Now I’m not talking about cystic acne here or any other more serious acne condition, although some of this might help those conditions, but what I’m referring more to is the occasional bumps and blemishes that everyone deals with (especially teens and women of child-bearing age) from time to time. Most people understand there is a connection to what is happening internally to what shows up externally and it isn’t solely a matter of how you care for your skin, though the common myths of chocolate causing acne or skin being ‘too oily’ persist. Chocolate only causes problems if you have a dairy intolerance and you eat milk chocolate, or an intolerance to chocolate itself, which would be a darn shame. Food intolerances definitely play a role in skin health though and I certainly experienced that with gluten before going gluten-free. It was one of the things I noticed before ever getting tested for gluten intolerance because of course I had more than an inkling I had a problem with gluten before confirming that which is how I got tested in the first place. I don’t expect many people are tested for gluten intolerance unless they themselves ask to be, which is just another way one has to advocate for themselves when it comes to the modern medical system. As a side note, my physician who ran the blood test said that she doubted I was gluten intolerant because “not many people are”. (Not true.) Then her nurse called back with the results telling me that the results showed such reactivity to gluten that I was a celiac. (This was misinformed. You can’t tell if someone is a Celiac through a blood test.) So she told me to go to a gastroenterologist who took one look at me and said, “You probably aren’t celiac. You’re too dark! Celiacs are from northern Europe and you look southern European.” (This is problematic for two reasons other than the fact he was diagnosing me from my coloring~ Italy has the largest confirmed population of celiacs and I am pretty sure they are considered southern European. Also, I’m French, German, and Irish~ not exactly southern European.) I said, “Shouldn’t I just get the test done to make sure I’m not celiac since that’s a serious, hereditary disease and I have kids?” And he said, “Why? All you can do is not eat gluten whether you are gluten intolerant or celiac. It’s the same protocol either way so I wouldn’t recommend it. Your blood test shows you clearly shouldn’t eat gluten so don’t eat gluten.” I was too baffled by such an unusual exchange to argue especially since normally I find doctors to be overly exuberant about tests, but since he was recommending I not have an uncomfortable procedure for once, I went with it for better or worse.
Anyway, back to acne. Acne is one of the rare occasions you can use essential oils directly on your skin without a carrier. You can put a drop of tea tree or lavender on a blemish to diminish it. It isn’t immediate but it will work over a couple of days time. From an internal standpoint, acne generally is associated with digestion and/or hormones. Food intolerances are clearly part of the digestive component and they can wreck havoc on skin in other forms from eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and more. Avoiding the foods one is intolerant to is obvious, but also improving digestive processes can help long-term. Using digestive bitters and/or enzymes before eating helps with breaking down the food. Adding fresh or dried herbs to food can also improve digestion, or drinking herbal teas with an aim to cleanse the liver can help. (Most skin blend herbal teas you find on the shelves of stores include herbs which cleanse the liver and blood, and therefore deliver cleaner building blocks to the skin.) Taking probiotics and/or eating foods that have natural probiotics in them, such as kombucha and apple cider vinegar, help too. Fresh veggies, especially greens, are generally recommended, but in my research into digestive health I’ve learned that if you have digestive issues, you will get more from your veggies if they are cooked in some way, such as in soup. Fresh veggies have the enzymes which is great, but if the digestive system is compromised it needs more than those fresh enzymes to break down the food a bit and truly reap all the benefits from the veggies. I personally like sweet potatoes best of all for skin.
As far as hormonal fluctuations go with teens and also with women’s monthly cycle, taking adaptogens on a regular basis can help with hormonal balance. Teens do need to exercise some caution with adaptogenic herbs because adaptogens work primarily through the endocrine system which houses and transports hormones, and although adaptogens are generally very safe for most people, they should really be said to be safe for adults. Ashwagandha should be used only in small amounts and for shorter amounts of time with breaks in between. Ginseng should not be used by people under age 30. Seriously! It’s a potent herb for increasing (especially masculine) vitality and can cause ill effects if used incorrectly. Adaptogens such as Eleuthero and Astragalus are good ones for teens.
For women, chaste berry or vitex is the classic women’s hormone regulatory herb. There are teas, capsules, and tinctures to enable easy use. It can also be found in blends to support cycles and aid reproductive health overall.
Using clean and green products on the skin is important too. This line from Alba Botanica has been great on my son’s teen skin. I got him on the following as soon as he started having a blemish or two, and it works like a charm: the cleanser, astringent, these patches or the gel (use one or the other), and there’s also this scrub for the body is other areas besides the face are a problem. If he forgets to use it because he’s not at home, then inevitably one or two little buggers will pop out, but as soon as he uses the products again, they go away, usually literally overnight. It isn’t expensive either which is a nice plus.
If you are interested in something a little fancier and definitely as clean and green as you can get, evan healy has a whole line dedicated to acne. We haven’t tried those specific products of hers yet since the Alba has been doing the trick, but I’ve used many of evan healy’s other products such as this serum and they are extremely high quality and definitely work well.
What have you used that has worked on acne?
