The 3 Most Common Causes of Acne [that I see in my clinic]
“I just wish I could figure out what is causing it so that I CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT”
Sound familiar? One of the most frustrating things about dealing with acne is the game of whack-a-mole that comes with the DIY approach.
You try cutting out dairy, maybe it helps, maybe it doesn’t.
Then you try changing up your skin care (multiple times)
You start taking zinc, or fish oil, or marine collagen, or a probiotic, or all of the above!
The problem with this is approach is that you are jumping straight to the “fix it” part without understanding your underlying root cause.
The treatment that works for you is going to depend on the cause. Without knowing your root cause, you are making a stab in the dark at best.
Because you can’t solve a problem if you don’t even know what the problem is!
And yes I know… that’s easy for me to say!
I am at the point where I can tell someone’s acne root cause just from looking at a photo of their skin. I’ve spoken to hundreds of women about their acne and although your skin might seem like an impenetrable maze of potential cause and effect, trust me when I say that there will be a pattern.
I truly believe that the best person to treat your acne, is YOU. Who else knows you better?
You just need a little help in identifying the clues that your skin is giving you. Your skin is always communicating with you and trying to heal for you. It just doesn’t speak english!
To help you get fluent in speaking skin, I’ll share the most common causes of acne that I see in my clinic and some juicy tips for identifying your own root cause.
Gut Related Acne
Gut driven acne is incredibly common amongst my clients because as Hippocrates so famously said: “all disease begins in the gut” and I have to agree with the guy.
The gut is the seat of health. It makes up our whole gastrointestinal tract - from mouth to anus. Yep I just used the word anus in a post about acne. Gut health reflects everything from chewing your food, the state of your gums, your stomach’s capacity to break down food, the condition of your gut lining, the diversity of your microbiome to the colour, consistency & regularity of your poo. The surface area of the gut takes up 10 tennis courts or something ridiculous (don’t quote me) which leaves an awful lot of room for problems to occur.
Gut issues that are linked to acne include:
Bloating
Constipation
Diarrhoea
SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
Food intolerances
H.Pylori and/or stomach ulcers
Fructose malabsorption
Leaky gut syndrome
Food poisoning or infections that you have never quite been the same since
If you have any of these PLUS acne, your root cause could very well be gut related. Even if you also suspect a hormonal element to your breakouts, you are under strict instructions (from me) to start with the gut.
In Confident & Clear there is a whole module dedicated to restoring your gut health so that your skin glows! Gut health is such a crucial foundation for skin health that I have included the troubleshooting methods, supplement protocols and gut healing remedies that I use in clinic to resolve bloating, get perfect bowel movements, reduce gut inflammation balance the gut microbiome, support leaky gut, reduce food intolerances and improve conditions like IBS. It is comprehensive and one of the best parts of Confident & Clear, because when your gut sings, your hormones and skin sings too!
Read more on gut related acne here: The Gut Skin Connection - Is Your Gut Health Causing Your Acne?
2. Hormonal Acne
Hormonal acne is an umbrella term for acne breakouts that have a strong hormonal driver.
All acne has some sort of hormonal element - whether it is driven by testosterone, oestrogen or stress hormones like cortisol. The trick is working out which hormone is the culprit & why is it misbehaving so? Remember that all hormones are messengers. They are responding to a deeper misalignment and bringing a message with instructions to your skin tissue, usually in an attempt to protect you by protecting the physical barrier of your skin.
For example skin cells will pump out more keratin and sebum in response to cortisol (stress hormone)- this can be at play when your skin seems more red, inflamed and oily after a crazy day at work. The message? Your body is having difficulty managing the stress it is being exposed to and needs a little assistance.
You just need to work out what your hormones are communicating to you. In Confident & Clear I guide you through hormonal acne by identifying your break out type, learning to speak your skin’s language, using basic blood testing to check for hormone imbalances and then resolving your hormonal root cause naturally using the tried and tested remedies that I use in clinic.
Here are the common patterns of hormonal acne that I see in my clients:
Stress related acne [eg acne that began 3-6 months after a stressful or traumatic period]
PMS hormonal acne [breakouts in the 7-10 days before menstruation]
PCOS acne [breakouts caused by elevated androgens like testosterone as part of polycystic ovarian syndrome]
Ovulation acne [breakouts at ovulation - usually combined with PMS acne]
Post-Pill acne [acne that develops in the 3-6 months after withdrawing from hormonal birth control or switching between hormonal birth control medications or IUDs)
Learn more about hormonal acne by clicking on the links for each type!
3. Fungal Acne
Fungal acne is on the rise! Candida. Yeast. Fungal acne. It is RIFE. Your first instinct when I say yeast driven acne might be to cringe, say ‘yuck’ and scroll past in denial. BUT if you have any of the following symptoms, don’t rule out fungal acne as a stubborn cause of acne:
A history of dandruff or itchy scalp
Tinea versicolour (a patchy discolouration of the chest and back common in summer - google it)
Athlete’s foot (tinea between the toes, peeling skin, smelly feet, fungal toenail infections etc)
Yeast infections of the vagina like thrush
Bloating and digestive issues
Itchy acne that seems to flare up after exercise
Acne on the chest, shoulders, between your boobs or on your butt
Acne that has migrated down your face from your hairline
Acne that flares up whenever you try a new skin care product or make up product
Fungal acne is actually one of my favourite things to treat because it responds really well (and quite quickly) to natural remedies! It takes an internal and external approach that I guide you through in Confident & Clear. From clearing fungal overgrowth in the gut to the cheap and easy topicals that combat fungal acne - we cover it all in my online program! Doors to the next round of Confident & Clear are opening in November 2022! Make sure that you have your notifications switched on as I will be announcing more on Instagram @clearskin.withlexie soon.
You can join the waitlist for Confident & Clear here.
Lexie xx