Causes of Hormonal Acne in Traditional Chinese Medicine
Hormonal acne is a term that exists in Western Medicine which means acne or breakouts in the skin that are due to imbalances in hormones of the body. With hormone fluctuations in the body, the skin can become hypersensitive, overly dry or oily which can result in the development of hormonal acne that are cystic and mostly along the jawline.
So what are the causes of hormonal acne as explained from Traditional Chinese Medicine?
In my Instagram Weekly Ask Me Anything, I have posted 8 main reasons for the causation of hormonal acne. Watch it here!
The elaborations to the reasons are posted here in this blog!
1. Too much caffeine
Caffeine is usually found in teas and coffees. In Western Medicine, caffeine can increase the alertness of a person within a very short period of time but also result in a heightened stress response in the body. Stress hormones such as cortisol can increase the amount of oil secretion in the skin which can clog up the skin and increases the chances of inflammation in the pores and the development of acne.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, caffeine is ‘heaty’ and more Yang in nature as they increase the inflammatory response in the body. This causes the skin to be more heated and irritated and thus result in the formation of hormonal cystic acne.
2. Skipping meals
Skipping meals such as not eating breakfast or eating at irregular timings will mess up with the body clock in the body. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, every two hours of the body is governed by an organ system which has more energy or Qi flowing through. When one skip meals, it disrupts the Qi or energy flow of the body and can result in blockages or stagnations and even erratic flow of energy in the body which can result in growths and inflammations such as that of acne. Therefore doing the right thing at the right time is necessary for regulation of the entire body health, including skin health.
3. Taking Cold Foods and Drinks
Coldness in Traditional Chinese Medicine is a big taboo except for conditions that require the body to cool off. Unless you are dead, the body requires warmth and heat to survive, move and thrive. Taking cold foods and drinks generally slow down the circulation in the body and can cause toxins to accumulate and digestion to be hindered which can result in poor body cells renewal, all of which can result in disruptions in hormone production and general skin cell regrowth and therefore formation of hormonal acne.
For ladies, cold foods and drinks are a big no no as written in my past blog post here about why everything cold is not encouraged for ladies.
4. No rest days
Rest is necessary for hormones regulation to be patterned and structured as hormone productions and destructions are mostly accomplished in the liver when the body is at rest.
When a person is tired, stressed and lacks rest, the reactions for hormone regulations in the body is disrupted and blocked. When that happens, hormonal acne is one of the many presentations of such imbalances. Read more about Acupuncture for Time Abundance here.
5. Nutrient deficient
In Western Medicine, when a person is nutrient deficient, the body does not receive the necessary vitamins, minerals and other elements that are needed for the production of blood, energy, cells and tissues, including that for hormones. This will disrupt the hormone balance in the body and result in hormone imbalance which can present itself in acne on face.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, with poor nutrition, production of Blood and Qi is impeded and circulation, metabolism and digestion within the body will become sluggish. When this occurs, acne is formed as a form of indication that the body is malnourished, blocked and the acnes from poor nutrition are usually cystic with no pus.
6. Too much alcohol
Alcohol in Traditional Chinese Medicine is considered a food item that is high in dampness and heatiness. Taking too much alcohol will toxify the liver through accumulation of dampness, heat and toxins. The Liver meridian runs along the jawline. Therefore toxins that cannot be properly processed in the liver will purge and show up in the facial region where the meridians run through.
Read more about people with Jia Wood Daymaster Element and Yi Wood Daymaster Element in their birth constitution charts of how ta take care of their liver and gallbladder health.
7. Sleeping too late
Liver and Gall Bladder detox time according to Traditional Chinese Medicine body clock theory is between 11pm to 3am. Sleeping too late beyond 11pm will toxify the Liver. When Liver is toxified, it can purge and show up in the face as hormonal cystic acne.
Read more about Sleep and Mental Health Management with Acupuncture here.
8. Too much high intensity exercises
Exercises that are too high in intensity can overstimulate the body and nervous system and cause stress hormones to be released. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this means that the body’s balance is tipped towards the Yang side and acne can be formed as a result of the imbalance in hormones and in the Yin Yang balance.
Also when too much high intensity exercises are carried out, the body’s Qi and Blood can be weakened so much that certain hormones production may be disrupted. Therefore hormonal acne can be formed as a result of such over expenditure of energy.
How Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture can help Hormone Acne recover
General Health Rebalance
Hormone imbalance is seen in a different way from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory. The internal organs involved can be Liver, Spleen, Stomach and Kidney. It is necessary for the hormone imbalance to be properly diagnosed by a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor to assess which internal organ is responsible for the imbalance. Then herbs and acupuncture can be administered to help rebalance the hormones over a period of time. Read more about how TCM and Acupuncture treat PMS here.
Facial Health Improvement
Signature techniques in my practice includes facial acupressure, facial acupuncture, facial guasha and bojin and herbs can help to directly cure and treat the skin that is having issues due to the internal body hormone imbalance.
Read more of my TCM Facial Sculpting Regime here.