If you are reading my blog for the first time, I'm a wife of over 13 years, and mom of 5 beautiful children. I'm 32 years old. I have battled horrible acne since puberty. I looked forward to an age that my breakouts would just be a thing of the past. As I write this, that age/day still has yet to come. I started cleaning up my diet almost a year ago. No more fast food, good bye fried foods, and I kicked my soda habit in June 2012. I've seen some improvement in my acne, but nothing substantial. It's caused me a lot of embarrassment and feeling self-conscious about my appearance. I've tried changing my face wash (I've found and use one that I absolutely LOVE, but it hasn't cleared my acne, nor is it designed to do so), I've used acne treatments...everything from a multitude of brands found at the store and even the popular one sold & found on TV. I've tried different masks, peels, and exfoliating products. Nothing has rid me of this problem. I have a teen dealing with the same issue, but I have no advice for her on treating her acne because I still haven't "grown" out of mine. This isn't an issue of having a dirty face. It's deeper than that.
May 24, 2015
It was very early when I woke up. Before I even got out of bed, I could feel that I had a new breakout. Now looking in the mirror, my face looks like I have the chicken pox. Red, inflamed, and painful bumps covered my face, primarily on my cheeks, jawline, under my chin, and some above my brow. The one that bothered me the most was right on the tip of my nose. None of them were ready to pop...just bright red and raised. Isn't that nice? Not! My first thought was, "I must be about to start..." I keep track of my monthly cycle, and yup, I was 3 days out from when I should start. Thank you for an added present on top of my monthly gift, Mother Nature.
We had plans to go shopping that day. I put on a minimal amount of makeup because I didn't want to encourage more bumps. Halfway through our day, I did buy a new acne cream that promised to "see a reduction of breakouts in 4 hours." I knew better, but bought it anyway and applied it as soon as I'd paid for it. If you've dealt with hormonal acne, you know that cream didn't work. But I was desperate.
That evening my husband had recommended I consider treating my acne as a side-effect of hormones, and that I should look into a supplement called DIM. I quickly looked it up online and decided to give it a try after reading a few testimonies.
May 25, 2015
My only purpose this day was to go to a health-food store and find a bottle of DIM. And I was successful! The brand I chose, Olympian Labs, Inc, was because it is 100% DIM (diindolymethane...100mg). Other brands I had to chose from contained proprietary blends, and the amount of DIM was only about 25%. So, make sure to find 100% DIM, and not just a supplement that contains it.
From my research, DIM will assist in balancing hormone levels.
DIM is a plant nutrient found in vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, bok choy, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga, and turnip. DIM is not a hormone, but can be used for healthy estrogen metabolism. Supplementing with DIM can restore normal hormone balances.
Upon further research, I also decided to start taking Vitex. Because I couldn't find a bottle of Vitex at first, I ended up buying a supplement blend. I bought Female Balance by NOW (contains 50mg of Vitex). I traveled to the next town over to a different health-food store, and was able to find Vitex by Bluebonnet (contains 225mg).
Vitex (aka Chasteberry, or agnus castus) works by regulating and supporting the pituitary gland, which is considered the master gland for hormone production. It has a number of benefits for a women's reproductive system, but for my issue (hormonal acne) it will help regulate and balance natural production of progesterone. Like DIM, it's not a hormone, but a supplement derived from plants (the berries from the Chaste tree are used). It can take months to see benefits from using Vitex. So, don't expect instant results with this supplement.
How I'm taking these supplements:
Morning: 1 DIM & 1 Female Balance capsules along with breakfast.
Bedtime: 1 DIM & 1 Vitex capsules with a full glass of water.
Each day I am getting 200 mg DIM and 275 mg of Vitex.
Both supplements will more than likely need to be purchased either online or at a health-food store. Our local national-chain drug stores did not carry either supplement.
