Last post, I gave you some hints and clues about what may be causing your specific acne problem. If you now have a hunch about which imbalances may be wreaking the most havoc for you, then you may be wondering….. what do I do about it?
General Poor Health; Nutrient Deficiencies; Poor Circulation
- Start by improving your diet! If you know you eat really poorly, a bit of extra nutrition may be all it takes.
- Start getting exercise. Try to find an activity that you find fun so that you’ll stick with it. Bonus points if it’s outdoors.
- Start taking fish oil or cod liver oil. Almost everyone is deficient in Omega 3s and it’s so important for the health of the skin.
- Get tested for vitamin and mineral levels so you know what to work on
Hormones
- There are many things that can cause hormones to go out of whack (puberty, birth control pills, stress, Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, etc), but all of these things are almost entirely influenced by lifestyle. So the number one key to balancing hormones is to eat right, exercise, sleep well, and reduce stress.
- Get a saliva hormone test. This can tell you exactly which sort of hormonal imbalance you’re dealing with, and you can then find supplements that may help with your specific issue.
- Stop eating conventional meat and dairy that contains synthetic hormones.
- Super intense body building (as well as performance enhancing drugs) can increase testosterone in the body which can lead to breakouts. Tone down the workouts so that they’re less stressful and quit the performance enhancers.
Food Allergies
- Start by eliminating the most obvious food sensitivities for those with acne – and those are wheat and gluten, conventional dairy, and soy products.
- Eliminate anything you think you may have a problem with for a month or two and monitor yourself for any changes in your skin, moods, or digestion.
- Get a food allergy test done. I recommend an electroacupuncture test, or kinesiology testing.
Blood Sugar Problems
- Cut way down on sugar and refined, processed foods (like white bread and rice).
- Try to stay away from coffee, drugs, or other stimulants – it feeds the sugar swings.
- Eat snacks throughout the day to prevent your blood sugar from dipping too low.
- Avoid eating huge amounts of dense carbohydrates at one meal. Combine small amounts of dense carbohydrates with lots of vegetables and some protein and good fat to prevent blood sugar swings
- Buy a glucose meter that diabetics use to test their blood sugar levels. This can help you get a precise idea of which meals and combinations of foods cause problems for you.
Poor Digestion; Candida
- Cut way down on sugar and refined processed foods.
- Take probiotic supplements and eat fermented foods.
- Get an electroacupuncture test that can let you know if you have a candida problem, and how bad it is.
- If you have a candida problem, do a candida diet and include yeast killing antifungals in your regimen.
- Take a psyllium husk fiber supplement.
- Cut down on grains (especially gluten grains), unsoaked nuts and seeds, tough raw vegetables (like broccoli), and other things that are tough to digest.
- Be mindful when you eat. Chew thoroughly, don’t rush, and don’t eat when you’re stressed.
- Take digestive enzymes to help you fully digest your food.
Stress; Poor Emotional Health; Poor Self Esteem
- Read Skin Deep
- Begin a practice of meditation, breathwork, yoga, or some other calming, relaxing activity.
- Do you what you love and that makes you feel good about yourself! Concentrate on what you’re good at and ignore the rest.
- Try positive visualization. Your body can’t tell the difference between things that are real or imagined. It will respond positively to positive imagery (like envisioning yourself with clear skin)
- Reevaluate your life. What can you do to move away from the people and things that don’t resonate with you or support your best interests?
- After you’ve reevaluated your life, take action. Don’t sit there and do nothing.
- Are you doing too much with your time and getting overwhelmed? Remember that 80% of your output comes from 20% of your effort. Streamline the things you have to do and cut out the unimportant stuff.
- Every morning or evening, write down 5 things that you’re grateful for.
- Remember that your thoughts are not as important as you think. You don’t have to believe every negative thought just because it came into your head.
- If you need extra help, see a counsellor or or a hypnotherapist.
- Stop drinking caffeine. Caffeine automatically raises the stress hormone in your body.
Physical Irritation; Skin picking; Really Harsh Skin Care Routine
- Simplify your skin care and stop messing with your face’s natural balance by using commercial products that are full of ingredients and chemicals. I suggest using raw honey to wash your face, and only organic aloe vera as a soothing moisturizer/toner/whatever.
