What to Eat for Hormonal Acne: An Acne Nutritionist’s Top Picks

If you’ve been battling breakouts that flare up consistently around your cycle or you’re struggling with painful, deep cystic pimples that seem to linger forever, there’s a strong chance you’re dealing with hormonal acne. This type of acne is incredibly common among the adult women we work with inside The Clear Skin Solution. It often comes with a lot of frustration, confusion, and a long list of failed skincare attempts. That’s why understanding what to eat for hormonal acne is such a powerful step toward supporting clearer skin from within.

But here’s the thing: your skin is a reflection of what’s happening inside your body. What you eat has a powerful impact on your hormone levels, inflammation, gut function, and ultimately, your skin.

As holistic nutritionists who specialize in adult acne, we are here to walk you through the connection between hormonal acne and nutrition and share the exact foods I recommend to my clients inside my acne-clearing program, The Clear Skin Solution.

What is Hormonal Acne?

While hormonal acne is most often associated with imbalances in estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and cortisol, the truth is we have over 50 hormones in the body. These chemical messengers impact everything from metabolism and mood to sleep and skin health. When even a few of them fall out of balance, it can set off a ripple effect that eventually shows up on your face as breakouts. Here are some of the key hormonal players that can influence acne:

Estrogen and Progesterone

These sex hormones need to exist in the right balance. Too much estrogen relative to progesterone (called estrogen dominance) can worsen breakouts, especially around your period. Low progesterone can also contribute to oily skin and more PMS symptoms.

Testosterone and Other Androgens (like DHEA)

These hormones increase oil production and can thicken the skin’s outer layer, leading to clogged pores and more breakouts, especially cystic ones on the jawline and chin.

Cortisol

This is your main stress hormone. Chronically elevated cortisol increases inflammation, disrupts blood sugar, and suppresses digestion, all of which are bad news for clear skin.

Insulin

Produced by the pancreas, insulin helps regulate blood sugar. When you’re constantly spiking insulin (think: too much sugar or refined carbs), it boosts androgen levels and oil production, triggering acne.

Thyroid Hormones

(T3 and T4)Your thyroid regulates metabolism and skin cell turnover. If it’s underactive (which is common in women), it can slow detox pathways and lead to dry, congested skin with stubborn breakouts.

Melatonin

This sleep hormone indirectly supports skin health by regulating your circadian rhythm. Poor sleep disrupts cortisol and insulin, leading to increased inflammation and breakouts.

Leptin and Ghrelin

These are your hunger hormones, and they also affect inflammation and insulin sensitivity. Poor nutrition or yo-yo dieting can throw them off, contributing to hormonal chaos.

The point is: hormonal acne isn’t just about one hormone out of place. It’s about how these hormones interact, and how stress, gut health, blood sugar, detox capacity, and sleep habits influence that delicate hormonal dance.

How the Gut Microbiome and Liver Impact Hormonal Acne

Your gut and liver are your body’s primary detox pathways, and they play a major role in how hormones are processed and eliminated. When these systems aren’t functioning optimally, hormones like estrogen can be recirculated rather than excreted, leading to imbalances that show up on your skin.

The Gut Microbiome: The gut microbiome helps regulate estrogen levels through something called the estrobolome, a collection of gut bacteria that metabolize estrogen. If the gut microbiome is out of balance, often due to poor diet, stress, or antibiotic use, it can result in excess circulating estrogen, which contributes to hormonal acne.

The Liver: Similarly, your liver is responsible for breaking down used hormones and toxins so they can be safely eliminated. If your liver is sluggish or overburdened, those hormones can build up, throwing your entire endocrine system off balance. That’s why supporting both the gut and liver is key in any acne-clearing strategy.

The Role of Nutrition in Achieving Clear Skin

When you eat nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods that support hormone balance, gut health, and liver function, you’re setting the foundation for long-term, acne-free skin. The right foods help stabilize blood sugar, reduce inflammation, support detoxification, and feed your skin the nutrients it needs to thrive.

Below are some of our go-to foods and recipes that support hormone balance and skin clarity from the inside out.

Top Foods for Hormonal Acne

Healthy Fats

Fats like avocado, olive oil, chia seeds, and hemp hearts are essential for hormone production and blood sugar stability. They help reduce inflammation and provide building blocks for healthy skin.

Recommended recipes: Power Guac & Spiced Fish Tacos with Avocado Crema

Quality Protein

Lean, high-quality proteins like pasture-raised turkey, grass-fed beef, organic eggs, and wild-caught salmon provide the amino acids needed for hormone synthesis and detoxification. Zinc-rich options like turkey also help regulate oil production and calm inflammation.

Recommended recipes: Turkey Sausage & Butternut Squash Casserole & Slow Cooker Bolognese 

Fibre-Rich Vegetables and Legumes

Fibre supports digestion and helps your body eliminate excess hormones and toxins through the bowel. Without enough fibre, estrogen can be reabsorbed into circulation and contribute to hormonal imbalances.

Recommended recipes: One-Pot Chickpea Stew & Egg Roll in a Bowl

Blood Sugar Balancers

Blood sugar spikes increase insulin, raising androgens and oil, which clogs pores and triggers breakouts.
Stabilizing blood sugar with berries, chia seeds, cinnamon, and fibre-rich vegetables helps balance hormones. Leafy greens, broccoli, and zucchini support slower glucose absorption and help reduce inflammation.

Recommended recipes: The Hormone Smoothie & Blueberry Zucchini Muffins

Antioxidant-Rich Foods

Foods like red cabbage, leafy greens, turmeric, and colourful veggies are high in antioxidants and phytochemicals that reduce inflammation and support the liver’s detox capacity.

Recommended recipes: Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad & Turmeric Roasted Cashews

Getting to the Root of Hormonal Acne

If you’ve been dealing with hormonal acne, the answer isn’t in another harsh cleanser or prescription like birth control and spironolactone. It’s in looking deeper at the root causes like hormone imbalances, gut dysfunction, and detox overload and then nourishing your body with the right foods to restore balance.

This is exactly what we do inside The Clear Skin Solution, our 6-month holistic coaching program for adult women struggling with acne. Using functional testing and a personalized approach, we uncover what’s actually driving your breakouts and create a clear, step-by-step plan to support your skin from the inside out.

You don’t have to do this alone. If you’re ready to finally understand your skin and start seeing real results, chat with a team member to talk about how we can support you on your clear skin journey!