This $11 Oil Helped One Woman Nix Her Severe Breakouts and Dry Skin for Good
Putting the finishing touches on her makeup, Michelle Montoro examined her reflection in the mirror. It’s no use. You can still see them! she groaned, despair filling her heart. All her life, Michelle had clear skin — even in her teens. But when she turned 40, she suddenly started getting cystic acne on her cheeks during her period and mid-cycle. And the red bumps weren’t just unsightly, they were also painful and itchy.
“What’s going on?” she asked her doctor. “I never thought I’d have to deal with acne at this point in my life.”
“You’re probably in perimenopause. Hormonal changes cause many women to develop acne,” he explained, and her gynecologist echoed his assessment.
In the coming months, Michelle had countless appointments with her primary care physician and gynecologist, who prescribed various topical medications. Much to her chagrin, she saw zero improvement. To make matters worse, the treatments caused her skin to become super dry, which exacerbated the itchiness.
For five years, Michelle struggled with the severe twice-a-month breakouts. She hated leaving the house during those times, but the stay-at-home mom had errands that needed to be done, meetings at her kids’ school and engagements with her husband and friends that couldn’t be postponed. So she’d do her best to cover up the bumps with makeup and carried concealer in her handbag so she could do touch-ups.
Finally, last fall, Michelle had had enough. There has to be something that can help me heal this, she thought.
An Amazing Cure
Michelle began researching natural remedies and learned that special plant estrogens in flaxseeds and flaxseed oil help regulate hormone levels in the body to reduce fluctuations. She also discovered that they are one of the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been proven to dramatically reduce inflammation and hydrate skin.
This might be exactly what I’m looking for! Michelle thought, her hope rising.
To try it out, Michelle began adding a tablespoon of organic flaxseed oil (Buy on Amazon, $10.99) to her daily breakfast smoothie. Within just days, not only did the deep, painful cysts shrink and disappear, but the surface marks and scars lightened as well. The itching also ceased, which in turn minimized the redness and irritation.
Michelle was so amazed that, when she forgot to reorder her oil supply and her acne came back full-force, she decided to post timeline pictures of herself on her blog (ShelbeeOnTheEdge.com) when she restocked, so her followers who might be suffering from the same problem could see the rapid and miraculous transformation. Today, Michelle, 45, makes sure to always have a full supply of organic flaxseed oil on hand, and at $25 per month, she can work the expense into her budget. “My skin has never looked better,” she beams. “But best of all, I finally feel good about myself again — it feels like freedom!”
This article originally appeared in our print magazine, The 101 Best Home Cures.
