GlowMoore

How your nervous system can directly impact your hormones and why “hormonal acne” is often only part of the story.

We hear the term “hormonal acne” all the time. But hormones are chemical messengers, they’re signals within a much bigger system.

And one of the systems that can influence those signals is your nervous system.

Imagine your body is constantly in fight or flight mode, feeling like it needs to stay on high alert. From a survival perspective, reproduction isn’t necessarily the body’s highest priority when it perceives ongoing stress.

Your brain and ovaries communicate through something called the HPO axis: the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and ovaries.

The hypothalamus signals the pituitary, which releases hormones that communicate with the ovaries and help regulate follicle development, estrogen production and ovulation.

Chronic stress and changes in the stress response system can disrupt this communication and influence reproductive hormone signalling.

That doesn’t mean hormones “aren’t the problem”, hormones absolutely play an important role in acne. But sometimes the question needs to go deeper:

What is influencing those hormonal signals in the first place?

Stress, sleep, inflammation, metabolic health, nutrition and your wider nervous system state can all be pieces of the picture.

This is why I use the term “hormonal acne” very lightly.

Your hormones don’t operate in isolation. They’re part of an interconnected system.

📍 Online| Bristol| Whichurch

Salicylic acid or mandelic acid?

It really depends on the skin, what it’s telling us, and the formulation of the product because not all acids are created equal.

Mandelic acid has become a favourite of mine, especially for acne prone or sensitive skin. It can offer similar exfoliating and decongesting benefits to salicylic acid, but in a gentler way.

Salicylic still has its place, especially for oily and congested skin, but stronger doesn’t always mean better.

Not sure what acids you should be using?

We offer an online skincare routine consultation to help you get the perfect routine together.
DM us “skin routine” if you’d like to find out more.

📍 Online| Bristol
📲 Book your consultation via the link in our bio
🖊️ DM with enquires

What are closed comedones? 👀

Those tiny, pesky little bumps under the skin are essentially plugs made up of dead skin cells and oil trapped within the pore.

So, how do you get rid of them?

That really depends on your skin, because there can be several reasons why congestion is happening in the first place:

Poor cell turnover
Dehydrated skin
Excess oil production

But the important question is… why?

Why is your skin producing excess oil?
Why is your skin dehydrated?
Why is your cell turnover struggling?

Sometimes, internal work may also be needed to understand what could be driving increased oil production, rather than only focusing on what’s happening on the surface.

Simply throwing more products at congestion isn’t always the answer. The right routine needs to be tailored to your skin and what it actually needs.

Not sure how to get your congestion under control?

Book your Skin Regime Consultation today via the booking link in our bio. 🤍

📍Online|Bristol|Whitchurch
📲 Book your online consultation today via the link in our bio
🖊️What’s app 07852937903 with your enquires

But WHY has my client got comedones, and WHY is she breaking out?

Here, I’m talking to my client about some of the reasons her skin may be more inflamed this month compared with last month, looking at lifestyle, stress, training and diet, not just what we put on the skin.

I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with this client over the summer through a functional approach to supporting her acne.

Although we’re not completely clear yet, we’ve already seen huge improvements in her skin, periods and overall mood, which is such a positive sign.

After working on the foundations, we’ve now moved on to functional blood testing to look more closely at patterns within the body, and we’re currently awaiting her results.

This month, however, her skin is the most inflamed it has been in around 3–4 months.

So, rather than immediately changing her skincare, we’ve looked at what else may have changed.

One area we discussed was an increase in carbohydrate and sugar intake. Foods that cause larger rises in blood glucose may influence insulin and other pathways associated with acne in some people, particularly when they’re eaten frequently or alongside other contributing factors.

We also looked at her current training load.

High-intensity workouts, such as running, can temporarily increase cortisol levels. While exercise is beneficial for overall health, a high training load combined with insufficient recovery, stress or poor sleep may contribute to increased inflammation in some people.

And that’s exactly why I take a functional approach to skin.

It’s not always about adding another product.

It’s about looking at the bigger picture, identifying patterns and understanding what may be contributing to YOUR skin.

For now, we’ve discussed adjusting her training to weight training instead of running, as this can help reduce stress on the body while we track her skin and await her blood results.

Want to understand WHY you’re breaking out?

DM me “functional skin”

📍Online| Bristol| Whitchurch
📲 Book your FREE 15 minute online acne call via the link in our bio
🖊️ DM with enquires

Wha if the answer to stubborn acne isn’t just another skin product 👀

This transformation came from taking a more functional approach t the skin, looking beyond what we could see in the surface and considering the individual factors that may be contributing to breakouts.

Rather than simply targeting the spots, the focus was on understanding the bigger picture, creating a personalised plan and supporting the skin consistently over time.

When is come to acne the most important question isn’t “what can we put on it”, it’s “what evil be driving it”?

Ready to start your skin journey? DM us acne and we can help you!

📍Online|Bristol|Whichurch
🖊️Dm out enquires
📆 Book your online or in person skin consultation via the booking link in our bio