- Find a skin care routine and stick with it. Shocking your skin by changing every two weeks is a bad idea.
- Stop picking, popping, touching, using abrasive things, and irritating your skin. Just leave it alone. If you need help, read Stop Picking On Me.
- Never wash your face more than twice a day even if your skin is oily.
- Become aware if you are leaning into or pressing things onto your skin (like your cell phone) and getting breakouts in those areas. If you notice a connection, try to find a new way to hold your phone, etc.
What do you think? Are you more clear on what you need to do now, or more confused?
Sampson says
July 21, 2011 at 11:02 amNice concise little guide 🙂
People love to over-complicate this acne thing but it’s much simpler than most people make it out to be.
hanna says
July 21, 2011 at 8:34 pmi like your list 🙂 i’m making a list tonight including some of these ideas and putting it up on the wall by my bed for a visual reminder.
can i ask what fermented foods you eat (have eaten)? all i’ve got at the moment are miso soup packets from whole foods…
Tracy says
July 23, 2011 at 8:49 amHmm I’ve mostly eaten kefir… milk or apple juice that I’ve made at home and taken probiotics. Quality sauerkraut is good too. Oh I suppose I eat fermented butter as well (called cultured butter if you buy it at the store)
jen says
July 23, 2011 at 9:32 pmHi Tracy,
What kind of supplements do you take/suggest? And have you heard of Vitex? I’ve heard that it can help women who typically break out around their period, but I would love to hear your opinion on it. Thanks for all you do!
Tracy says
July 24, 2011 at 10:27 amI’d mostly suggest good probiotics and good quality cod liver oil for everybody. There are plenty of other helpful supplements, but what each person needs will vary considerably by what their imbalances are so I can’t really recommend anything specifically. I’ve also heard that vitex is good for women who have hormonal acne, but I actually don’t know that much about it right now, as I’ve never used it myself. I imagine it would be pretty helpful if you think that is your issue. I will do some research and maybe write an article soon! I’ll put ‘er on the list. Thanks.
Tereza says
July 24, 2011 at 3:14 amAwesome article! Really helpful and easy to understand. Thank you!
tess says
August 8, 2011 at 4:17 amHi Tracy,
Lovely and warming website. Compliments on that at first!
I have a question: i’ve stopped taking the birth control pill in march. The first couple of weeks my skin was very clear. Unfortunately my acne is coming back now, and its mostly around my jawline, cheeks and on my chin. I’m eating healthy, i exercise two times a week and don’t eat much dairy and wheat. I’ve read your articles on the symptoms and how to find the cause and i think (i’m sure) my hormones (being out of balance) are the cause. I also experience some hairloss and other signs related to having to much progesteron, male hormones. Is there something else i can use or take or do to balance the progesteron hormones?
Thank you so much in advance!
Tracy says
August 8, 2011 at 12:12 pmHi Tess!
To be honest, I still need to sort through all the hormone stuff – ie. which imbalances cause which symptoms etc, before I can recommend supplements and that kind of thing. If you take a supplement that is to help a certain hormone imbalance and that isn’t the imbalance you have, it could make things worse… it’s best to get checked so you know for sure which ones you have, and go from there. A salivary hormone test will do that, but they can be expensive – 100 to 200 bucks at least.
I’m confused about what you’re trying to say anyway…. do you mean you think you have too much progesterone, AND too many male hormones such as testosterone? What other symptoms do you have aside from hair loss? I’m curious… it might help me figure out what to recommend.
Jeff says
August 11, 2011 at 10:27 amhey! I was wondering if soaked nuts have ever caused you problems. I think that nuts are causing my occasional acne still. If I eat a LOT at once, I tend to break out. I THINK nuts are the culprit, but what is your experience?
Tracy says
August 12, 2011 at 10:02 amThey could be… some people don’t do nuts well. The most concrete reason I can give for soaked nuts giving you acne is because most of them contain a huge amount of omega 6s, and that can throw off your omega 3 balance quite easily and create inflammation
Jeff says
August 12, 2011 at 10:10 amgotcha. have you ever done any “face mapping” where you eventually realize why you get acne on certain parts of the face? This last week I’ve been eating out a LOT and i got a few pimples on my forehead, which I NEVER get.
it’s kind of interesting. maybe a correlation?
