One of the biggest acne myths is that it's something only teenagers experience. Unfortunately, that's just not the case and adult acne is more common than you might think.
Today I'm going to share six simple steps you can start taking today to nourish your skin from the inside out, a natural way to treat acne! And if you haven’t read our Best Skincare Products for Acne-Prone Skin post over at Hello Joyous, make sure you hop on over since it outlines the basics of what acne is and some acne triggers.
Some stats on acne:
- Approximately 50 million Americans are affected by acne annually.
- Adult acne is quite prevalent. Adults aged 30-39 are the most likely to suffer from acne, but it can affect individuals in their 40s and 50s as well.
Women are more likely to experience adult acne than men.
- Hormonal changes, such as those occurring during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, are significant contributing factors to hormonal acne in women.
Here are my top nutrition and lifestyle tips to heal your skin from within because you deserve to have clear skin.
1. Avoid excessive refined carbohydrates and sugars
I know, I know–treats are delicious, but if you’re struggling with regular acne, it can be worth examining your relationship and intake with processed carbohydrates and sugars. These foods can range from white pastas to cookies, chippies, candy, and many processed foods you’ll find at the grocery store.
As a nutritionist, when I worked with acne-prone clients I would see this time and time again on food journals - the consumption of refined carbs, sugary treats and a grain-based diet. Once they removed or severely limited these foods, their skin improved from adult acne significantly.
When you eat a significant amount of refined carbs without the blood-sugar balancing benefits of fibre, healthy fats, and protein, it can cause a surge in the hormone insulin. This is important because...
Excess insulin raises insulin-growth factor (IGF-1), which raises testosterone.
This androgen hormone increases the skin’s sebum production that attracts acne-causing bacteria and worsens acne - BINGO. IGF-1 also increases keratinocytes, a type of skin cell associated with acne. Sugar is a double whammy for your skin.
Blood sugar balance is key to preventing acne, since it can trigger inflammation, insulin, and testosterone. Make sure every meal and snack you enjoy combines some kind of complex carbohydrate, a healthy source of fat and protein, and fibre. Check out this episode with the Glucose Goddess where we get into the nitty gritty of blood sugar.
2. Support your body’s detox pathways
Our body has a beautiful system perfectly designed to help us detoxify toxic substances, excess hormones, chemicals and byproducts of metabolism. It is made up of the liver, kidneys, digestive system, lungs, blood, lymphatic and glymphatic systems, and the skin. If we become a little overburdened trying to detoxify, it can sometimes show up on the skin as acne-breakouts or other skin issues.
Since the skin is such a vital part of our detoxification system, we know that taking the time and effort to support every part of this system can have a beneficial effect on our skin health and reduce the likelihood of acne breakouts.
Other suggestions to support your detox and skin include:
While I have talked about the skin microbiome here, supporting your internal microbiome is the foundation for healthy skin. The microbiome can help regulate everything from digestion (you’ve seen that it’s an important detox pathway!), to inflammation , to your immune system. Enjoying probiotic foods regularly can help nourish your microbiome and support your digestive function.
These are some of my faves:
Please take note if you have histamine intolerance, than you may have trouble with probiotic foods. Read this first and this, so you are well-informed on histamines.
But don’t forget that your probiotic bacteria need something to eat, which is where prebiotic fibre comes in. Enjoy these foods to feed your microbiome:
- Onions and garlic
- Jerusalem artichokes
- Dandelion greens (also great for detox!)
- Asparagus
- Leeks
- Oats
- Apples
- Flaxseeds
- Avocados
This is a lot easier said than done! With the busyness of life and all of our responsibilities it can be hard to lower our stress levels. However, the hormonal response of chronic stress, especially cortisol and insulin spikes, can wreak havoc on your skin and cause breakouts, which can lead to more stress, and so on.
There are some stressors in life that are fixed, but as always there are small ways we can start to lower our stress levels for the better. Setting healthy boundaries with family, friends, and work doesn’t sound as fun as a bubble bath, but it can do wonders for reducing your mental and physical load.
Other small ways you can support your nervous system and lower your stress response include:
- Sip on a soothing cuppa T.L.C. Tea. Loaded with organic herbs such as lemon balm and passionflower specifically chosen to calm the body and mind, it’s the perfect way to incorporate a restorative moment into a busy day.
- Practice mindfulness and meditation to lower your cortisol levels.
- Get out in nature everyday and touch grass.
- Find a hobby you love that you can do just for fun, not to monetize or try to excel at.
Dairy, while delicious, can unfortunately also increase levels of testosterone and insulin, contributing to acne breakouts. Skim milk is one of the worst culprits because most of the healthy fats have been removed so it’s mostly just lactose–a type of dairy sugar.
If you struggle with breakouts, it might be worth evaluating your response to dairy by eliminating it for a few weeks and then reintroducing the different forms to see which, if any, might be causing or exacerbating your acne. Luckily, non-dairy alternatives have come a long way in recent years and can be just as tasty as their dairy-rich counterparts.
Also, goat and sheep dairy are less reactive and therefore less inflammatory than cow dairy due to a much smaller presence of A1 casein, so many people who react to regular cow’s dairy can still enjoy these products.
If you’re on a dairy-free journey, I suggest making it fun so it doesn’t feel like you’re missing out. Many farmer’s markets sell locally produced goat and sheep cheeses, milks, and yogurts or artisan non-dairy cheeses. Make it an adventure to go try something new–your skin may just thank you!
6. Enjoy healthy and anti-inflammatory fats
Healthy fats are the key to healthy, glowing skin. When applied topically, polyunsaturated fats, such as those found in organic cold-pressed rosehip oil, nourish the skin to seal in moisture, improve skin texture, and support the natural lipid barrier to keep skin hydrated. This external application can help balance sebum and oil production to prevent stripping the skin and causing a rebound effect of overproducing sebum, which can lead to blocked pores and breakouts.
With that in mind, enjoying healthy fats in your diet can also benefit the skin by lowering inflammation (especially omega-3 fats!) and keeping your hormones happy and balanced (read more on how to support hormonal balance for skin health here). We need to eat enough healthy fats to build our skin cells and keep our inflammatory response in check, both of which are necessary to prevent acne.
Some of my favourite skin-loving fats include:
Other honourable mentions to prevent acne include keeping your skin pH balanced, gently exfoliating your skin weekly to remove dead skin cells and debris (read more about the benefits here!), and keeping things skinimal.
I always suggest supporting your skin with organic, functional, and totally clean beauty products designed to keep your skin healthy, balanced, and glowing. This is the best skincare routine for acne and the top skincare products for acne at Hello Joyous.
I hope this post has inspired you with some simple tips you can start incorporating into your routine right away to prevent acne for a natural, healthy clear skin.
Joy xo
There is so much I am doing wrong, no wonder I have breakouts like crazy.
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