When I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis just a few weeks before my 27th birthday—after more than ten years of severe pain, being dismissed by doctors, and having no real answers—I broke down in tears. But that relief quickly turned into fear. Endometriosis isn’t just a reproductive issue; it affects the whole body, from mood and hormone balance to digestion. I had a nagging feeling my life was about to change: what I eat, how I handle stress, the type of exercise I do, and even my skincare routine.
“Endometriosis is a whole-body metabolic problem that impacts every organ system,” says Dr. Felice Gersh, a well-known women’s health expert and medical director at the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine. “You’ll have stronger stress responses and heightened pain sensitivity, and living with pain naturally affects everything from how you see yourself to your relationships and overall quality of life.”
Endometriosis affects about one in ten women worldwide, as far as we know. But it’s seriously underfunded and under-researched, like many conditions that mainly affect women. Since there’s no cure, more and more women are turning to holistic treatments and lifestyle changes to ease their symptoms. They’re finding hope in anti-inflammatory diets, “cortisol cocktails,” and lymphatic drainage techniques. Along with balancing hormones, these can be some of the most effective ways to manage endometriosis—but as interest grows, so does the risk of misinformation and false claims.
Besides dealing with heavy periods, ongoing pain, bloating, digestive problems, and low mood, women with endometriosis may also struggle with acne, dark spots, and hair loss. For the beauty industry, this is a chance to reach a growing group of consumers who are more sensitive to certain ingredients and more careful about what they use. This goes beyond creams and serums to include massage tools, wellness routines, and detox treatments.
The opportunity for beauty brands isn’t just in topical products but also in tools like gua sha for lymphatic drainage (left) and massage balls for releasing tight muscles (right). Photos: Getty Images
Over time, I’ve figured out a beauty routine that works for me. I try to limit my exposure to endocrine disruptors—chemicals that can make endometriosis symptoms worse—found in fragrances and cleaning products. I’ve swapped non-stick pans for cast iron or stainless steel, chosen organic whole foods over processed ones and pesticide-treated produce (and I do the same with clothing), and cut out alcohol and caffeine (a choice I made seven years ago, which a major study has since supported). I stick to low-intensity exercise like yoga and Pilates, plus some fun dance classes that boost serotonin. I also use lymphatic drainage massage to reduce bloating, and importantly, I use hormone replacement therapy (HRT)—the same treatment that helped my mum through menopause. My skincare and beauty routine is simple and consistent, I only use non-comedogenic products (ones that don’t clog pores), and I haven’t dyed my hair in years.
Luckily, I’m navigating this at a time when the beauty industry is moving more toward non-toxic or “clean” formulas, traditional healing practices are becoming mainstream, and the wellness movement has made things like saunas and somatic therapy more accessible than ever. These trends weren’t created with endometriosis in mind, but they still help. However, beauty has two sides, says Kristina Holey, an inflammatory skin specialist and director of skin health at the skincare brand Marie Veronique.
Kristina Holey, director of skin health at Marie Veronique, says beauty brands need to be more open about their ingredients and help customers target their specific symptoms instead of overwhelming the skin with harsher and harsher products. Photos: Ashley Batz
“Part of the beauty industry is focusing more on repairing the skin barrier, using anti-inflammatory ingredients, and supporting a healthy microbiome,” she says.I see women being pushed at younger and younger ages to demand more from their skin,” Holey explains. “More active ingredients, more devices, lasers, injectables, and biostimulators. Many of my clients feel confused and overwhelmed, and they’re seeing more redness and sensitivity because they’re pushing their skin too hard.”
Women with endometriosis or similar conditions like polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), formerly known as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), don’t necessarily need special products or dedicated lines, says Holey. What they need are good, honest brands with reliable products, clean ingredients, and marketing that focuses on transparency rather than promising quick fixes. There may be emerging best practices and general guidelines, but the exact products and ingredients that help or irritate your skin will be highly personal. “The world wants to create guidebooks,” she says, “but in my experience, everyone is different.”
