The All-Natural Approach to Treating Adult Acne
I’ve struggled with acne since I was a teenager. I prioritize natural approaches to most things, but when it comes to acne, I have sometimes given in to the desperation for clear skin. I’ve taken antibiotics, gone on Accutane, gotten chemical peels, and have tried every mask and spot treatment under the sun. But the pimples persist.
I know the harmful effects of conventional approaches like medication and toxin-filled topical treatments and don’t want to take my body or my skin back down that path again. I also know the power of food and lifestyle habits to treat just about everything….
So I’ve decided to use my knowledge and experience as a nutritionist to treat myself as I would any client who’s struggling with acne. And I’m going to take you on this journey with me! I thought about doing this experiment on my own and then writing about what worked, but I realized 1) I could use the accountability of sharing the journey with you from the start and 2) what doesn’t work for me might work for you so I want to share it all!
As I do with all of my clients, I’m going to start with a review of my health history. I know that gut health, stress, sleep, and diet play a large role in almost any condition, including the health of our skin. So let’s start with these areas.
Gut Health
Gosh, can I just say I wish we knew 10+ years ago what we know today about gut health? When I take a look at my health history, I see red flags everywhere:
Multiple rounds of antibiotics (antibiotics wipe out all the bacteria in our guts, including the good kind)
Accutane (possible links to inflammatory bowel conditions like Crohn’s and IBD)
Hormonal birth control pills for for 10 years (see this article for more information about Post Birth Control Syndrome and the effects birth control can have on your gut)
History of stress and anxiety (stress can negatively impact digestion and alter gut bacteria to favor opportunistic pathogens, a.ka. the bad guys)
Long story short, my gut can use some extra lovin’.
Stress
If you ask my boyfriend, he’d say I’m stressed out all the time. I’d beg to differ, but I’ve also been able to differentiate between when I’m feeling stressed and when I’m feeling anxious. Certainly, from the outside, they might seem the same. But when I’m stressed, I can usually identify a trigger - an upcoming deadline, travel, etc. When I am anxious, well, I’m just feeling anxious.
I’ve battled anxiety my entire life in many forms - obsessive compulsive disorder, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and general anxiety disorder. (Yep, I’m a mess. But who isn’t, right?) I’ve come a really long way, but it’s still something I struggle with every day. And I know my stress and anxiety 100% affect my skin. And my gut. Which also affects my skin. (I’m sure my nutritionist self will have more to say about this 😉)
Sleep
I’m in the “need 8+ hours to function” camp when it comes to sleep. Specifically, I need between 8-8.5 hours of sleep to feel well-rested in the morning. Too little and I find myself craving sweets and feeling totally out of whack. Too much, I just feel tired and sluggish in the morning. I actually do a pretty good job of getting the recommended number of hours and I try to stick to a 10P-6A schedule as closely as possible. But my sleep is not uninterrupted quality sleep. Most nights I have stressful dreams that wake me up (I guess I’m not doing a good job of proving my boyfriend wrong here…) but I’ve found that listening to a guided meditation or relaxing sleep sounds before bed help me sleep more soundly.
Diet
My diet is mostly healthy and largely plant-based, but it’s been over a year since I’ve actually done a diet analysis on myself. So let’s start with that! (P.S. If you know you need to make some tweaks to your diet, be sure to schedule your complimentary consultation so we can get you on the right track!) Here’s what a typical day might look like for me:
Breakfast:
1-2 cups coffee w/ unsweetened organic soymilk and a few drops of stevia
Banana w/ 2T peanut or other nut butter and cinnamon
Lunch:
Large salad with mixed greens, herbs, chickpeas (1/2 can), artichoke hearts (1/2 can), sun-dried tomatoes (1-2T), pine nuts (1T), Primal Kitchen Greek Vinaigrette (2T)
Snack:
Apple
Dinner:
Chicken breast (6 oz.)
Small sweet potato
Roasted baby broccoli (~6 stalks)
Dessert:
Dark chocolate (2-3 squares)
I drink tons of water throughout the day and will often have herbal tea at night after dinner. And of course some nights call for a little vino. But for the most part, this is what my diet looks like. As it stands, this day would add up to about 1,500 calories (41% C/ 39% F/ 20% P). I could probably use some more calories considering I’m active most days, but my macros are right on point with where I want them to be. I’d probably start by mixing up my morning breakfast to include more protein and adding nuts or nut butter with my afternoon snack to make it more balanced.
Acne-Free Plan
So what would my nutritionist self recommend to my client self? Although I won’t need a huge diet overhaul right off the bat, there’s still plenty of room for improvement! I think the best places to focus would be gut health, stress reduction, and detoxification.
HEAL YOUR GUT
Remove foods that are known to cause inflammation or sensitivities. For me personally, this includes gluten, dairy, eggs, and almonds. It may also include alcohol (sigh) and coffee (double sigh), and definitely includes stress (not a food, but wreaks havoc on the gut).
Replace the digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid your body needs to properly break down food. Supplementation may be needed, but apple cider vinegar before meals, eating in a relaxed state, and thoroughly chewing your food can also really help.
Re-inoculate the good bacteria by eating fermented foods (kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi) and/ or taking a multi-strain probiotic.
