Healing Breakouts
Having breakouts?
First thing first! Make sure your homecare routine is working with you, not against you. (Remember! Each product needs to do its part so all products can work together like a team. Good products used every AM and PM can make positive changes to our skin!) Here we go…
1) Cleanse.
Tip One: Your cleanser must clean well (leave your skin clean) and also leave your skin soft, supple and hydrated (never dried-out or tight feeling).
Tip Two: Your cleanser should also not leave a residue behind. Cleansers made out of just oils and nothing else (or just oils and essential oils) will leave a residue behind on our skin. Why? Because oil, while it can help to break down excess oil on our skin, it can’t fully remove excess oil and other debris (like sweat, dead skin cells, pollution, makeup, sunscreen, etc..,) without the help of other cleansing ingredients. Chronically leaving an oil cleanser residue on our skin can eventually exacerbate clogged pores and breakouts.
Tip Three: For best results, cleanse every PM at least. (However for most of us, cleansing every AM and PM works best.) Being consistent is essential in helping breakouts to heal.
Tip Four: If you are wearing makeup, or heavy sunscreen, or have very oily skin, cleanse twice in the PM.
Golden Rule: If your skin feels clean, but also soft and supple after cleansing (not dry and tight), you are on the right track with your cleanser.
Here are some options~
Rosemary & Geranium Creme Cleanser
2) Exfoliate.
Helpful to Know: Good exfoliation will remove dead skin cell build up, and this helps to prevent clogs and breakouts from happening in the first place. It also helps current breakouts and clogs to clear up more quickly. (As a side benefit, regular exfoliation also keeps our skin looking smoother and brighter.) We can use a scrub, an exfoliating mask, or an acid or enzyme exfoliant (or a combination of these) to keep our skin clearer. Exfoliating products can be used between 1 and 7 times per week, depending on the strength of the products and the needs of our individual skin.
Tip One: Our exfoliating products should leave our skin feeling softer and smoother, never irritated or dry.
Tip Two: If we are exfoliating too much, our skin may feel unusually dry and sensitive. (To fix this just stop all exfoliation until your skin gets normal again.)
Tip Three: If we are exfoliating too little, our skin may feel a little on the rougher or bumpier side, and our skin may be super prone to clogs. Our skin may also look a little dull.
Golden Rule: If we are exfoliating often enough, and are using exfoliating products that work well for our skin, our skin will feel smooth and soft, our pores will look more refined and clogging will be reduced.
Here are some options~
3) Masque (optional, but helpful).
Good to Know: Treatment masques offer an extra dose of healing. They can help with specific things, like reducing excess oiliness, or calming inflammation or reducing clogging. Treatment masques can be used 1 to 7 times per week, depending on the needs of your skin.
Here are some options~
Blackcurrant Balancing Clay Mask
4) Tone and Hydrate.
Good to Know: Do we need to use a toner (or hydrating mist or hydrosol)? Probably! A well-formulated toner (or hydrating mist or hydrosol) can add balancing hydration and beneficial exfoliating acids, both of which can help breakouts to clear up. (Stay far away from toners that leave your skin feeling dried out or irritated.)
An extra important note about hydration: A good hydrating product is rich in ingredients that help bring water to our skin cells and then helps our skin cells maintain that water…such as aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, botanical waters, glycerin, etc. When our skin is well hydrated (meaning: our skin is supple with a water-rich skin care product) our skin is more balanced. This means: our skin is less prone to sensitivity, less prone to excessive oiliness, and less prone to excessive dryness. A good hydrating product doesn’t replace our moisturizer, but it does work beautifully layered under our moisturizer. A good hydrating product for breakout prone skin will not have anything in it that can possibly clog pores (like heavy oils).
Golden Rule: You’ll know your hydrating product is doing its job if your skin feels more balanced overall (not too oily, not too dry) when you use it regularly.
Here are some options~
5) Serum (the “action” product):
Good to Know: Applying a good serum (that is the right match for your skin) every AM and PM under your moisturizer is one of the keys to creating positive changes in your skin. A serum can add more hydration, can help to calm inflammation, can add more anti-clogging power, can help acne scars to heal, can help improve skin texture, can help to improve skin color balance, and more. We can apply a different serum in the AM and PM, or we can apply the same serum both AM and PM, depending on what helps our skin the most.
Golden Rule: Regular use of a good serum that is a good match for you will have a positive impact on your skin. Fabulous and true!
Here are some options~
Probiotic Serum with Elderflower and Blackberry
6) Spot Treatment (helpful for some of us):
Good to Know: This step can be helpful for some skin types. If you do use a spot treatment, it should help blemishes to heal well (like more quickly and without leaving a mark behind).
Golden Rule: A good spot treatment will not dry out, irritate or damage your skin.
