Acne is often a symptom of toxicity in the body. When toxins can not be eliminated through other means, toxins will literally purge through our largest organ, our skin. It frustrates me so much how many medical professionals only treat symptoms and rarely get to the root cause of the problem. I’ve heard too many stories about dermatologists not inquiring in detail about diet, stress levels, emotions, or possible hormonal imbalance, and instead prescribe something to only treat the symptom.
Harsh acne topicals and oral medications for acne are a very superficial way to address acne.
It’s time to take a look at the imbalances which may be occurring within our bodies, and stop focusing so much on the actual blemishes alone. When one is dependent on acne topicals/oral medications for results, true healing has not occured. It is through healing and balancing our bodies on the inside that our skin will reflect that beauty we all desire. Let’s stop looking for quick fixes and take our actual health to the next level. Amazing health correlates with beautiful skin!
I believe that there are five major causes for acne: poor gut health from a diet of processed foods while never detoxing, hormonal imbalances, stress and overworked adrenals, contact dermatitis, and negative emotions usually anger.
There is no quick fix for healing acne because it takes time and consistent dedication to fully heal internal imbalances. True lasting results for healing acne come with addressing all five potential major causes of acne in the first place. It is also possible to have your results fluctuate during the healing process because of the constant life changes we experience both good and bad.
We have the option to look at our skin’s reactions to life as a healing roadmap to witness these imbalances while nurturing ourselves back into alignment. Nurturing ourselves is a much better approach versus emotionally punishing ourselves for our imperfections. Nothing in life is perfect, yet we can fully heal our bodies from the inside out. You can find my personal healing journey with acne here.
Read more on acne and healthy skin principles and let your healing journey begin!
(Image by Dawn Michelle)
ashlynn says
January 19, 2016 at 3:11 pmOh so true! Acne is a symptom of deeper distress. I have been struggling with acne since I birth of my daughter 3 1/2 years ago! It wasn’t until the last 6 months though that I was truly able to take my focus off of my face and onto the internal aspect; mind and spirit. This took a lot of mental and emotional conditioning, because often, my emotional distress over what I look like would cause my acne to worsen, but life was just overall miserable with this narrow perspective.
Your blog has been one of my saving graces in my journey to healing and I am really making progress now! My recent discovery was that coffee aggravates my digestion and skin. Since cutting it out over 6 weeks ago now, no lower jaw breakouts. I still struggle with redness and cheek breakouts though. One thing though that I would love to see more about is detoxing and how to do this safely and effectively. I am always coming back to your blog to read and re-read so many of your articles, I appreciate your time and generosity in sharing this!
Dawn Michelle says
January 22, 2016 at 2:28 pmHi Ashlynn,
I definitely understand the emotional stress that acne or even the slightest blemish can cause. Seeing a broader perspective is the best approach and it takes a new awareness. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and your journey as well. I’m also on and off about writing about detoxing just because it is such a personal experience because it really depends upon where you are in your life. It can also be a very emotional experience. I am keeping it in mind though.
Laura says
January 20, 2016 at 8:25 amI just kept nodding while reading this post! I find that my skin is much clearer when I just don’t think about it as much. Often, it becomes a vicious cycle when we worry about our skin, causing stress, which leads to more acne! When my life is simpler, my skin is better. Focusing on whole foods obviously makes a huge difference too.
Dawn Michelle says
January 22, 2016 at 2:35 pmHi Laura,
Yes yes and yes to whole foods and less stress! Stress is the worst for health in general. I so appreciate your comment and you sharing your thoughts on this. Have a beautiful day!
Liene says
January 20, 2016 at 3:08 pmHi! I am very thankful I came across your website because I have found so many good posts. Thank you for your dedication and encouragement through your writing to help not only yourself, but others as well!