Repair the gut lining with things like soothing herbs, collagen, bone broth, and l-glutamine.
PRIORITIZE SELF-CARE
Stress causes blood sugar and cortisol to rise, two things that are no bueno for our skin (or anything else, really). It may also be impacting my sleep. So it’s time to hunker down and start integrating the things that truly relax me into my daily, weekly, and monthly schedule.
Daily
I purchased the HeadSpace app but have yet to make meditation a daily habit, so this would be a great place to (re)start! A 10-minute daily guided meditation actually sounds lovely. I may even purchase a candle (non-toxic, of course!) to light during my meditations or use incense for extra relaxation and enjoyment.
I need to move my body every day to get rid of extra energy (mental and physical) and just to feel good. Walking, jogging, and yoga are my movements of choice! Even if it’s just a few 10-minute walks scattered throughout the day, I feel so much better when I move my body.
Weekly
Being outside in fresh air and being near the water are the two things that ground me and calm my mind more than anything else. Heck, it’s why I moved across the country to San Diego! So, I’m going to commit to getting to the beach or bay at least three times a week.
Like any girl, I love me a bath and a face mask every once in a while. But I really want to turn this into a weekly habit. I’m already more relaxed just thinking about it! #selfcaresunday
Monthly
Time to take the pampering up a notch. Other than being at the beach, massages are one of the only other things that help me truly relax. I used to get monthly massages and to be honest, I’m not sure why I stopped. I think it was because I was trying to be more budget-conscious, but at the end of the day I can move other things around to make a massage happen. It might not be every single month, but it can at least be every other month. To-do: book a massage!
FOCUS ON SKIN-FRIENDLY FOODS
I said this before, but I’ll say it again - if your diet isn’t already a whole-food, plant-centered diet, start there. You’ll also want to include protein and healthy fats at every meal for hormone balance. When it comes to acne, it’s especially important to eat a diet free of processed carbs, damaged fats (think fried food and trans fats), and dairy (dairy has been linked to inflammatory skin conditions like acne and eczema). If you know of any food sensitivities, steer clear of those foods, as well. You also want to be sure to include some key foods and nutrients shown to help heal acne:
Vitamin A - Preformed vitamin A is found in animal foods, especially liver and cod liver oil. Our bodies can also turn beta carotene into Vitamin A. Foods high in beta carotene include carrots, spinach, sweet potato, and pumpkin.
Vitamin C - Bell peppers, strawberries, kiwi, citrus fruits and broccoli are high in vitamin C.
Vitamin E - Nuts and seeds (almonds and sunflower seeds, especially), avocado, and spinach are high in vitamin E.
Selenium - Brazil nuts are the best source of selenium - just one nut has all the selenium you need for an entire day! Seafood and shellfish are also great sources.
Zinc - Oysters, grass-fed beef, and pumpkin seeds are excellent sources of zinc.
Chromium - Broccoli is the best food source of chromium. Other good sources include tomatoes, green beans, Romaine lettuce, and oats. High-chromium yeast has also shown to improve acne.
Omega-3’s - These anti-inflammatory fatty acids are found in flaxseeds, walnuts, sea vegetables, cold-water fish like salmon, sardines, and grass-fed beef.
Probiotics - Probiotics are found naturally in fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha. However, since dairy has been linked to acne, I recommend sticking to non-dairy probiotic-rich foods. You can also take a probiotic supplement (more info on supplements later).
Detox Herbs/ Nutrients - Since acne can be caused by excess estrogen, testosterone (particularly DHT), and other toxins, it’s important to choose foods and activities that support detoxification and elimination. You want to make sure you’re pooping at least once a day (yep, we gotta talk about poop), sweating regularly (exercise and/ or saunas), and moving your body, but you can also include fresh or dried herbs and herbal teas to support your body’s natural detoxification system. Try dandelion, nettle, milk thistle, burdock root, and cilantro.
All of these nutrients can be consumed as food, but supplementation may be necessary to get a therapeutic effect.
SUPPLEMENTATION
I generally don’t recommend supplements on my first consultation with clients. That said, I’ve known myself for over 28 years and am veryyy familiar with my diet, lifestyle, and health history. So, I (my nutritionist self) am going to make some supplement recommendations to my client self:
Fish oil (3,000mg/ day of EPA + DHA) *Note: Since I am concerned about the quality and sustainability of fish oil supplements out there, stick to sustainably sourced omega-3’s derived from sardines, anchovies, and/ or krill
Bone broth (1+ cups/ day) and/ or collagen protein powder (1 scoop/ day)
High quality multivitamin with the skin-friendly nutrients listed above; alternatively, I have been eyeing HUM’s Daily Cleanse supplement which has a mix of selenium, zinc, and herbs that support detoxification
Multi-strain probiotic (or probiotic foods like yogurt, kefir, kimchi and kombucha!)
Digestive enzymes, bitters and/ or HCl as needed
Herbal teas (to support detox and relaxation)
I also recommend epsom salts to add to my new weekly bath (bonus if I add lavender essential oil for extra relaxation!).
OK, so I have a ton to get me started! Feel free to follow along this journey with me or get in touch for a more personalized plan.