How DIM Changed My Skincare Life (& My Hormonal Acne)

Miracle cure? How DIM changed one hormonal acne sufferer’s skin & why it might work for you.

I’ve talked at length about my journey with hormonal acne here. I’ve given up dairy. I’ve incorporated BHAs. I started using a Curology subscription. And yes, my hormonal acne greatly reduced, but I was still getting a pimple (or four) during that time of the month.

For anyone who is still struggling with hormonal acne, I just want you to know I understand. It’s honestly no fun breaking out with painful, relentless cystic acne that lets up for two weeks, only to return again. I thought that hormonal acne was just going to be a part of life forever and ever — that is, until I discovered DIM, the supplement that has changed my life.

I was searching on the internet one night and was reading comments on a popular beauty site on an article about acne, and someone mentioned DIM. Intrigued, I went down an internet rabbit hole and was convinced I needed to try it. Science backed up the claims, so I thought, hey, why not?

What is DIM?

DIM is short for diindolylmethane, a naturally occurring byproduct when the body digests any sort of cruciferous veggie — think broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage. It’s available in pill form. You can take it like a regular vitamin, just once a day. I know you’re like, well, why can’t I just eat the veggies? Well, you should definitely eat your veggies, but one DIM capsule contains the equivalent of two pounds of vegetables, which is … a lot. If you can eat two pounds of veggies a day, you quite literally may be a superhero.

Without getting into too much science-y stuff, DIM basically helps regulate your hormones. Like, imagine if you could just eat a giant salad that helped get rid of acne, but it was in a pill form. DIM is basically that. But DIM isn’t just about acne. If you have severe PMS or PMDD (hello, it’s me), then DIM can also help significantly reduce all those gross symptoms. It’s like a win-win-win.

DIM is pretty safe to use (it is just basically broccoli in a capsule), but please consult your doctor or physician before taking any sort of supplement, just to be on the safe side.

My experience with DIM

So I bought my bottle of DIM from Whole Foods (just the generic brand, but you can find DIM on Amazon as well, just read the reviews) and started taking it every day after my breakfast. There are a few minor side effects, namely headaches and very dark urine. Both of these can be fixed by simply drinking more water. More water = major key. Oh, and yes, I did experience a little bit of gas and bloating, but that went away after about a week or so. TMI? Maybe, but I’m here to give ya’ll the full experience, OK!

I tracked my period and noticed it was getting closer and closer to the time that I normally get breakouts. Nothing. Hmmm.

Then I noticed that my PMDD symptoms were WAY more manageable. No sore breasts, no intense mood swings, no feelings of unbearable sadness. I was SHOOOOOOOK. Like, I don’t even know what it feels like to start my period and not want to hibernate for 7 million years. And then my period started. And still no acne. My period ended, and I got about three pimples, but it was a huge improvement from my normal routine.

After about a month and a half, I noticed that my skin seemed more balanced —  not as oily, and my breakouts were few and far between. I even broke my dairy ban and had a few slices of pizza and still no acne. After two months, I noticed that I stopped getting breakouts at all, and my skin was clearer than it had been in the past two years. And now, I haven’t had a pimple in months. My skin is smooth, PIH is nearly gone, and I can go foundation free. It’s amazing!

I definitely didn’t have any sort of expectations going into this whole DIM thing. I figured, if it worked, cool, if it didn’t, well, I’d have to try and figure something else out. But not only did it work for me, DIM completely exceeded my expectations. I don’t think I can live without it now!

Have you heard of DIM? Tried it? Let me know about your experience in the comments!