Tracy says
August 12, 2011 at 10:27 amYeah I should do a blog post about that. I have no idea whether it’s true or not…. but it’s interesting to help give you clues. My biggest problem areas are my forehead and chin, which I think means digestion (forehead) and hormones (chin)
Jeff says
August 12, 2011 at 10:29 amthat would make sense that I would get a few on my forehead because I was eating some food with lots of nasty oils in it … usually I get it on my cheeks or above the lip area if I do get any.
i just searched that stuff up online randomly – my mom told me about it. did you stumble upon it too?
Amber says
October 29, 2011 at 3:31 amI can’t find anywhere to get a food sensitivities test done. I have tried the pulse test but am struggling. My pulse seems to change all the time no matter what I eat or even if I don’t eat. Any ideas of how I can find one of the tests you suggest in my area?
Amber says
October 29, 2011 at 8:08 amI also keep reading that those tests are unreliable..I am afraid of blood but would you recommend having a blood draw or finger prick test? The holistic clinic in my town says it tests for immediate and delayed reactions.
Tracy says
October 29, 2011 at 8:14 amHi Amber… yeah in my new book, I took out the recommendation for that particular test because it seems like its common in my area but I always get emails from people saying the naturopaths/specialists in their area don’t know anything about it….. here is a sheet from the website of my naturopath explaining it though: http://www.getwellhere.com/pdf/vega-testing.pdf
So yeah… basically…. just go for any test that tests you for delayed IgG antibody allergies! The advantage of the non-blood test ones is that they can test you for a lot of things quickly… I’m not sure if this is so with the blood ones, or if they just test you for a couple things
Amber says
October 29, 2011 at 8:41 amThank you for your quick response. I will keep researching and hopefully find a way to test my sensitivities accurately. The blood test from the clinic in my area does test IgG antibodies, but it will cost me around 250 dollars (American), which I don’t exactly have to spend. I wish I could find a skilled applied kinesiology or vega test. I would be happy even it it wasn’t 100% accurate if I saw some improvements.
Tracy says
October 29, 2011 at 8:48 amYeah I know… it’s too bad that the first site that comes up about electro acupuncture is one from Quackwatchers, which I personally feel is a ridiculous website that discounts every. single. natural therapy out there.
It’s true… I doubt electro acupuncture tests are 100% accurate, but it really helped me, and my naturopath who offers them told me they have an incredibly good track record with people getting better with their use. And like it said in that document, it’s a good way to test many allergies at a reasonable price
Roc says
February 25, 2014 at 5:35 pmHi Tracy
I’ve had really good skin all my life – I’m 26 and always the most perfect skin. I had really bad digestive issues growing up and have recently gone plantbased. I eat mostly vegetables and fruits with some nuts, seeds, cacao, grains, legumes and cooked foods. I eat mostly raw fruit and eat a lot of food and balanced. My digestive issues are better than ever and I’m feeling great. Nothing has worked any better. However I’m breaking out with acne very badly. In between my eyes and on my chin mostly, sometimes on random spots on my face too. But mostly inbetween eyebrows and chin. I wash my face with coconut oil lemon juice and sea salt once a day. I hardly moisturise because it feels as though it doesn’t need it. I’m told by others that have been living with this lifestyle that the same happened to most of them and it’s only detoxing. What can you tell me about detoxing and acne on the face? It’s really swollen and sore at times. Not sure what to do or should I just be patient ? Thank you.
Tracy says
February 26, 2014 at 8:04 amHi Roc, how long ago did you switch up your diet? Detox acne is a legit but it shouldn’t go on for months and months. This is my article about detox acne: https://thelovevitamin.com/6599/detox-breakouts-symptoms-how-to-tell-if-its-just-detox-acne-or-if-things-have-gone-wrong/
JoJo says
July 2, 2014 at 2:16 pmHi Tracy,I have had acne on my forehead for almost six years now.please what do I do?
Mandy says
July 11, 2018 at 12:44 pmHave you ever heard/tried the supplement Skin Accumax? I really would like to know what you think about it….