Is adult acne really getting you down? We assume that acne is something we get to leave behind in high school, along with the bad fashion choices and the mean girls, but for many women acne can linger on or even reappear after your 30th birthday. It’s enough to make you want to throw a teen tantrum, it’s that unfair!
Listen, I know your pain. I used to have painful cystic acne all over both my face and my back. I tried antibiotics, Retinol-A, Proactiv, every potion, lotion and late night infomercial miracle cure I could get my hands on, and none of it worked. In fact, take a look at this post to see how popular beauty products can actually be harming your health.
It would take me forever just to leave the house as I carefully tried to cover my acne so I could face the world. Acne can give your confidence a kicking and be a real source of depression. It really isn’t fair, so let’s fix it together.
There are three important pieces of information you need to make note of if you are going to heal your acne.
- Your age. The root cause of acne is different depending on this factor – acne in your 20s typically suggests poor diet choices; in your 30s breakouts can be a part of the pregnancy hormonal rollercoaster or high levels of career stress; and in your 40s it all comes back to declining estrogen production.
- Location. Where exactly it is that you get your acne – whether it’s on your back, your cheeks, your forehead, your chin – will tell you a whole lot about what’s going on inside your body. Each area is linked back to a bodily system, allowing you to pinpoint the flagging organs behind the breakout. Often the culprit is found to be hormonal imbalance, malnourished liver, or gut inflammation. The key is knowing where to start the curing process. “Face Mapping” is a hybrid of modern skincare expertise and Traditional Chinese Medicine ancient knowledge. Read on to learn more.
- Timing. Noticing when you get acne is also a crucial tool for preventing breakouts. Is it before your period or when you’re ovulating? All acne is hormonal, but some is more integrally linked to our hormone cycle and can illustrate key imbalances.
I dig deeper on this topic and reveal the secrets to sussing out the causes of your acne and getting rid of breakouts for good in my acne webinar, Get Gorgeous Skin – Clear Acne Naturally! I’ll tell you about how different foods can be used in conjunction with “face mapping” knowledge to skillfully treat your skin issues. We’ll also cover:
- What causes your hormonal breakouts vs persistent adult onset acne
- My 3 step skin clearing protocol
- Foods to keep the youthful glow and collagen levels of your skin
- The real deal on supplements and which ones are really needed
And to get you started before the webinar…
Here are my top three recommendations for healing acne:
- Probiotics. Take a good quality Jarrow brand probiotic. Supporting your gut microbiome will help your skin microbiome to heal by reducing inflammation. For more about making friends with your microbiome read this.
- Cod Liver Oil. It’s not a trendy supplement, but it works. Cod Liver Oil delivers the Vitamin A and D our skin needs to glow. It’s also packed with EPA and DHA essential fatty acids. Make sure you get the fermented kind of oil, because that retains twice the vitamins of processed oil. I swear by Green Pastures Royal Blue Ice Royal brand. **Top tip – capsules are easier to take than a spoonful of oil, because it tastes as bad as you might think!
- Cortisol flush. A good clean stress hormone detox in the way of a burst of sweaty exercise (I like jumping on a mini trampoline in my living room!) or even a really good orgasm will give you a dewy glow and help to banish stress related and hormonal acne.
Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!
to your FLO,
Alisa
Good things come in threes:
I want to hear from you!
First, do you get acne?
Second, will you try my top three recommendations? How do they work for you?
Third, You know every one you know is hormonal – spread a little good ovary karma and share this article on social! ?
Need more Hormone Help?
If you’re needing some health upgrading, it’s time you started you looking into what’s going on with your hormones.
I’ve designed a 4 day hormone detox and evaluation to help you understand exactly what’s out of whack and how you can start getting back to balance so that your hormones no longer have to suffer.
Click here to get your FREE detox and evaluation!
Please talk about hirsutism one of these days. I know it’s not an area you’re familiar with like acne, but it’s definitely hormonal and every woman in my family line struggles with it.
