts
Omega 3 rich foods
wild salmon/sardines/anchovies, wild-cold pressed cod liver oil - (i.e. Rosita brand), pasture-raised eggs
Note: This phase and the next phase (Ovulation & Luteal) is when estrogen rises and this hormonal change shows up via histamine symptoms worsening (i.e. bloating, cramping, or headaches)
Luteal Phase
Blood sugar balancing focused consumption of starchy foods for less irritability & more energy
Sweet potatoes baked in lard (a personal favorite!)
Soaked and soured lentils
Rice (cooked & cooled to maximize resistant starch - see this post for how)
Steamed beets drizzled with olive oil
Raw carrots dressed with salt & coconut oil (i.e. Carrot salad recipe) or with hummus
Hydration focus
Cucumbers, watermelon, berries, and electrolytes (i.e. LMNT, coconut water, bone broth)
Magnesium rich foods
Leafy greens: spinach/dandelion greens/beet greens cooked, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate!
Anti-inflammatory foods to beat the bloat and breast tenderness
Turmeric, ginger, fatty fish, steamed beets, and berries
Scheduling my activities (i.e. workouts and social events) to match my cycle
EXAMPLE: I choose lighter workouts (i.e. stretches, yoga, walks) during 1/2 my cycle (i.e. luteal & menstrual) and more challenging workouts (i.e. heavier weights, cardio, etc) during the other 1/2 of my cycle (i.e. follicular & ovulatory) via Team HomeBodies
A Final Skin Health Note
My skin has become a window to my internal health and I’ve actually grown to be grateful for it.
Now, IF I Breakout…
(which I still do once in a while — because I love to enjoy life, pizza & dessert… and I can’t always get all the sleep I need as a working mom)
After exposure to any of the inflammatory factors I mentioned above, I focus full throttle on my routine of healing my gut via food & lifestyle.
Why I Share my Skin Healing Journey
1) To acknowledge that this journey is TOUGH
Personally, I struggled to show myself grace - there are a lot of tone-deaf statements that come your way when you’re suffering with skin troubles, which can often lead to depression.
“You need to wash your face better - you should try an 8 step skin care routine that helped clear up this other woman’s face. I saw it on the Korean news.”
— an individual with no true knowledge of my skin journey/health/nutrition
2) To lead others to resources & knowledge
My hope is always that by sharing my journey, someone else will grow in hope and find courage to press on. Our bodies were made wonderfully. It can & will heal… if we learn to tune in and support it the right way.
Again, every body is unique and different. What foods may work for others (i.e. conventional meats, regular bread, etc) do not work for me. It was a hard truth for me to accept, but once I did and once I found what foods were my medicine, my gut / body began healing. And one day, I noticed my skin glowing.
Healing is from the inside out, friends. Let’s do it.
Before & After my Skin Healing Journey
Clear Skin Journey FAQ’s
What is your skincare routine/what products do you use?
I made a video on my skincare routine & what products I use. It’s super simple, and I learned to heal / maintain my skin barrier through Sara @healthyskinglows - her Skin Rebalancing Protocol was the final missing piece in my skin journey puzzle. You can find all her offerings here:
Use my code JANE10 at checkout for a 10% off discount on any of Sara’s offerings
Sara is incredibly knowledgeable and gave me the resources and tools I needed. I wish I had stumbled across her content sooner.
What foods helped you clear your skin?
There are So many foods I can highlight but the main ones / heavy hitters (if I had to dwindle it down to a top 3) are: grass fed / finished beef liver, oysters, and healthy fats (i.e. removing inflammatory seed oils)
What sunblock do you use?
I rarely uses sunblock. I just don’t like the feeling, but I am also painfully aware of the studies done on the toxic ingredients that most SPF products contain. Additionally, I’m allergic to fragrance. If I do use sunblock on my face I only use Suntegrity. The ingredients do not make me breakout as it is non-comedogenic! For my body I will use coconut oil when I spend hours on the beach.
How long did it take?
This is such a tricky question because the journey really was like a roller coaster. I tried to “fix” my skin the moment the acne came on (I went from zero pimples to acne covering my face as soon as I started birth control) but I didn’t actually start healing my gut until I came off the pill and began replacing trigger foods (i.e. inflammatory oils, which are everywhere especially if you ever eat out / eat packaged foods) with real quality foods (i.e. tallow, coconut oil, 100% pure avocado oil) — when I made all the swaps (i.e. food, lifestyle, stress management) and worked on internally healing, it took less than a year, but I don’t know the exact amount of time to be honest… I just went from really struggling to realizing one day that my skin was glowing and completely acne free!