It was my first period in over a decade. Yep, I was 28 going on 14, after swapping my progesterone-only contraceptive pill—which comes with the handy side effect of never having that time of the month—for the combined pill, which requires a week-long break to bleed. I was having my ‘period renaissance’, if you will.
I don’t know why my contraceptive pill turned on me. We’d been getting along well. Then, one day, we weren’t. As randomly as a switch being flicked, I was plagued by constant spotting, and this went on for months.
Change was clearly needed. I knew swapping to a new pill could come with different side effects, but I was so busy worrying about how my mood would react to this new pill, that I hadn’t considered the physical toll it would take on my body—mainly my skin.
My mood has (fingers crossed) been okay, but my skin? That was a different story. Okay, I had my fair share of acne while on the mini-pill, but nothing quite compared with the volcanoes my new period started to produce.
My period spots couldn’t be contained by acne stickers and they refused to be camouflaged by full-coverage concealers, so in my desperation, I was willing to try anything. And that’s when my late-night TikTok scrolls introduced me to a concept known as ‘cycle syncing skincare’.
What Is 'Cycle Syncing Skincare'?
If you’re unfamiliar, the hashtag has 459m views (and counting) and involves switching up your skincare to align with your menstrual cycle to help tackle the skin troubles that typically erupt at each stage.
But would it actually work? Or is it just another TikTok fad? I tried it to find out…
A Menstrual Breakdown
Despite my Clue app’s best intentions, up until recently, I knew very little about my cycle. Well, aside from it lasting between five and seven days (within the average length of two to seven) and it making me crave a 12-box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. So, I went looking for answers.
‘Your cycle is divided into four parts,’ explains hormone doctor Sohere Roked. ‘There’s menstruation (your period), followed by the follicular phase, which is when the follicles on the ovaries start to mature and hormone levels start rising. Then there’s ovulation, which is the release of the egg into the womb, with a surge in oestrogen. Finally, there’s the luteal phase, with a surge in progesterone that thickens the lining of the womb so a fertilised egg can implant. If an egg doesn’t implant, hormone levels drop, menstruation occurs, and the cycle repeats.’ She adds that while the phases will be the same for all, the lengths of each phase may vary. To put it mildly, there’s a cocktail of different hormones shaking up inside our bodies, so it’s bound to show on the outside, too.
‘During the ovulation phase when oestrogen peaks, skin is more likely to glow, appearing clear and bright over the next five days, until testosterone and oestrogen begin to decrease. At this point, progesterone levels will rise, leading to oilier or more sensitive skin,’ says Dr Roked. These hormones play a vital role in our reproductive system, but any imbalance and our skin can pay the price.
"During the ovulation phase when oestrogen peaks, skin is more likely to glow, appearing clear and bright over the next five days"
My period tracker highlighted that my breakouts happened before or at the beginning of my period, and there was a reason for this. ‘Between day 22 and 28 (the late luteal phase), progesterone increases, as well as oil production,’ says Justine Hextall, a consultant dermatologist. ‘Cortisol is another hormone that is increased during times of stress and can also exacerbate breakouts,’ she adds. Being on your period isn’t exactly a relaxing spa day, so that wasn’t helping matters.
Now that I knew what my hormones were up to, the next step was testing if I could prevent them from wreaking havoc.
Going With the Flow
Armed with the knowledge of when I could expect a breakout (the dreaded luteal phase), Dr Hextall also gave me a cycle-syncing skincare regime. ‘During the more blemish-prone period, I suggest looking for actives such as salicylic acid, azelaic acid and retinoids,’ she says.
And, as if my skin somehow knew I was studying it, Mount Vesuvius decided to erupt on my chin on day 22. Dr Hextall was bang on. Using the cocktail of actives she suggested, I managed to defeat the beast. Trust me when I say it was the biggest spot I’ve had in years, so getting it flat in just under a week was no easy feat—a big win for cycle syncing.
Then, when my period started, Dr Hextall recommended ‘soothing ingredients such as niacinamide (that will also help to reduce post-acne marks) and hyaluronic acid to draw moisture to the skin barrier and a light water-based moisturiser to help seal that hydration in’. As the ingredients got to work and I entered ovulation, I definitely noticed the glow Dr Roked had told me about previously. It felt like I was finally leaning into my cycle, rather than fighting it.
Same Time Next Month?
The goal with cycle syncing is to treat your skin on a day-by-day basis, reacting to what it needs (while knowing which point in my cycle is a ‘danger zone’). This minimises the risk of overdoing it with unnecessary actives, or flooding skin with too much moisture. So while I was too late to pre-empt my spot erupting, going forwards I know to tackle breakouts with targeted actives a few days before my luteal phase.
As someone prone to sensitivity and redness, this approach is much more effective than aggravating my skin using activities all month long. It’s a waste of time and money applying a plethora of serums if your skin doesn’t need them and it can actually do more harm than good. So while our bodies are anything but consistent, this experiment finally taught me to listen to what my hormones are communicating through my skin. And I can’t argue with the results.