I have been dealing with a lot of redness and blemishes since my late teens, but ever since my daughter was born, which was 4 yrs ago, things started getting worse for my skin and I have more blemishes and these ones seem to be a lot deeper than just regular acne and also somewhat painful if I try to pop any of them just to relieve the pressure because it gets to be so uncomfortable to be walking around with a bump that’s so big that it looks like there’s a third eye or something even worse on my face and quite frankly, it’s embarrassing to me. I would get these deep blemishes pretty much anywhere on my face and just recently had one on my forehead and that one lasted for at least a couple months if not more and I didn’t touch it or anything, but it left a bit of a darker red spot on my face. I have been using these oil cleansing methods for months now and I think my skin has improved, but not exactly the way I want to look so a lot more improvement is necessary. I have tried several oils now and I did look for ones that were better for acne prone skin. I just was wondering, what else can I do to help improve my skin and get rid of these deep blemishes that keep popping up? Do you happen to have any suggestions on this? My skin seems to be pretty sensitive to a lot of stuff so I’m not even sure which brands or what products to try since I don’t quite know what my face is not liking or what ingredients I might be allergic to. Please let me know if you have any ideas. I like the idea of detoxing because I seem to have digestive issues as well, but I don’t even know where to begin or where to look for the right products because I have read so many articles and tried so many brands and companies that sometimes it just gets to be overwhelming to keep reading up on this stuff and a lot of times it hasn’t even helped me much. Thank you for reading this and I hope to hear back from you!
Dawn Michelle says
January 22, 2016 at 2:44 pmHi Liene,
I would definitely focus on your diet and digestion. I shared some information on nutrition here and digestive health here. The information will help. Healing your skin from all areas is the best approach in my opinion. You can also check with a naturopathic doctor to learn if you have any hormonal imbalances since your daughter was born. I shared information on hormonal acne here. Best wishes on your healing journey!
maryann says
January 22, 2016 at 8:13 amHi Dawn Michelle
thanks for such a wonderful insight, for years many people just assume that people who have acne don’t take care of their skin and eat junk food . When that is clearly the opposite many of us tend to try everything on the market, infomercial , magazine that are harsh and wreck havoc on our skin . Have a wonderful weekend . You are so inspiring
Dawn Michelle says
January 22, 2016 at 3:01 pmHi Maryann,
Thanks so much for your comment, and I’m so glad you enjoyed this article. I appreciate your kind words so much too. Have a beautiful day!
Abigail says
April 20, 2016 at 9:00 amThis is really interesting and informative! I’m new to your blog but I have found myself slightly addicted to your posts about skincare… whoops. I think that’s a habit people get into when they just.want.that.acne.gone. (that is totally my situation right now). However, ovbiously, that is an unhealthy mindset, which I am working on as well as doing oil cleansing with pure organic sunflower oil and moisturising using a cruelty free and vegan moisturising SPF30 sun screen, which contains linoleic acid! However, while some of my blemishes seem to be disappearing, the ones I have are still very red. I don’t wear makeup and I’m still in school… self-esteem nightmare, pretty much. Do you know anything I can do to reduce redness? PS I’m mostly raw but 100% vegan, have little to no added sugars and only eat healthy fats eg avocado and nuts, and I drink ~3L water a day, so I don’t know how it could be a dietary issue!
Dawn Michelle says
April 20, 2016 at 2:16 pmHi Abigail,
It takes time to heal. It can take up to two years for the body to fully detox itself from the past of eating unhealthy, extreme amounts of emotional stress, and medications etc. Even when we change our diet and are finally eating healthy which is always insanely amazing, we are still healing our past. Eating a higher amount water rich fruits and veggies to healthy fats can help too.
Allow this healing journey to continue for you and be nurturing to yourself in the process. You could also try using an all natural mineral makeup in the meantime. I shared a few suggestions here. Be patient and keep going! You will heal!
Aladrin Brundage says
April 25, 2016 at 11:42 amDawn where is chest and back acne rooted from is it the same as face acne.
Dawn Michelle says
April 26, 2016 at 4:13 pmHi Aladrin Brundage,
When impurities can not exit the body, and other eliminating organs are overloaded, it will come out through the skin which is our largest organ. So yes I do believe body acne is another symptom of toxicity as well.