Thanks!
I had to comment because I wanted to let you know that some people don’t do well with fish oil supplements. I read so much about how people used fermented cod liver oil to “cure” their acne and so I decided to buy some for myself and it actually made my acne much much worse! I went through a whole bottle and a half ($100 down the drain… that stuff is expensive!) before realizing it was actually making my acne flare up so much more. Just an FYI for those who are trying FCLO and finding this is happening to you. Total waste of money! I won’t say it doesn’t work for everyone, we’re all different, but if you try it and notice your acne getting worse, you might want to stop taking it! I also noticed vitamin b’s break me out on my neck/jawline, so I quit taking my multi vitamin (was taking the Rainbow Light version). The only thing that has made any difference in clearing acne is when I stopped drinking A1 milk (most dairy) and began taking burdock root along with zinc and a good magnesium supplement. I’m now taking Berberine as recommended by Dr. Lara Briden and although it’s a bit early to tell, it seems to be making my skin pretty darn clear! I highly recommend you look up Lara Briden’s blog and her post on Berberine.
I’m wondering if these protocols apply for adult acne when you are pregnant (i.e. Safe during pregnancy)? I have been struggling with adult cystic acne for the past year (prior to and now during pregnancy) and I would love to start seeing it clear!! However, my main concern is and always will be the safety of my baby!
Can you address hormonal acne during pregnancy? I have cleaned up my diet so much with this pregnancy and my skin care routine. I drink lots of water…take fcol, probiotics, eat lots of fermented foods and almost 0 processed foods. I have acne on my chin and jawline bad…more at certain times, but it is always there and mostly cystic. Any more suggestions as to how to help this! Thanks! I also struggled a lot with it while breastfeeding for almost 2 years and also always around certain times of my cycles before pregnancy. Thanks again!
I got horrible acnes around my chin, sides of my mouth, and jawline when my periods started getting VERY late (hello start of menopause!) I did the Hormone Detox and my acne started to clear right after the 3 days!! I will definitely try Alisa’s recommendations for supplements. Flo Living is wonderful!
OMG i love the cod liver oil of green pastures too! But if you take them you’re breath can smell really bad. To battle this you i found a solution. I always take them when i’m having dinner: First two bites, then take the cod liver oil capsules with water, and then the rest of your dinner. I always eat them like this and my breath doesn’t smell anymore!
I have been following your website for almost six months, I wished I had access to you before. I’m almost fifty and has been para menopausal for over 20 years! I have PCOS, Hashimoto’s disease, and a totally shot metabolic and endocrine system. Since reading the information from Flo Living I’ve stopped taking Metformin and a slew of other medications and my quality of life has improved! I suffer from Polycystic acne/overgrowth of body hair (mainly lip and chin) but limiting my exposure to chemicals has decreased the amount. Thank you for all that you do. I have shared your site with co-workers and my primary care physician and she loves it as well. Keep up the good work!
I suffer from cystic acne and it’s mainly on my chin. I’ve tried a few other acne treatments and never got the results ive gotten now after using Dermalmd blemish serum. Just after three applications my skin was pretty much clear. I did have a little bit of dry skin from it but I’ll take that any day over large blemishes. I will never try another product in my life. I even recommend dermalmd blemish serum to my friend for hers and now she’s hooked on it.
Hi Alisa,
I’ve been following the protocol and using your app for six months. I cut out dairy, sugar, and gluten. I am also taking cod liver oil, NAC and Zinc for my skin. I was also taking berberine (I stopped because I am trying to conceive). I still have breakouts around my mouth during ovulation. This month it seems worse than previously (maybe because I’m no longer on berberine?). Besides cilantro what else should I be eating or taking to address these breakouts? Do you recommend DIM or Ovasital?
Hi Marnie,
Try the DIM.
Alisa
What if you just have acne on chest/back but not on face? Is that still hormonal?