In addition to my supplements, I'm washing with my Cleanser Gel, followed by my Toner. I use my Lip & Eye cream and RepairAge to moisturize. Plus, I use my favorite Exfoliating Peel once weekly.
May 27, 2015
I'm still dealing with the painful breakout this morning. These bumps aren't maturing into pimples. They're just red and inflamed, and they hurt! I decided to do a Greens Facial today. I've used this in the past to reduce the swelling and redness. Results aren't immediate, but I know that throughout the day and by tomorrow I can expect to see the redness and inflammation lessen.
My Greens Facial recipe:
•1 scoop of Greens powder*
•1 tsp Defining Gel*
Mix powder and gel together in a dish, and apply to your skin. Allow to dry (about 15-30 minutes, depending on how thick you spread it on). Simply wipe away with a damp cloth until removed. Follow with your favorite toner and moisturizer.
*neither Greens powder or Defining Gel is formulated or recommended for facial application. This is not a treatment recommended by It Works! Global. Please read and review all ingredients prior to choosing to do this treatment.
May 28, 2015
Well, Aunt Flo came today. I wasn't sure if taking the new supplements would interfere with my monthly cycle. While I am taking them for hormonal balancing, my cycle has always been regular. Since cleaning up my diet and adding in exercise, it's extremely regular, as a matter of fact. I can expect it to show up every 26-27 days on schedule. So, even though I've added the DIM and Vitex, my cycle has gone uninterrupted.
June 1, 2015 *WEEK 1*
It's 8 days since I started my supplements. I can report that I haven't got any new pimples or blemishes. And the existing ones no longer hurt. I don't just breakout on my face...I get blemishes on my chest, back, and shoulders, too. So, when I say "no new blemishes," that includes those areas and my face.
Here's an updated side-by-side of my before and after this week of use:
Also, I noticed a slight change in my cycle. I typically have a very heavy day at the start of it. However, this cycle, what was my anticipated heavy-flow day was only moderate. That was a nice surprise. My usual heavy day keeps me near a bathroom to change my product every 1-2 hours, but that wasn't the case this time. Plus, that day comes with a lot of uncomfortable cramping. Guess what? No cramps so far! I can only imagine that can all be credited to the addition of the supplements. My cycle is much lighter in flow than normal.
This next observation comes from my husband. He mentioned to me that I've been in a better mood. I acknowledge and agree that I can become easily stressed and frustrated, which can make it uncomfortable to be around me. He pointed out that I've been happier and less stressed the past few days.
No negatives to report. I've been faithful in taking the DIM & Vitex day and night, and am seeing some subtle, pleasant improvements so far.
June 7, 2015 *WEEK 2*
Another week in the books! I'm really loving how my complexion is looking.
When I get ready for the day, I'm now wearing just eye makeup and bronzer. This has always been a goal of mine: to have clear-enough skin that I don't have to use foundation.
I'm still using my favorite cleanser, toner, and moisturizers for my face. What a change! Being able to put on moisturizer without fearing it will bring on a breakout...love it! Here's my updated results after 2 weeks of religiously taking DIM & Vitex:
June 15, 2015 *WEEK 3*
Ok, this week I had a few pimples pop up on my jawline. Not what I wanted to see, but the positives are: they weren't big and painful, and they went away fast!
Here's my updated progress after 3 weeks. I've still been faithful in taking my supplements morning and night (haven't missed a day).
June 23, 2015 *WEEK 4*
I'm posting this a couple days late. I was out of town when I should've updated my picture. I was vending for the Europa Games in Dallas, TX.
Looking at my updated picture, you'll notice some blemishes on my jaw line and neck. I don't believe these were a result of hormones (even though I'm nearing my next monthly cycle), but from getting a spray tan. I don't normally get spray tans, but have in the past. This particular time, the tan didn't agree with my skin. I had (and still have) dry, itchy patches all over my body. Not attractive to be itching and scratching when you're at an event. Anyway, the spots on my jawline and neck aren't pimples, but they are more pronounced than they could be because I was scratching like crazy.