Roseanna says
May 2, 2016 at 1:10 amHi Dawn Michelle,
I love your site, and I’ve been reading all your posts on acne and trying to implement your ideas. I have had acne for 20 years, and I’ve been on just about every topical and internal prescription in the world. About five months ago, I got fed up and stopped using the glycolic acid and retin-A products that I was using and started using all-natural skincare, including oil cleansing using high quality oil blends that unfortunately I now know contain too much oleic acid. On this regimen my acne got very bad overall, especially on my neck and lower half of my face, and I developed a very nasty, stubborn blackhead problem. I switched to organic pumpkin seed oil and stopped hormonal birth control about a month ago, but my skin really has not improved in general and my blackhead problem also has not improved at all. I constantly get new ones. I completely understand your multi-faceted mind/body approach (and I have much room for improvement in all areas), but as I am slowly incorporating your suggestions, do you have any advice about dealing with these blackheads in the short term? Should I be trying to remove them in some safe manner? Is there a treatment you suggest? I am really distressed about this because nothing seems to help. Every once in a while I break down and squeeze several of them, and then I feel worse. Please help.
Dawn Michelle says
May 2, 2016 at 5:04 pmHi Roseanna,
Using a soft microfiber cloth while oil cleansing was a game changer for me. I shared more about it here. I still use them daily to maintain a smooth and clear complexion. They really help the cleansing process deep down in the pores. I hope this helps on your healing journey!
Mary Carolyn says
May 2, 2016 at 10:19 pmJust a note- dehydration can play a key role. I personally have a lot of hydration problems. Namely, I straight up don’t drink nearly enough water. This bad habit culminated in a kidney stone at the delicate age of only 13. However, I do notice when I get enough sleep and drink tonnes of water, my skin gets drastically better. I think sunlight (or maybe just being outdoors!) helps a lot too.
Dawn Michelle says
May 3, 2016 at 2:00 pmHi Mary Carolyn,
Dehydration is also an issue for sure. Eating raw fruits and veggies helps to hydrate the body as well since fresh fruits and veggies naturally contain high amounts of water content. Many times we cook the water out of our foods. Being outdoors for vitamin D is important too. Thanks so much for sharing these valid points! Have a great day!
Aladrin Brundage says
May 19, 2016 at 1:36 pmOk so would I treat back acne with oil cleanses and distilled water a microfiber cloth the same way or what other factors heal the chest and back acne?
Sidenote: Outdoors, no processed foods, raw foods, exercise, water,etc I know can change that but I do all those things and relieving stress as well I just want to understand how to handle the body acne ..face is down pack thanks you dawn!!:)
Dawn Michelle says
May 19, 2016 at 10:04 pmHi Aladrin Brundage,
I would use a natural soap or DIY body cleanser (the salt scrub is helpful) and not apply any high linoleic oils unless needed to body acne. Also if you still have body acne it’s just a sign for more healing work/detoxing. It takes time so be patient with the process.
RCbunny says
June 11, 2016 at 2:29 pmHi Dawn,
I’ve been very intrigued by your OCM posts regarding cleansing acne prone skin. I have adult cystic acne and have just ordered some pumpkin seed old, essential lavender oil and tea tree oil. I have 250ml of pumpkin seed oil – would you recommend adding the other two oils into this bottle so I have a mix all ready for application? If so how much would I start with?
Thanks so much for your informative blog – very insightful.
Dawn Michelle says
June 13, 2016 at 9:06 pmHi RCbunny,
I add no more than 10 drops of essential oil to every one ounce of carrier oil. I would also use a smaller bottle for your initial mix versus adding the essential oils to the full bottle. This also ensures that your skin loves the combination. I also think it is good to try the carrier oil alone before adding the essential oils to make sure that your skin agrees with the carrier oil first too. I hope this helps!
Carolina says
July 20, 2016 at 8:42 amThank you for your blog… Your efforts to share your experiences are very helpful.
Dawn Michelle says
July 26, 2016 at 9:23 pmHi Carolina,
Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m glad that you are finding the info helpful. Enjoy your summer!
jeannine says
August 19, 2016 at 7:07 amI could not agree more! I recently did a post on Acne too!!
http://www.tamanuoillab/blog/
Dawn Michelle says
August 22, 2016 at 5:19 pmThanks for sharing Jeannine!
Jackie says
April 1, 2017 at 8:32 pmThis article was really helpful. I have really bad acne problem & this could be it. I just ordered grapeseed oil for my face, will let you know how it works out.
Also, I was wondering which oil would be best to use on stretch marks?
Dawn Michelle says
April 5, 2017 at 5:28 pmHi Jackie,
I love rosehip seed oil for the body and shea butter for stretch marks. I hope this helps too!