I remember when my healing journey started. It was before I ever had acne, right when I figured out that all my symptoms of depression, anxiety, and panic attacks started when I was put on the birth control pill.
When I made that connection, I stopped the pill right away. I felt great. Empowered.
But 3 months later, I broke out in the most severe cystic acne I’ve ever had in my life.
I had no idea that stopping the birth control pill could cause acne. All my doctors ever told me was that it could help with keeping my skin clear.
And I had NO clue what to do about it.
I was raised on fast food and popped ibuprofen every time I had a headache, and I was in the process of applying to PhD programs to become an immunobiologist.
Natural medicine was so foreign to me, but I knew if a pill did this to me, I didn’t want to treat my acne with more medications. There just had to be another way. And I ended up finding it, and changing my career to become a naturopathic doctor in the process.
👉 If your acne came on after the pill, or you’re worried about stopping the pill because of your skin, then I’d love for you to hear more of my story…and learn what you can do about post-birth control symptoms like acne.
Last year, I had the pleasure of talking to Erica Jones of The Natural Modern Family podcast. In our interview, we talk about the negative effects of the birth control pill, my journey with hormonal acne, and naturopathic therapies to help clear your skin and recover from the pill. (You can listen to our episode here!)
One thing to remember as you listen to this episode: Your healing journey will not be linear.
You don’t go from having acne to clear skin in a straight trajectory. There will be ups and downs.
Know that most healing journeys are spiral. Your symptoms improve, but then often you’ll come back and hit common themes and old wounds, revisiting the same challenges to heal them on a deeper level.
So please don’t get discouraged if you feel as if your skin seems to improve and then flare up again–this is all part of the healing process. You’re on the right path. ❤️
