Why am I still breaking out?!

Let’s talk about something so many women deal with but often feel stuck or confused about: acne breakouts.

Even when you are eating so clean, drinking water and following your skin care routine perfectly.

So what’s actually going on?

The Real Root: Estrogen Dominance

One of the most common patterns I see in women with cyclical acne is estrogen dominance—which doesn’t always mean you have too much estrogen, but rather, you don’t have enough progesterone to balance it out.

But here's the thing no one’s talking about…

Why are you estrogen dominant in the first place?

Let’s go deeper.

1. High Iron = Hormonal Havoc

Yep, too much iron can lead to high estrogen.

Iron is a pro-oxidant, which means in high amounts it can trigger inflammation and stress inside the body—both of which impact hormone metabolism. This doesn’t mean you should avoid high iron foods like meat if you have acne. It means we have to keep digging to figure out WHY iron is high (it’s delicate system).

🩸Why it matters: High iron can slow down the liver’s ability to break down and clear out estrogen efficiently.

2. A Sluggish Liver

Your liver is your detox queen. It processes and eliminates excess estrogen. But if your liver is congested—either from nutrient depletion, high toxic load (think: fragrance, meds, alcohol, etc.), or stress—it can’t keep up.

Instead of estrogen being cleared and excreted through your gut, it gets recirculated back into the body, making your hormonal symptoms worse.

💥 Breakouts
💥 Bloating
💥 Breast tenderness
💥 Mood swings

These are all signs that estrogen is building up without an exit plan.

3. Chronic Stress

High, unmanaged stress doesn’t just drain your energy—it robs your hormones, too.

When cortisol (your main stress hormone) is elevated, your body “steals” resources that should go toward making progesterone—the calming, skin-loving hormone that balances estrogen.

So even if your estrogen levels aren’t super high, stress can lower progesterone enough that estrogen becomes dominant by default.

The result?
👉 You feel edgy, inflamed, and yes—your skin flares up.

What You Can Do to Support Clearer Skin (Beyond Spot Treatments)

If you’re constantly dealing with breakouts around your cycle, it’s worth asking: what’s throwing your hormones off balance?

Here's where I start with clients:

✅ Check your iron – ferritin, serum iron, and iron saturation levels, vit D, vit A and more. It’s important to have a professional who understands iron recycling to review this. I do this with my clients each week!
✅ Support your liver – think minerals like magnesium + potassium, and bitter foods like dandelion or arugula
✅ Regulate blood sugar – insulin resistance and blood sugar swings drive estrogen and androgens up
✅ Address gut imbalances – especially if you suspect H. pylori or slow digestion
✅ Reduce stressors – both physical and emotional (this might mean boundaries, sleep, or slowing your workouts)

You don’t have “bad skin”—you have symptoms.

Your body is talking to you, and breakouts are just one of the ways it asks for help.

If you’re tired of guessing and want to get real answers, apply to work with me! I dealt with acne all through my 20s and now I support women on the same journey. You can find more information here.