Acne oh acne. How I personally despise you and have struggled with you over the years. I'm sure most of you can relate to this, too! It's something we all have struggled with at some point in our life. Want to know why and learn about my personal journey? Keep reading!
Acne is something that results from a toxicity issue, hormonal imbalances or food allergies. If you come see us for an appointment, we sort through and figure out which of these (or all three) are causing your breakouts. I have found little things that help topically, but topical applications NEVER EVER address the real issue which stems from an internal issue mentioned above.
First we address toxicities to get the bad stuff out of your body safely and effectively. These toxicities are usually due to heavy metals, chemicals or candida. All of which are tested at the office. If toxins aren’t being eliminated properly (via bowel movements, urine, lymphatic system and sweat) they have to come out somewhere. And that somewhere is the skin! Doing a good cleanse is key. I like to think of them as ‘oil changes’ that you do for your body just like you would for your car. Somehow most people take care of their cars better than their own body!
Secondly hormonal imbalances... This takes time to balance out, but YES it can be done safely, naturally and effectively with herbs and whole food supplementation. (This is what was causing my breakouts.) Women, for example, are typically estrogen dominate for a number of reasons. One being that people's livers are sluggish and estrogen backs up, plus all the soy and phytoestrogens in our diet.
Women can also be progesterone deficient. This happens for 1 of 2 reasons. You may be progesterone deficient because you aren't making enough OR because you have so much estrogen that the ratio between estrogen and progesterone is so off balance that it appears you are low in progesterone because of the high levels of estrogen. Moral of the story - we have to balance out the hormones. There are herbs to help us achieve this naturally! This is exactly what made the biggest change in me. Men also have hormonal imbalances typically due to testosterone levels and these hormonal levels can be balanced out by natural supplementation as well!
Third is food allergies. This is typically due to an allergy such as dairy or high levels of simple carbohydrates (sugars) and processed food. Cleaning up the diet and even adding in a digestive aid can really make all the difference in the world.
My personal journey
I have really struggled with acne as I have gotten older. It has been a frustrating battle. I have done so many cleanses, cleaned out heavy metals, chemicals, candida, etc. I felt so much better, but it only changed my skin mildly. I eat really clean and have been on digestive support and still no change. I have done different topical ointments, toners and there was no major change. I have also been on different hormonal regulators and female support supplements but it wasn't until I got on one that specifically helped raise my progesterone levels naturally that I found the BIGGEST change. It was crazy how quick it kicked in.
So I did more research, progesterone levels decrease with high amounts of stress. This is why my acne flared up significantly with undergrad, but even more so with chiropractic school where my stress levels were through the roof. It all made sense!
I had been working on decreasing my estrogen levels by detoxes and focusing on supporting my liver, but until my progesterone levels increased my skin didn't change at all. I have never been confident about my skin, but when I finally connected all the dots I have noticed a huge change and feel confident!
Now it isn’t perfect all the time. Right now as I type this my skin is broken out from doing a liver cleanse, but I know why- and know it will clear up when I am done. It is my body’s way of purging out toxins and I am okay with that.
NO not everyone's skin issues are like mine. They could be due to any one of the factors above. I have seen people's skin clear up within a week by simply getting rid of toxins. Every single person's journey is different.
DO NOT put your children on antibiotics for acne. This may work but for all the wrong reasons. It kills all good and bad bacteria in their digestive environment and sets them up for so many immune issues down the road.
My husband was on antibiotics for over a month when he was a teenager for acne. His family didn't know what else to do like most people (and he didn't know me at the time ;). As a long term result he had a lot of fatigue and allergies because of candida which is directly related to antibiotic use. Every year he would get a sinus infection or 2 and get on more antibiotics. He has done multiple candida detoxes to reestablish balance after being on so many antibiotics and his immune system is so much better and energy levels too! (PS- he hasn’t had a sinus infection in over 4 years since doing his first candida cleanse.)
Other popular acne medications out there make it mandatory for females to take pregnancy tests while they are on the medication. This is because if they are on it while pregnant it causes extreme birth defects in the fetus. Pregnant or not why would you want to put that in your body?! Safe and natural is the way to go, and even better there are no side effects!
Please do not hesitate to call the office or email if you struggle with acne or know any teenagers that do and want help. Remember you skin is an external reflection of what is going on internally.
There are natural, safe and effective ways to combat acne and we want to help you do it!