So many women are given hormonal birth control in their teens to put a stop to their acne. Although it may appear to do the trick of clearing up your skin for some, it’s doing this by suppressing your endocrine system and the natural flow of your body’s own hormones. This leads to all those side effects we know and hate – from depression, anxiety and low libido to blood clots.
And when you come off – which most women do as a result of their experience of these negative side effects – the acne almost always comes back and often it is much worse than it was before, due to a drop in estrogen. This is a dirty trick, to my mind. It puts many women in this horrible bind that causes them to feel forced to return to the medication just to get their clear skin back. I hate it – it’s like these drugs have a built in insurance that you will continue to use them.
However, that isn’t the only answer. Here at Flo Living I’ve helped hundreds of women successfully transition off hormonal birth control and maintain beautiful clear skin. In fact, off the hormonal birth control, their skin has never been better!
First thing of course, is talk to your doctor. Let him or her know that you want to come off the drug or device. Then before you actually stop using it, start following the Flo Living protocol. Cycle-syncing your eating and exercise while you’re actually still taking the Pill can make this transition so much gentler on your endocrine system and save you a lot of the side effects women report including acne, but also – insomnia, mood swings and irregular cycles.
Here’s my 3 step guide to coming off the Pill without your acne returning.
Plus here’s my breakdown of the 3 most important things you need to know to heal your acne, and fast.
Shawna’s story
Shawna is one of the many women who I have helped to come off hormonal birth control and regain clear (in fact, her clearest yet!) skin. Read her story below or watch the video.
“I was hooked on birth control. I was on it from 17 to 24, and it was giving me emotional ups and downs and making me crazy. I didn’t know myself. I tried to go off and my face exploded. Everyone told me it was because I went off the birth control. So I figured a quick fix to that would be to go right back on it. So, I went right back on it.
I got married soon after that. We were married in ‘08 and we’ve been married for 7 years. We were thinking about starting a family, but I also just didn’t want to be on birth control anymore. So, I came to Flo Living looking to come off birth control without my face breaking out.
On birth control I just felt like I couldn’t control my emotions. It made me feel like I wasn’t in touch with me. I felt victim to feelings I couldn’t control. I had a lot of real highs and real lows and there was never a good place to live in-between. It was like that almost the whole time I was on it.
Flo Living was my birth control rehab. My mom heard you (Alisa) talking to Abel James on a podcast. She said she could tell you knew what you were talking about. I looked you up and bought your book. I read it, but I needed more of a step-by-step, hold-my-hand, and give me feedback experience and that’s why I signed up for the Flo Living protocol.
You have seriously changed my life. I can’t even say it without getting emotional.
The functional nutrition is awesome. The food is amazing. But, it was all the emotional changes and all the “you don’t have to be perfect” and “you just do it because that’s what you want to do” stuff that was so good for me. I feel like I like myself the most for the first time ever.
I didn’t expect that. I expected it to be like the South Beach Diet, Paleo, all the stuff I tried to do and hoped to stop when my skin when back to normal. It wasn’t that way at all. I learned how to do it and I liked it.
I feel like somebody taught me how to eat. Like when you grow up you think you have cereal for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch…but now I know what to do.
It worked completely. I dropped the NuvaRing. I quit and my skin stayed completely clear. More people said my face looked good then than did during the whole 14 years I was on birth control.
Then we decided we did want to start a family and I’m pregnant! I’m 16 weeks!
I think if I could go back and tell myself anything it would be to do this program 7 years ago instead of hiding and medicating the problem using birth control. I would have done it earlier. I would have rather learned this in high school. I could have gone through college more comfortable with myself and more in touch with myself.
You can treat yourself with food. Food can heal and food can hurt and it depends on what food it is. You need the guidance for what food to use as your medicine. Food has much more potential than people give it credit for.”
If you’re struggling with acne and you’re ready to make a change – take action now. It will change your hormones and your life. You deserve that.
Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!
to your FLO,
Alisa
Good things come in threes:
I want to hear from you!
First, do you suffer with acne?
Second, do you want to come off hormonal birth control?
Third: You know every one you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social by clicking the buttons below
Need more Hormone Help?
If you’re needing some health upgrading, it’s time you started you looking into what’s going on with your hormones.
I’ve designed a 4 day hormone detox and evaluation to help you understand exactly what’s out of whack and how you can start getting back to balance so that your hormones no longer have to suffer.
Click here to get your FREE detox and evaluation!
I wanted to ask, what do you suggest for those who get cystic acne whether they are on or off the pill? What birth control do you recommend for those that do not want to get pregnant? I have been vegan for about 3 years and eat fairly cleanly, similar to your suggested cleans, but still cystic acne remains. I take many extra vitamins and herbs as well known to help but nothing seems to work. I currently have an IUD and recently started taking spiro which seems to have helped. Curious to hear what has worked for others. Thanks.
I also have the same question about what kind of birth control is recommended. I have the ParaGuard IUD and I have had my hormone levels tested showing more than sufficient estrogen and progesterone throughout my cycle. I do have stage 3 adrenal fatigue. I am so ready to stop getting acne breakouts!
My 19yo daughter had to stop taking Trisprintec due to an extensive pulmonary embolism in her right lung about 3 months ago. Her acne has exploded, but seems concentrated all the way down her back. Please help. She is mortified and self conscious.