You may have read once or twice on my blog or social media that I have suffered badly with ongoing acne. I had been on and off antibiotics and prescribed treatments for my acne. Also, I work in skincare, so I have all the products and ingredients around me, all the expert advice and still, my acne was somewhat manageable but I was never fully confident. Every month I would have to endure an outbreak of pimples around my mouth, redness and dry skin from all the BHA I was applying to prevent and cure. It was clear it was hormonal but regardless, it’s tiring and is terrible for self-confidence.

I saw a friend, who’s not an influencer, post on her social media that she had been taking a natural supplement to help clear her acne that she had been trying to manage for years. Her story, she explained, was exactly like mine. I clicked the link to the supplements she had used and as a nutrition nerd, delved right into the details. Like you reading this right now, I was skeptical.

But I found the under the radar supplement was helping women all over the world with their hormonal breakouts and other mad symptoms of PMS. I did a deep dive into the research and went out and bought myself a box of DIM capsules right away.

So, how does it work?

Our bodies make diindolylmethane when we eat cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli. By taking a supplement with diindolylmethane, you basically amp up the level of diindolylmethane in our body which gets to work on blocking aromatase, which converts testosterone to estrogen. It basically helps the liver in dealing with bad/excess estrogens by helping detox the bad estrogens to make room for the good estrogen.

Hormonal acne results from an imbalance of good estrogens, bad estrogens, and testosterone. When you supplement with DIM, it works to prevent the bad estrogen pathways and strengthens the good estrogens and testosterone. When everything is in balance, your skin will have the proper support to stay clear and healthy.

How long does it take to work?

They say 2/3 months of taking 200mg a day of DIM should do the trick, but everyone is different.

What results did I see?

Well, my acne cleared up in about two months and I only suffer from one spot here and there. I also don’t feel as sad or sluggish close to my period and don’t really get cravings or anything. It has kind of eliminated my symptoms of PMS!

How much should you take?

The recommended dosage is about 100mg every day to start and move to 200mg as long as you’re not getting headaches.

Taking DIM is only really necessary if you feel like you have symptoms of high estrogen. How do you know if you have high levels of estrogen (or estrogen dominance)? Severe symptoms of PMS, heavy periods, weight gain. DIM is generally considered safe, but as always, pay attention to symptoms that seem out of the norm for you and consider speaking to a doctor before taking it. Of course, it’s best to not rely on a supplement as a long-term fix for a hormonal imbalance. But if you’ve tried everything else and aren’t getting the results you want, DIM might just give you a much-needed respite from breakouts—and other not-so-pleasant symptoms—while you continue to play period detective.

Buy DIM in Ireland / USA.