Treating the root cause
If there’s one key rule for managing whole-body conditions like endometriosis and PMOS, it’s to treat the root cause rather than just the symptoms, says Dr. Louise Newson, co-founder of London’s Newson Clinic and author of The Power of Hormones. She describes the skin as “a window into our internal organs.” It can reveal when hormones are out of balance, when nutrition is lacking, or when bodily systems aren’t working properly. You can’t just apply “some special potion” and expect skin issues to disappear, she adds.
For endometriosis, one major driver is inflammation. Ideally, we’d spend most of our time in a calm, neutral state (the parasympathetic nervous system), says Gersh, but endometriosis often keeps women stuck in the sympathetic nervous system, or “fight or flight” mode. This can lead to jaw clenching, pelvic muscle tension, or teeth grinding. Many women also experience cortisol spikes, which can thin hair and skin and weaken the gut barrier.
For Gersh, an endometriosis-focused beauty routine starts with stimulating the vagus nerve—the longest cranial nerve, running from the brain to the gut—to help the body shift back into a relaxed state. This can include acupuncture, meditation, massage, and laughter. She personally uses a small, spiky orange ball for myofascial release (to ease tension in connective tissue) and a gua sha tool for lymphatic drainage massage (brands like Face Gym, 111Skin, and Sisley Paris already sell these).
Television host, model, and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi was diagnosed with stage four endometriosis at 36. She says massages, Icoone treatments, exercise, and diet are key to managing her symptoms.
When lowering inflammation is the main goal, beauty becomes about more than just skincare. Gersh recommends rubbing lavender essential oil into the soles of your feet, using a diffuser with lemon or orange oil, and drinking herbal teas like tulsi, chamomile, and kahwah. There are also ingestibles and supplements, like Epetome by Emily English (known online as Em the Nutritionist), though it’s always wise to get blood tests to see which supplements you actually need before buying in bulk. “These aren’t woo-woo or frivolous,” says Gersh. “They can truly change your life. When you have good vagal tone, you sleep well, digest well, regulate your temperature properly, and all your organ systems work as they should.”
Television host, model, and cookbook author Padma Lakshmi was diagnosed with stage four endometriosis at 36 and later co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America (EndoFound) with her surgeon, Dr. Tamer Seckin. While Lakshmi didn’t struggle with acne, she does deal with hyperpigmentation, which she treats with microdermabrasion. “All the lasers and peels other women swear”aren’t recommended for people with darker skin,” she explains. Lakshmi also gets regular massages to help with bloating, and has recently started Icoone treatments, a non-invasive method for body reshaping, skin tightening, and lymphatic drainage. “It’s an investment, and it’s not permanent—like raking snow while it’s still snowing.”
For many women with endometriosis, beauty is a complicated topic. “It’s not just about your looks; it’s about your health, which naturally ties back to your appearance,” says Lakshmi.
Others take a stricter anti-inflammatory approach. Sophie Richards waited five years for a diagnosis (the average wait is seven to ten years) and has had four surgeries, plus she froze her eggs. She says the biggest shift came when she explored holistic treatments, earned a certification in women’s health, and began sharing what she learned online. Today, Richards has 790,000 Instagram followers, a Sunday Times bestselling book (The Anti-Inflammatory 30-Day Reset), and a wellness community called Found.
For Sophie Richards, beauty starts in the kitchen. Her six-pillar anti-inflammatory plan covers food, gut health, detoxification, sleep, stress, and movement.
Photo: Clare Winfield
At the core of her method are six key areas aimed at reducing inflammation: food, gut, detoxification, sleep, stress, and movement. “These are simple lifestyle tweaks that make a big difference in how you feel every day,” says Richards. Some of her favorite beauty tips are free. “My lymphatic drainage massage goes viral every time I post it. Your lymphatic system sits just under your skin and acts as your detox pathway. If lymph fluid gets stagnant, toxins build up under the skin and cause puffiness. Massaging it takes three minutes—anyone can do it.”