Still experiencing improvement, as you can see. AND, like I noted above, the true test is coming. My cycle is scheduled to start this week. Normally my face would be inflamed again. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens. Oh, and I still haven't missed a day of taking my DIM or Vitex.
June 29, 2015 *WEEK 5*
It's Shark Week! LOL Well, the end of it anyway. I did get a small breakout. I would love to report that I'm pimple free, but I'm not (at least, not yet). You can see in the pictures the progress I've made in these past weeks. I knew the ultimate test would be to see how my face reacted again once my cycle hit. And I'm happy to report that it isn't near as severe as it was this time last month.
The change I noticed this cycle was that I didn't get a massive, painful breakout. In fact, I didn't get pimples until after my cycle actually hit (my history before starting DIM and Vitex would be that I'd breakout prior to my cycle starting). And the breakout that did occur was substantially smaller and without all the pain, inflammation, and redness. As for my actual cycle, it was moderate to light in flow. Just as last time, I didn't experience any abdominal cramping or a super-heavy day.
I absolutely will continue my current regimen of DIM and Vitex. After seeing this much improvement, I'm happy to keep using these supplements in addition to my skin care routine and other supplementation. My face is clearer, and my pores look smaller. I feel like my skin care products are actually getting a chance to work better since I'm not constantly dealing with another breakout.
Keep in mind that combating hormonal issues should be something done for the long-haul. This isn't a magic pill that you take once and wake up with a clear face. This is something that I know I'll be implementing long-term, if not, life-long. I'd lost hope of having a clear face, and now I know it was never about a dirty, oily face...it has always been a hormone issue.
I'm posting this today, but will definitely be adding updates to this post as I know my face will continue to clear with time.
So, as a recap, each day my routine has been:
Morning: 1 DIM & 1 Female Balance capsules along with breakfast.
- Before applying any makeup, I moisturize my face with RepairAge, and my eye area with Lip&Eye Cream.
Bedtime: 1 DIM & 1 Vitex capsules with a full glass of water.
- In the shower, I wash my face with Cleanser Gel. After I dry off, I spritz my face with Toner. And once a week I like to do an Exfoliating Peel treatment. It only takes 10 minutes, but makes my complexion happy (in fact, I think I'll do one tonight).
UPDATE!!! July 20, 2015
As promised, here's my latest update since starting my regimen:
It's been 1 month and 25 days since starting. I'm happy to report that my complexion continues to improve. Remember, consistency is key AND you need to be patient. I'm a day out from my next cycle and I'm no where near where I was when I started. So, is it still working? You bet! I wouldn't share something that didn't work.
Here's my latest results picture compared to before I started my supplements:
Oh, and as of last night, I'm starting a new bottle of Vitex. I found this on Amazon.com. The dosage of Vitex will be increased to 400 mg.
Well, as previously mentioned, I changed brands...not just for Vitex, but DIM, as well. Both are made by Best Naturals. I think I was doing better with my previously used brands (mentioned in beginning of this blog post). Since changing, I have had a couple of breakouts. That tells me that the brands I changed to, while they claim to have 100% amounts, aren't as potent. Which can happen with supplements. The FDA does regulate supplements, but supplement companies can add various fillers in their vitamins and still claim high potency. That's what I get for choosing cheaper options. When in doubt, pay the extra buck because it usually pays you back, in terms of results. Also, this monthly menstral cycle has been HEAVY! Even my teen daughter noticed and asked, "Are you okay, Mom. You seem to be having to tend to business more than usual." And I have been. Yesterday, we were out of town, and I was having to make stop and a trip to the ladies room every 1-1/2 hours. Not how I wanted to spend my day away from home.
That said, I've still shown improvement compared to where I was in May. I'm still happy that, even with a couple of breakouts, I'm not experiencing the pain, size, and redness as I was before.
Here I am, as of today, compared to when I started in May:
