Happy National Wellness Month: Let's Talk Skin

It’s National Wellness Month! This month is dedicated to understanding and celebrating the importance of stress management, self-care, and healthy routines. This month makes my heart smile. I am the self-care queen, and wellness has become a major part of my life in the past years. Unlike self-care, something I am so sure of and clear on, wellness is tricky. I work out and eat healthy (a lot of the time). I also stay hydrated and mind my business. One would think this is a great regimen for total wellness. Unfortunately, my story is taking a turn, and I am experiencing adult acne in a real and embarrassing way. Let’s get into story time:

My mother put me on birth control around the age of 17. I wasn’t sexually active at the time, but she wanted to make sure I was protected if/when I started. I had been with my boyfriend for about a year, and I assume now that her Spidey senses were going off. Fast forward to 2021. I had been on birth control for about 15 years, and at age 33 I decided I no longer wanted to keep with hormonal birth control and switched to a copper IUD. My OBGYN advised me that there was a 50/50 chance I would have complications from the IUD, and if in 3-6 months there was no improvement I would have to get it removed. Within 3 months I had the piece of Satan removed through an emergency procedure. I experienced the worst symptoms. Excessive bleeding and cramps were at the top of the list. I had the IUD removed and did not get back on birth control. Nothing was going on but the rent and I figured there was no time like the present for a reset.

I knew my hormones would be out of whack in the beginning because my body would need to re-regulate itself. What I didn’t expect was the battle I’ve faced for the last two years because of it. As a teenager, I dealt with mild acne. What I don’t know is if my acne would have kept on if I had not started birth control. As we know, outside of protecting from pregnancy, birth control in many cases helps with acne and breakouts. One side effect I was down for. Coming off birth control, everything I read started it would take 6-12 months for the body to regulate in most cases and the skin to start clearing up if there was acne present. In my Martin voice, “Somebody done told you wrong.” My acne is not only still present but has also gotten worse. I have been going to aestheticians and a dermatologist, investing what feels like mountains of money, and to be in a worse situation than when I started is defeating.

I have hit a low point of frustration, and confusion. I am not a doctor, dermatologist, or aesthetician, and when I pay for these services, I give my money and my body to the profession believing that they will know what is needed to help me. Through all the disappointment, I have made the decision that I am going to take matters into my own hands. I am committed to doing the research and testing to find the root cause of my acne and explore products that will aid in managing it. I am doing this for me, and you if you suffer from adult hormonal acne. I no longer wish to spend thousands of dollars with no true results. I want to find real answers and solutions that I can share to help heal us from the inside out and outside in. One of my 2025 goals is to have clear skin, which starts TODAY! Perfect timing for National Wellness Month.

This will be an evolving conversation. If you suffer from adult hormonal acne, hit me up.  I’d love to hear about your journey, and I’m also here to support you.

Lata!