Topical products that target inflammation and repair
In recent years, some beauty brands have started catering specifically to women with endometriosis or PMOS, either by creating new products or better highlighting existing ones. For example, Australia’s MV Therapy offers a skincare line specifically for PMOS, and UK-based ReNew was developed for endometriosis after its founder, Dr. Kate Blundell, was diagnosed. Many beauty brands aligned with treating endometriosis were started by facialists and cosmetologists, including California-based spa and skincare brand Monastery.
Founder Athena Hewitt says her main goal is to “get skin into an optimal healing state,” where good bacteria can thrive and the skin can balance itself naturally. One of her biggest frustrations is how often the beauty industry pushes acidic products to control oil when women face hormonal imbalances. “Hormonal shifts often flood our system with oil, and we’ve been taught to try to stop that with acids like benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid,” she explains. “But that just dries out the skin’s surface, which signals your brain to produce more oil. Taking a more neutral approach, like using oil-based cleansers, lets oil flow freely, which usually stops the overproduction.”
Less is more, says Monastery founder Athena Hewitt. She recommends oil-based cleansers to limit oil production and manage breakouts.
Photos: Courtesy of Monastery
For Holey, skincare shouldn’t overpower the skin but support it in regulating itself. She avoids making blanket statements about good or bad ingredients, preferring to focus on building skin resilience so it can handle whatever treatment a client wants. But she draws a firm line on preservatives. “We don’t want mold growing in the bottle, but we also don’t want to sterilize the skin,” she says. “You wouldn’t only eat preserved foods, would you?” At Marie Veronique, she avoids parabens and preservatives like sodium benzoate and phenoxyethanol, sticking instead to microstatic preservatives like leuconostoc. Other ingredients to avoid include benzoyl peroxide and triclosan (often used for acne) and phthalates (commonly found in fragrances).Living with endometriosis means becoming an expert on highly specific ingredients and constantly checking product labels. But navigating these complex details is tough, and there are limits to how much brands can help. Rules about what brands must disclose and what they’re allowed to use vary widely from place to place. Plus, explaining exactly how much of an ingredient they use, why it’s included, and what byproducts it might create takes up too much space—and could easily step on intellectual property rights.
“It’s really hard to be a consumer right now,” says Holey. “Instead of always picking and choosing and trying to become a label-reading expert, it’s better to find a group of brands you trust. Those brands need to be open about their values, how they make and source their ingredients, and what they’ll do to your skin.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about adapting a beauty routine when living with endometriosis written in a natural supportive tone
FAQs Beauty SelfCare with Endometriosis
1 What does endometriosis have to do with my beauty routine
Endometriosis is a wholebody inflammatory condition The fatigue chronic pain and hormonal shifts it causes can make your skin more sensitive your hair thinner and your energy for a multistep routine nonexistent Your beauty routine often has to change to work with your body not against it
2 Why is my skin suddenly breaking out even though Im an adult
Endo lesions produce their own estrogen which can disrupt your natural hormone balance This can lead to adult acne even if you never had it as a teenager Stress and fatigue also raise cortisol which triggers oil production
3 Are there specific ingredients I should avoid
Yes because your skin barrier is often more reactive Avoid harsh exfoliants high concentrations of strong acids and products with heavy synthetic fragrances or alcohol These can trigger inflammation and redness
4 My hair is falling out more than usual Is this related to endo
It can be Chronic pain and the stress it puts on your body can push hair follicles into a resting phase Also some hormonal medications used to treat endo can cause temporary hair thinning
5 What are the best types of makeup for days when my skin is flaring up
Look for mineral or clean makeup that is fragrancefree and noncomedogenic A tinted moisturizer or a skin tint is better than a heavy fullcoverage foundation as its lighter and less likely to irritate a sensitive painful face
6 Im exhausted all the time How can I keep up with a beauty routine
Give yourself permission to have a minimalist routine Keep it to three steps a gentle cleanser a rich moisturizer and a tinted lip balm On really bad days a good micellar water and a cotton pad counts as a full routine Its okay to do less