Clearstem: Birth Control, Hormones & Your Skin: What’s Actually Happening

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Dec 30, 2025

In this insightful discussion, Danielle Gronich, the 'Acne Guru' and co-founder of Clearstem, and integrative health practitioner Kayleigh Christina dive into the intricate relationship between hormones, acne, and gut health. They share personal struggles with cystic acne and explore how birth control can mask underlying issues. Discover the importance of gentle exfoliation, dietary adjustments, and avoiding pore-clogging ingredients. They emphasize that true healing starts with understanding your body and making sustainable lifestyle changes.

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ANECDOTE

From Failed Drugs To Clinic Breakthrough

Danielle spent years on multiple medications including three rounds of Accutane before teaching herself esthetics and building San Diego Acne Clinic.
Kayleigh cleared her severe post–birth-control cystic acne in two months with Danielle and co-founded Clearstem to scale that approach.

ADVICE

Support Body When Using Or Stopping The Pill

Avoid using birth control as a long-term acne cure without supporting your body during or after use.
Expect rebound acne when stopping the pill and support gut and nutrient status to reduce symptoms.

INSIGHT

Birth Control Silences Body Communication

Long-term birth control disrupts nutrient levels, gut microbiome, and the brain-ovary communication.
Coming off the pill floods testosterone back into a body unprepared to metabolize it, worsening acne temporarily.

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What if your skin isn’t the problem—but the messenger?

Could breakouts, hormonal imbalances, and low confidence all trace back to the same root cause?

And what if healing your skin wasn’t about adding more products—but understanding your body’s signals?

In this episode of A Really Good Cry, Radhi sits down with Clearstem co-founders Danielle Gronich and Kayleigh Christina for an eye-opening conversation on how to truly heal acne from the inside out. Danielle shares her years-long struggle with cystic acne and the frustration of endless prescriptions that never worked, while Kayleigh opens up about the emotional toll of post-birth-control breakouts that left her hiding from the world.

Together, they unpack the deeper connection between hormones, gut health, and skin—and why “clean” doesn’t always mean “acne-safe.” They also dive into how stress, sleep, diet, and hidden ingredients in skincare (and even haircare) can trigger breakouts—and the small, sustainable changes that can make a big difference.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

The truth about birth control, antibiotics, and what they do to your hormones
Why exfoliation isn’t optional—and how to do it right
The most common pore-clogging ingredients hiding in your skincare and makeup
How to support your body’s detox and hormone balance naturally
The foods and supplements that may secretly be sabotaging your skin
Why healing acne starts with awareness, not perfection

If you’ve tried everything and still feel stuck, this episode is your reminder: your skin isn’t the enemy—it’s your body asking you to listen.