Here is an 0ption~
7) Moisturize.
Good to Know: Yes, even oily skin types do well with the right moisturizer. When our skin is well hydrated and well moisturized, it will be calmer, more balanced, and less prone to breakouts.
Tip One: A moisturizer that is too heavy will lead to continued clogging and breakouts, and probably leave our skin feeling oilier than it should.
Tip Two: A moisturizer that is too light may leave our skin feeling dry later in the day.
Golden Rule: When our moisturizer is just right, our skin feels good throughout the day (not too dry, not too oily, and mostly calm).
Here are some options~
Apple & Lemon Whipped Moisturizer
Ultra Sensitive Whipped Moisturizer
8) Sun Protection.
Good to know: Protecting our skin from the damage of ultraviolet light exposure is especially important when we are healing from breakouts. We want our breakouts to heal well, not leave discolored marks behind. A good sun protection product will leave our skin feeling and looking good- definitely not oily, not irritated and not clogged. Sun protection is applied as the final layer each AM. (Makeup can be applied over the top if desired.)
Here are some options~
Makeup Tip~
Good to Know: If you wear makeup, be sure it is not causing clogs, breakouts, oiliness, irritation or dryness in your skin. Non-comedogenic makeup that is made for breakout-prone skin is usually a safe place to start.
Here are some options, but definitely find what works for you~
Okay! Now you’ve got your homecare routine down! If all is going well, your skin is smoother, and more balanced, and clogging and breakouts are reduced, if not fully cleared.
Still breaking out? Read on…
There are multiple things that can still be causing breakouts, even when our home care routine is on point. (And just to be clear, even if our breakouts are caused by an issue that can’t be fully solved by a good homecare routine, we still need to follow one to make sure our breakouts don’t get worse. We also want our skin to be healthy and to look good! That’s the magic of following a good homecare routine consistently, no matter what.)
Sensitivities, Allergic Reactions, Irritations and Breakouts~
If you are following a great home care routine for healing breakouts (that is a good match for your skin) and this has not cleared anything up, you may not be dealing with regular breakouts after all. This can be especially true if your breakouts are also itchy or rashy.
Sometimes other issues (like perioral dermatitis, fungal infections, staph infections, acne rosacea, folliculitis, seborrheic dermatitis, irritation or allergic reactions, etc.,) can look a lot like traditional breakouts, but these issues will require a different healing approach. Sometimes these issues overlap with regular breakouts, creating a need for a multi-teared healing approach.
In this case its great to go see a dermatologist to get a clear diagnosis and treatment plan, because treating just the breakouts alone will never clear up the whole issue. (Once you have a diagnosis from your dermatologist, a naturopathic doctor can help supplement and bolster your treatment plan if a holistic, complimentary approach is desired.)
Note about sensitivity or irritation reactions: All kinds of common things can cause sensitivity or irritation reaction breakouts! Our makeup, our laundry products, our home cleaning products, our jewelry, our haircare products, even ingredients in our skin care products (for example, salicylic acid is a great ingredient for helping blemishes to heal, unless you are sensitive to it…then it can give you a reactive, irritation breakout. Ugh.).
So beauties, get a dermatologist’s help if needed (allergy testing, correct diagnosis, etc.,) to help get your skin clear.
More tips for healing skin sensitivities here.
If it does turn out to be just a normal breakout that has not been responsive to a good home care routine, a prescription strength vitamin A product (such as Retinol, Retin-A, Tretinoin, etc.,) prescribed by a dermatologist can work for some of us to help clear up our skin. (The prescription product gets added in to our great homecare routine, it does not replace it.)
Food and Breakouts~
Some of us do not tolerate certain foods well, and our digestive woes show up as breakouts. Dairy, sugar and gluten are the top three culprits, but other foods could potentially be an issue as well. (If you typically breakout within about 1 to 3 days after eating a certain type of food, chances are pretty good that you have a food intolerance.)
Another potential culprit is processed or ultra processed foods, because they are likely full of preservatives, binders, stabilizers, sugars, etc., that can potentially be hard for us to digest, which can cause gut health problems (and ultimately breakouts) for some of us.
If you have food intolerances, its essential to move those foods out of your diet (at least for now) in order for your skin to clear.
A good naturopathic doctor can be of help here, both with food sensitivity testing if needed, and with overall gut health support and nutrition support.
More tips about healing breakouts from foods here and here.
Hormones and Breakouts~
Do your breakouts appear or get worse about a week prior to your monthly cycle each month or did they begin with the start of menopause? If so, your balance of estrogen, progesterone and androgen hormones may need some support. This can actually be helped by herbal and nutritional supplements, as well as by hormonally based medication.
