Can myo-inositol help with acne related to PCOS?

Many women with PCOS find acne frustrating, as it’s often linked to hormonal imbalances—especially elevated androgens like testosterone—that can increase oil production and clog pores.

Here’s how myo-inositol might help with acne in PCOS:

• By supporting better insulin sensitivity, myo-inositol can help lower excess insulin levels. Since high insulin can trigger the ovaries to produce more androgens, reducing insulin resistance may help bring androgen levels down a bit.
• Lower androgen levels often mean less oiliness and fewer acne breakouts for some women over time.
• Some people also notice improvements in skin texture and inflammation, likely due to more balanced hormones overall.

It’s important to remember:

• Changes with acne can take time—often a few months—to become noticeable.
• Myo-inositol is just one part of a broader approach that might include skincare, diet, stress management, and sometimes medical treatments.
• We can’t offer medical advice, so if acne is severe or impacting your wellbeing, chatting with a healthcare professional or dermatologist is a great next step.

You can view our reviews analysis here to learn more about benefits of myo-inositol.

Here’s the simple, gentle overview of changes many women notice in the first 3 months of taking myo-inositol for PCOS:

Weeks 1–4:

– You might not notice big changes right away, and that’s totally okay.
– Some people feel a slight boost in energy or steadier mood as blood sugar regulation begins to improve.
– Mild digestive adjustments can happen but usually settle quickly if you start with a lower dose and build up.

Weeks 4–8:

– Many women start to see improvements in menstrual cycle regularity or spotting a bit more predictable timing.
– Some notice fewer cravings or less intense sugar dips.
– Skin may start to feel calmer, though acne improvements often take longer.

Weeks 8–12:

– Ovulation may become more regular—this can sometimes be tracked with ovulation kits or basal body temperature if you’re monitoring fertility.
– Energy levels often feel more stable throughout the day.
– Hormonal symptoms like excess hair growth or acne might begin to soften, but these changes can take more time and may need additional approaches.
– Overall sense of feeling more balanced and in tune with your body is common.

Remember, everyone’s body is unique. Some see faster changes, others more gradual. It’s about gentle progress and tuning in to what feels different for you.

You Can track your changes using this Inositol 12 Week Progress Checker worksheet.

What blood tests should I get for PCOS?

Refer to the Evidence Based Guidelines & our 12 essential PCOS blood tests post for more details on this.

✅ Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH)

✅ Total and Free Testosterone or Free Androgen Index (FAI)

✅ DHEAS (Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate)

✅ Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG)

✅ Prolactin

✅ LH, FSH, and Estradiol (optional, not diagnostic)

✅ TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone)

✅ Free T4 (if thyroid dysfunction suspected)

✅ Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT)

✅ HbA1c

✅ Fasting insulin and glucose (for HOMA-IR)

✅ Lipid Profile (Total Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, Triglycerides)

The recommended daily dose for women with PCOS is 4 grams per day. This can be taken as 1 x 4g dose in the morning. Or as 2g with breakfast in the morning and 2g in the evening with dinner.A 4 gram serve is a not quite flat metric teaspoon. A 2 gram serve is a not quite flat metric 1/2 teaspoon. We now provide a 2g scoop in our Natural Myo Inositol Product.

It is recommended that you don’t take inositol with a lot of coffee as too much caffeine reduces the positive benefits. There isn’t a negative health effect rather just the reduction of positive effects.

How much is a lot? Depends on your body size and other factors but 3+ cups of coffee a day is a good place to start.

Inositol is a very safe food supplement. It is naturally found in mothers breast milk and often used in infant formulas and baby foods.

For a small percentage of women there is an adjustment process. This may mean headaches, dizziness, stomach ache or more frequent urination for the first few days or even weeks.

If this is the case for you, then we recommend you take your regular over the counter headache tablets and or start on a smaller dose and build up to the recommended dose slowly.

So rather than 4 grams per day you might take 1g in week 1, 2g in week 2, 3g in week 3, 4g in week 4.

It may also be helpful to split the daily dose into a morning and evening serving.

If problems persist stop taking inositol immediately and talk to your GP.

Inositol is recommended by some GP’s to women who are pregnant as it reduces the risk of gestational diabetes.

There are a number of peer reviewed studies where there has been no adverse effects from near conception through to delivery.

Always check with your GP if this is right for you.

We have not found a study to say that inositol in breastmilk causes problems for breastfeeding infants.

There are studies to support some positive benefits but there isn’t a lot of research on this.

We recommend that you make your own searches using the above provided sources.

If you do find something that we haven’t seen please let us know.

The planting area for corn in Australia averages 160,000 hectares and produces around 440,000 tonnes.

In China the area planted for corn is 76,000,000 acres producing 257 million tonnes.

This is well over 500 times more corn grown than in Australia.

Inositol production is a small fraction of this large quantity.

We haven’t found an Australian grown Inositol supply and suspect that the Australian industry is too small and serves other higher yield markets

Yes. It is GMO Free, Plant Based and Vegan safe. It is made from corn.

Depends on advice from your doctor. We cannot give medical advice and this is even more specialised as it is a toxicology question relating to your personal circumstances which we are not qualified to know.

Yes inositol is recognised as generally safe when used in recommended doses.

Compared to other products, the adverse events per 100,000 users is nearly 100 times lower than other common treatments like MF.

References:

• Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. (n.d.). Database of Adverse Event Notifications (DAEN). Therapeutic Goods Administration. https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/database-adverse-event-notifications-daen

• Cavicchia, M. L., et al. (2019). Safety and tolerability of inositol supplementation in clinical practice: A systematic review. International Journal of Endocrinology, 2019, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/2532583

• Kennedy, D. O. (2016). B vitamins and the brain: Mechanisms, dose and efficacy—A review. Nutrients, 8(2), 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu8020068

• Ernst, E. (2002). Adverse effects of herbal drugs in dermatology. British Journal of Dermatology, 146(6), 929–936. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2133.2002.04770.x

• Nathan, D. M., et al. (2006). Medical management of hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes: A consensus algorithm. Diabetes Care, 29(8), 1963–1972. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc06-9912

Inositol is a sweet carbohydrate powder food supplement used for treating PCOS, fertility, certain cognitive and insulin resistant health conditions. You are best to read the wiki page for a more technical explantion. Link here.