Struggling with acne as an adult can be incredibly frustrating. You might have thought those breakouts would end with your teenage years, only to find yourself dealing with pimples, redness, and scarring well into your 20s, 30s, and beyond. The constant battle can take a toll on your self-confidence, especially when new flare-ups seem to appear just before important events. It’s exhausting trying product after product, only to see minimal results or even worse, experience skin irritation. And let’s not forget the emotional drain of feeling like you're constantly covering up or hiding from social situations because of your skin.
Now, imagine what it would feel like if you no longer had to worry about breakouts. You’d wake up each morning feeling more confident, ready to take on the day without stressing over how your skin looks. You could ditch the heavy makeup, knowing that your natural, clear complexion would shine through. Social situations would be a breeze, where you could focus on enjoying the moment rather than feeling self-conscious. Most importantly, you'd feel empowered, knowing you’ve taken control of your skin with gentle, natural solutions that work with your body, not against it.
I don’t think that there are bad therapies in medicine, just that some therapeutics tools should be used with caution. Many of the conventional solutions to treat acne are antibiotics which wipeout the good gut flora causing GI discomfort. Or medications such as Isotretinoin (Accutane) which has severe side effects such as birth defects, mental health issues (depression & suicidal behavior), skin rashes, dry, cracked and bleeding lips and even damage your internal organs like the pancreas, liver, esophagus and bowels…
Recently I started working with Addison, a young woman in her early 20s who has struggled with acne since puberty. She is fresh out of college and starting her career but was very self-conscious due to her chronic acne breakouts on her chin and jaw line. In the past Addison’s acne was treated with Accutane and cleared up for about 16 months before she left for college and then it flared again. Addison tried Accutane after transferring to a college closer to home but had to stop after 2 months due to the side effects. Since stopping the Accutane Addison has tried an antibiotic which caused diarrhea and a medication that caused her to have 2 periods a month… Addison was struggling to clear up her acne, and on her way to becoming anemic.
I’m happy to say that Addison is feeling better. Her skin is clear and she no longer worries what others think about her skin when she is talking to customers and colleagues at work.
Here are Six things that Addison did to address her acne:
- Changed her diet by limiting dairy products and highly processed foods (Cup-of-Noodles and candy).
- Increased the fiber in her diet in the form of vegetates and fruit.
- Replenished her normal gut flora with fermented foods and a probiotic supplement
- Started taking a high-quality fish oil
- Switch her multivitamin from a One-A-Day to a Prenatal
- A short course of high vitamins rich in A and zinc to jump start skin healing.
After about 4- or 5-weeks Addison was already noticing less new acne breakouts and more energy. After 4 months Addison’s skin was completely free of acne and her period was back to a predictable 1x a month cycle.
Thankfully Addison’s skin is clear, and she no longer feels self-conscious talking with people face to face. If you are struggling with Adult Acne there are lots of natural therapies that can cure it without Severe Side Effects. Acne is a multi-factorial disease where genetics meet environmental exposure and talking to someone like a functional medicine minded Naturopathic Physician to find the right diet and supplements can speed you towards clear skin without the side effects.
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