In this episode, you will learn about acne and Accutane and how it changes your body. We are also talking about what to do instead of Accutane, how to heal acne naturally. This is a listener question episode.
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Resources mentioned in this episode:
- 7 Day Spark
- Eating with Intention
- Wellness Circle
- Winter Detox
- Nourishing Skin Oil Recipe
- Submit a Question for the Show
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Acne & Accutane and Holistic Help
Ugh, Acne. I feel you.
Here’s a synopsis of the listener question:
She asks her name not be revealed, and writes, “Hey there! I have had acne since puberty. It was managed well by taking Accutane but I was ordered to stop taking it last year because I had been taking it for so long. Months later, it came back in full force and worse than ever.
I have good skincare routines, I became mostly vegetarian/partly vegan, I get laser treatments, homeopathic stuff, I make use of the kind of dark spot removers similar to those you can look here at, and many things out of the ordinary like a remedy Edgar Cayce gave to two people. I have even been working on myself regarding my emotional blocks (though there's still ways to go), stopped using makeup to conceal acne, and overcoming fear to engage in social and work activities with my face all marred every day as though it doesn't exist, so I can't see why this condition seems to be spiraling out of control.
All I got from my inner voice was 'dairy' and while I do love cheese once in a while, I have significantly reduced dairy intake compared to before...so I don't know what to do! I have heard that acne is related to gastrointestinal issues and the spine, but aside from the physical/energetic wound of some sort on my left side of the stomach I've had for a while, my IBS has never been better...or at least it seems. Please let me know what is going on. Thank you so much!”
I’m so proud of you.
First I want you to know, that I am so proud of you. I am proud of you for looking for solutions both inside and outside of your body, and I am proud of you for getting still enough to connect with and hear that inner voice. You are beautiful.
Adult and Adolescent Acne Energy
I like to look at things from a whole being perspective, body, mind, and spirit. So let's dive into what we are looking at energetically here.
Energetically, acne is an expression of anger, resentment, and fear around needing unconditional acceptance and love for who you are. This is often a cyclical problem, you feel angry and resentful → acne pops up → you feel angry and resentful now at the acne too → more acne → more anger and resent…you get the idea.
Additionally, on some level, especially for those of us that pick acne, acne is a sign that on some level you are feeling needled or picked on energetically, mentally, or emotionally.
Acne is also a physical manifestation of energetic rebellion and pushing away of authority. Now for some people, acne is physically manifesting from one of these energetic properties, and sometimes it's all of them or any combination of them. To sum it up, it's a lack of esteem.
Knowing the energetic information, and if you know any teens or pre-teens personally, you can see how that would go hand-in-hand, yeah?
In this case, it is amazing that these emotional/energetic blocks are being worked through, I would continue to work through these process as these kind of blocks are often layers, and just like an onion, we have to peel them back one at a time. Sometimes counseling is the appropriate way to work through these things, and sometimes it can be more of a DIY job.
Anger takes time to process and release. You can facilitate the release of anger with a few different tools. One of my favorites to recommend is Young Living’s Release. Use this essential oil aromatically by placing a drop in your left hand, make a few figure “8” with your right index finger, then cupping your nose, and taking a 3-5 deep breaths.
You can also use crystals to help facilitate the release of the anger too. Amethyst and rose quartz are two of my very favorite for this. You can create gem water, carry them on your person, meditate with them, or simply have them in your space. There’s not really a wrong way to use them, just go with your intuition on this one.
Nutrition Physical Imbalances and Acne
We know that our skin is the last resort from our body to get rid of toxins, and acne is no different. It’s a sign that you are having some toxin overload problems in your body. It’s your body waving the literal red flag because the other signs and symptoms of toxin overload have been ignored. With further investigation, we can find out what those overloads are, but a really good place to start is by cleaning up what you put in and on your body.
During the explanation of her question, the listener discusses that she is vegan/vegetarian primarily. This can be a good way of nourishing your body, but I suspect based on the information given, that she falls into a category I see quite often. When patients/clients tell me they are vegetarian or vegan and having the troubles this listener describes, it usually indicates they say they are vegetarian but more accurately they are bread or bean or soy or junk-a-tarians sustaining on processed vegan and vegetarian meals.
She also mentions her intuition is telling her to give up dairy. I hope you dear listener who wrote in are hearing me now, I want to offer you a massive congratulations on tuning into to that message and I would say a resounding yes to kicking dairy to the curb. It certainly doesn't have to be forever but it DOES need to be strict removal not “most dairy” and likely it will take a year or so before reintroduction. If you can do this, in conjunction with some supplementation, some liver repair, and a general nourishing nutrition plan, you will see improvement.
I know that this will be a follow up question, because we humans love labels, if I had to put an easy label on what type of nutrition “plan” I would suggest for this ailment, it would be something like paleo, but instead of full force with meat, I would suggest no more than with 4 -8 oz of pastured meat or vegetarian protein a day. With these changes, you will see a big improvement.
Accutane, IBS, and Leaky Gut
The listener also indicated in her letter that she has been diagnosed with IBS. Irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, as the name suggests is a problem that affects the large intestine.
Sometimes we get IBS and leaky gut confused or hear it used interchangeably. IBS occurs in the large intestine and leaky gut occurs in the small intestine. While they aren’t the same thing, if you have IBS it's certain you have leaky gut even though it doesn’t always work the opposite way. And as a side note, one of the big side-effects of Accutane is that it causes IBS, leaky gut, Crohn’s, and ulcerative colitis. Yes, Accutane causes autoimmune conditions.
In plain English, if you can do the work to repair your gut, and you remain off the Accutane, you will see not only your IBS disappear BUT you will see a big impact on your skin.
Topical Nourishing Skin Care
Finally, this listener mentions having good skin care routines, giving up makeup, and using laser treatment and other topical treatments.
Again the best healing begins with a holistic approach. So once you have started on healing energetically, emotionally, and from the roots up in your guts, the next thing to do is really work on nourishing the skin. This is a far more effective approach than waging war against the eruptions in your skin. You'll need to find products that will hydrate the skin as well as calm it to minimize the visibility of the acne. You may want to try looking at Renee Rouleau products or even using natural products like aloe vera to calm the skin.
We can do that with a couple of options of topical treatments included in an overall nourishing skincare routine. One of the best ways to do that is to ditch the foaming face washes and astringent that strip your skin of important oils and puts toxins into your bloodstream. Instead, support healthy skin with a blend of nourishing vegetable based oils and essential oils. You can grab the Nourishing Skin Oil Recipe Cheat Sheet here with suggestions on what to buy and make for yourself to nourish your skin instead.
So let’s do a quick recap.
To wrap this up, for this listener, and anyone else suffering from the pain of acne:
- Keep tuning in and listening to your intuition. Often what our body needs to heal is right in front of us
- Work on your anger in a method that works for you
- Begin to heal your gut, and watch the magic happen
- Start a skin nourishing routine rather than pulling out the big guns to fight your acne
You can change your skin, but it starts from the inside out.
Thank you so much for listening/reading this episode. If you like what you hear please subscribe and rate us on iTunes!
Be well!