How to Naturally Ditch Your Acne for Good

You wake up in the morning and head to the bathroom to do your morning routine. And there it is….another pimple. It’s like you’re back in high school with all this acne popping up! Why are you struggling with skin issues at this age? Not only are they embarrassing and can damage your self-confidence, but they can be painful, right?

If you’re exhausted from the physical and mental consequences of acne, then you’re in the right place. This article will discuss how you can naturally ditch your acne for good!

What Causes Acne?

First off, there are different types of acne: acne vulgaris and acne conglobata. Acne vulgaris often consists of whiteheads, blackheads and is accompanied by redness around the area and usually appears in the “T” area of your face. Acne conglobata is more of a cystic acne that forms deep painful bumps that may actually never manifest into a whitehead or pimple. 

While some people may think acne comes from dirt or not washing your face enough, that’s actually a myth. Ance is caused by underlying, hidden imbalances. Washing your face too much could really be making your acne worse. 

Finding the root cause of these imbalances is how you’re going to be able to ditch your acne for good. Acne could be caused by a combination of several internal factors, including the following:

• Poor Gut Health
• Hormone Imbalance
• Food Sensitivities
• Toxin Burden

Poor Gut Health

If you are struggling with dysbiosis, it can significantly increase your risk for acne. Dysbiosis reduces the number of good bugs in your gut and your skin. The gut-skin axis connects your gut and skin. So, this means that if your gut is imbalanced or inflamed, it can cause systemic inflammation and cause inflammation to your skin, resulting in acne or other skin conditions. 

Hormonal Imbalance

Estrogen dominance (imbalanced estrogen to progesterone ratio) and androgen excess are two common hormonal imbalances that can cause acne along with many other symptoms. Because your menstrual cycle is regulated by hormones, you may even find that your acne becomes more severe around certain parts of your cycle because of the excess estrogen levels.

Androgen excess is when you have increased levels of testosterone, which can increase the production of oil (sebum) in your skin, and can cause an overproduction of a protein in skin cells, keratin, blocking pores. Increased testosterone is often seen in women with PCOS, or who are chronically stressed.

The reason hormones get out of balance in the first place could be from major stress, poor diet, environmental toxins, and poor detoxification.

Food Sensitivities

Your body could create an immune-mediated response to certain foods, which can make acne severity worse. Food sensitivities alone may not outright cause acne, but it can make it worse and contribute to other annoying symptoms because it could increase the severity of inflammation in your body (and skin!).

Toxin Burden

Environmental toxins are everywhere these days. They are hiding in our household cleaners, beauty products, clothes, food, and even water sources! Some of these toxins can damage your gut microbiome, gut lining and can even overburden your liver. Estrogen-mimicking toxins can contribute to estrogen dominance, which can cause acne. 

Why Topical Creams or Birth Control Pills Aren’t The Answer

The first misconception most people believe is that covering up acne with medications is the same thing as fixing it. But here’s the truth. Acne medications and creams just act as a Bandaid for your acne. It doesn’t truly get to the source. So month after month, you’re going to have to have your pimple cream on hand to be prepared for when those pimples appear…and honestly, how well do pimple “treatments” really work? Not too well, right?

The Issues With Birth Control and Acne

If your doctor prescribes you the pill to “treat” your acne, it’s not actually solving the issue. Not only can your symptoms return once you get off the pill, but the pill has some major implications for your health. You may know that they may cause blood clots but did you know birth control damages your gut as antibiotics do? 

The pill can damage your microbiome, cause an imbalanced gut, and a slew of other issues. Plus, the pill can deplete your body of vital nutrients, so your risk of becoming nutrient-depleted also skyrockets. You have to be especially careful of B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, and zinc levels. If these are too low, they can cause additional problems like constipation, fatigue, mood issues, and more. Simply put, birth control is not how you ditch acne for good!

Natural Ways to Get Rid of Acne

Take a look at your diet: Ditch processed foods loaded with extra sugar, inflammatory oils, pesticides, and artificial ingredients. Dairy, specifically, is loaded with extra hormones and is known to be inflammatory, and has been shown to make acne more severe. You may see success in avoiding dairy alone. Also, prioritize organic, whole foods as the base of your meals. If you are consuming meat, choose from high-quality sources.

Reduce and manage your stress: Stress only can cause damage to your gut and can wreck your hormones. Incorporate stress-reducing exercises into your daily or weekly routine and make it a priority. 

Reduce toxin exposure: Swap out your products with non-toxic alternatives. Invest in a high-quality water filter and shop for organic foods! 

Support detoxification: Get in movement, hydrate up and eat liver-supporting foods. 

Get your hormones tested: Knowing which hormones are out of balance can help you know the most effective lifestyle change you can make to balance your hormones and get rid of your acne forever.

Ditch Your Acne For Good with a Functional Medicine Doctor in Maryland!

Annapolis Functional Medicine Provider, Dr. Skye Stewart, can order these tests for you and help you analyze the results. From there, she can give you guidance on how to treat hormone imbalances. 

Since imbalanced hormones are a very common root cause of many symptoms and illnesses, it’s vital that you address these head on, at the beginning of your health journey. Dr. Stewart is currently accepting new patients in the Annapolis, MD area. You can make an appointment with her here.

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