Acne, this is something that most of us have experienced over our lifetime. Sometimes it pops up in our teen years, or we unexpectedly develop it in adulthood, just when we thought we were in the clear. This condition can have severe consequences on our psyche and will often lead to permeant scarring of the skin.
The most simple explanation for acne is that it is a result of inflamed pilosebaceous follicles (aka sebum-hair follicles). As we will see later, this sounds simple but inflammation is incredibly multifactorial.
Conventionally prescribed therapies are targeted towards manipulating hormones (Spirolactone and birth control), giving antibacterial medications (Tetracyclin), increasing skin turnover and sebum production (Accutane or facial ‘peels’) or, in some cases, by completely stopping inflammation (steroids). Some of these therapies provide great relief for a portion of the population, but they are not without their share of potential side effects. Furthermore, these are general approaches to acne and often don’t treat the root cause of the problem.
The thing about inflammation is, there are so many ways our body can become inflamed. From a root cause point of view, there are many things that can cause your follicles to become inflamed and for acne to develop. Examples of things that could be causing your acne are:
- Poor blood sugar regulation.
- An inflamed gut (from process foods, a high sugar diet, food sensitivities, toxins we are exposed to, ect.).
- Imbalanced hormones (often this is an excess of testosterone).
- Chronic, high stress.
- Poor quality skin products that are aggravating the skin.
- Poor sleep.
- Inefficient removal of toxins from the body, leading to build ups that express themselves in the skin.
- Certain medications.
The more we learn about acne the more we realize… it is complicated! Unfortunately there
is no one size fits all approach, but with some investigating we can figure out what your unique situation is. Sometime your unique reason for developing acne is made clear by taking a proper health history, but often the root cause isn’t that obvious.
That is why in my practice I tend to place a heavy emphasis on testing! There are specialized test that can tell us the status of your sex hormones, blood sugars, stress hormones, and food sensitivities, just to name a few.
Once we know what is going on INSIDE, we can start therapies that will help clear up your skin on the OUTSIDE. That isn’t to say there aren’t topical treatments that don’t also help, but if your healing the acne from the inside out you are going to see those topical treatments go even further. Investing in your skin care is a smart idea and by doing the work internally too, you are going to make those $100 face creams you bought work even better.
Are you sick of spending money on treatments that don’t work, doctors that don’t listen and wasting your precious time trying to figure it out yourself? If the answer is yes, then a naturopathic consult might be for you! You can learn more about how to heal your acne from the inside out by booking a complementary 15 minute ‘meet and greet’, where we can discuss your options.
Disclaimer
Information can be empowering, but we all have unique health profiles and needs. The health-related information contained in this article is intended to be general in nature and should not be used as a substitute for a visit with a licensed naturopathic doctor. The advice in this article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
References
- Wardle, J., & Sarris, J. (2014). Clinical naturopathy: an evidence-based guide to practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.