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Fiery. Red. Itchy. Flaky. Painful. Skin Rashes :( :(

It's time to get real. One of the post birth control symptoms that can come up are knarly skin rashes. 

So I share a ton about my acne post-birth control because it was the thing for me that came back more severe than the rest of the stuff. And it's kind of prominent and not easy to conceal, so it's just there, ya know? Anyway, that's not the only post-birth control symptom I had, although if it was, I'd still be moaning and groaning because it. freaking. sucks. 

The very first symptom that I can remember are skin rashes. Like fiery red, itchy, flaky, painful rashes. If I remember correctly, they first appeared on my right elbow. Then on my right hand between my thumb and forefinger on that weird piece of flat skin with no cartilage (ya know where I'm taking about). Then it spread to my armpits and OH MY GOSH that was the worst. It's already hot and sweaty under there as it is. Try adding in workouts on top of that and there came a point where I just couldn't go to the gym anymore 1) because of the embarrassment, and 2) because of the pain. It hurt so bad I cried. Bawled. Just HATED my skin. 
It started probably a month after getting off birth control. And peaked at
three months post-birth control. It started very small on my elbow and then it grew. I tried to look it up on google (don't recommend haha). It ended up to me looking like a yeast overgrowth. So back then, I was still going to the dermatologist and he recommended a cream. It helped a bit! But it came back and stuck around. I used some oils on it, which also helped too, but didn't completely get rid of it. I eventually landed on a podcast that talked about how lots of skin issues can be due to an internal gut imbalance. Acne, eczema, psoriasis, etc.  

And then it started clicking for me...I had read that hormonal birth control can cause leaky gut, where particles get out of your gut (where they belong) and into other parts of your body, causing havoc. Other gut imbalances can occur when getting off birth control because birth control causes gut deficiencies anyways. So when you finally get off the medication, it's like your body is in panic mode and chaos with your gut, trying to remember how the microbiome is supposed to be and regulate everything inside. Which is what I attributed my fiery pits and itchy elbow to. 

I experimented with cutting out some foods from my diet which helped me immensely! There was a point when I was gluten, dairy, excess sugar, and alcohol free. You're probably thinking nope. No way. Can't do it. NOT gonna do it. But when you actually see a difference in not eating those foods and then your rashes come back when you temporarily slip up (it happens, and it's life), you might reconsider. I'm not saying I continue to be this strict with my diet, but it's what helped me immensely and I wish I knew earlier that it would help.

My rashes faded and eventually went away completely, but it wasn't for probably five months post-birth control and a few months of as clean eating as possible. Were there other gut-balancing products that I wish I tried sooner? Yes, but I wasn't aware of them until now when I don't have these issues nearly as much. Do I still have skin rashes to this day? Nope (yay!). Do I continue to watch what I eat because I experience clearer skin when I reduce my intake of inflammatory foods? Yup. :) Personal choice, and it's really not too hard to do. I'm having a ton of fun finding new recipes to make yummy foods with. 

Want some yummy allergy friendly recipes that I love? Let me know below and I'd be happy to send them over! I have a major sweet tooth, so you know there's gonna be some desserts in there ;)
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Just so you know, I may earn a commission off the links on my blog at no cost to you through various affiliate programs. I appreciate your support and love sharing my favorite products with you! :)

I Felt Out of Balance

 

It all started with small rashes under my armpits. They grew bigger. They were fiery red. They burned. I couldn’t itch them since they burned so bad. They flaked. They were embarrassing. I didn’t know what they were. Then they showed up on the crook of my elbow and on the top of my right hand. I thought it might be due to a gluten or dairy intolerance, so I changed my diet. It helped temporarily and my rashes didn’t hurt as bad and weren’t as red. But diet changes weren’t enough. I was devastated. My rashes remained for MONTHS!

Then the "fluff" showed up around my belly and hips. Maybe the start of winter contributed as well; either way I swear my pants used to fit me way better…

My hair started falling out. In chunks! I’d always had some hairs come out when I washed my hair, so I was used to it. But not to this extent. I knew something was going on.

My acne became out of control, almost to the extent when I was in high school. Red, painful, cysts that I just couldn’t resist picking. And here I had spent all these years at the dermatologist “healing” my acne for it all to come back with a vengeance.

I was in tears at least once a week. I felt hopeless. I felt so alone. No one could relate besides one girl I followed on Instagram. My boyfriend was supportive, but how could he understand though? He had no idea what I was going through.

I took a deep breath, wiped my tears and trucked on. Then the next week would start all over again with a meltdown because I was fat, my hair was falling out, my acne was returning, and my rashes burned SO. FREAKING. BAD. I was angry, frustrated, confused & hopeless. 

I had heard that stopping birth control could come with some pretty gnarly symptoms. And I thought I was ready for whatever would happen. But I didn’t realize how mentally and emotionally challenging these symptoms would be.

Like many people, I started taking birth control in high school. I took it mostly for my acne, but pregnancy prevention was nice too. My hormones were manipulated for over 7 years. The birth control was prescribed by my doctor, so why would I ever question how it was affecting my body?

Turns out, I had NO idea just how much it affected me. All of me. It wasn’t until I read this book that I understood how much my body was impacted by these synthetic hormones that I didn't even realize were synthetic at the time. How hormonal birth control can be prescribed to “treat” certain conditions, yet it’s really only a bandaid fix. I didn’t want that bandaid fix anymore and I wanted to heal myself naturally. So I took the leap and ditched my birth control.

Aside from some of the challenges of getting off birth control, I noticed a whole new world of positives that came from it. For the first time in my life, I actually had energy! I no longer needed to sleep half the day away. The mental fog was gone! My mood increased, as well as my libido, which I swear was gone for good. I finally felt like I was in control of my health for the first time. Truly healthy and truly better.

My goal is to be that shining beacon of light for you if you are struggling with the decision to finally get off hormonal birth control. You are not alone in worrying how your body will react. You are not alone in this transition and your experiences. It might be challenging. But we are strong. We are healers. We are self-advocates. And only we know what’s best for our bodies.

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