Diindolylmethane (known as “DIM”), is a nutritional supplement made from cruciferous vegetables that can have a positive effect on hormonal breakouts. Other nutritional supplements like zinc, vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and omega 3s can also help. Spironolactone (a prescription medication) and Yaz, Beyaz, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, EstroStep or bio-identical hormones (all prescription hormonal medication) are possible options, depending on what works best for you. Your primary care physician, gynecologist, dermatologist or naturopathic doctor can help you out here. Taking the right supplements and/or medications, in the right amount, for the right length of time, can be super helpful in helping hormonal acne to clear.
I’m going to give a little shout out to Seed Cycling here – while there is not much hard science to back it up right now, there have been some encouraging anecdotes, and it is an easy practice to follow and basically good for you anyway (it involves eating a small amount of specific seeds, like pumpkin seeds and flax seeds, at specific times during your cycle in order to help clear your skin). Even if Seed Cycling turns out to be not super effective at clearing hormonal breakouts, the seeds are full of healthy nutrition for your skin, so they provide good benefits anyway. More info on Seed Cycling here and here.
Drinking spearmint tea (really!) may also have a beneficial effect on hormonally related breakouts. More info here.
Stress and Breakouts~
Ugh, stress can really knock us down. Prolonged, chronic, ongoing stress actually causes a chemical response in our bodies that makes our skin more sensitive and reactive, as well as a hormonal response that can make us more apt to break out. Ugh. (Did I say “ugh” yet?)
So, what can we do here? We have no choice but to tame this beast! Here are some options for helping our poor, weary selves cope with the onslaught…
*Sleep (getting enough, hopefully deeply restful, hopefully deeply peaceful);
*Supplements maybe (check with your naturopathic doctor) like Ashwagandha, Rhodiola Rosea, Melatonin, Magnesium, L-theanine, Ginseng, B vitamins, vitamin D, as well as others;
*Receiving regular acupuncture (or massage, or cranial sacral, or reiki, or other calming body treatment that makes you feel restored);
*Time away from screens (maybe more time outdoors, maybe more time with good people, maybe more time breathing, meditating, exercising, maybe more time preparing healthy, delicious meals to be enjoyed by you and those you love).
*More skin healthy, stress-reducing options here and here.
Facials and Breakouts~
No matter what is causing your breakouts, receiving facials regularly (either for a specific duration of time or ongoing) can help to clear your skin. An experienced esthetician can help you figure out if your homecare routine is working for you, and can provide professional exfoliating treatments and supportive modalities (like LED light therapy) which will help support clear skin. (Remember though, if you have a food intolerance, high stress, hormonal imbalance or allergic/irritation reaction breakouts, you’ll need to take care of that specific cause for the acne to fully clear, even though regular facials will help.)
Tried it all? Still breaking out?
Laser treatments for breakouts can be a great option for some of us. A single laser treatment or series of laser treatments by a knowledgeable and skilled practitioner using high quality equipment can make a huge difference in clearing up our skin! Here is how it works.
Body breakouts?
Sometimes breakouts show up on our backs, chests, shoulders, and even on our bums! (So annoying!)
Here are a few tips for helping to clear them all up:
In the shower, shampoo and condition your hair first, then cleanse your skin. (Some shampoos and conditioners have ingredients that can cause breakouts, so washing your skin after you wash your hair ensures there is no shampoo or conditioner residue left on your skin that could cause breakouts.)
Use a cleanser in the shower that cleans well but does not dry out your skin. (This means a hard no on Dial Soap and undiluted Dr. Bronner’s Soap or any kind of drying soap.)
Exfoliate about 1 to 4 times per week after cleansing. A scrub product works, exfoliating gloves work. (If using gloves or any kind of tool like a loofa or whatever, always wash the tool after using it and let it dry out fully before the next use.) Don’t over-exfoliate (like by using a harsh loofa on your skin every single day. Eek.).
If you are working out (working up a sweat) be sure to start your workout with your skin as clean as possible, wear fresh workout clothes, then shower as soon as you can after your workout is done.
Always wear fresh clean clothes to bed. (Our skin likes loose, breathable fabrics like cotton the best.)
If your breakouts cluster where your hair touches your skin, keep your hair off of your skin as much as possible (headbands, updos, bun on top of head, etc.,.)
Be sure that any skin care products you apply to your body are helping to clear the breakouts. You’ll want a good cleanser and a good exfoliating product for the shower, maybe an anti-acne treatment product, and some hydration and/or moisturizer that does not clog pores.
Here are some options:
Apple & Lemon Whipped Moisturizer
When our breakouts persist no matter what, or they feel itchy or look more like a rash of bumps than actual pimples, we may not actually have regular breakouts! Allergic reactions and irritations (to the fabric of our clothes, to our laundry soap, to anything that touches our skin) or other causes like folliculitis, a staph infection, fungal infection or dermatitis can look a lot like a regular breakout. When our body breakouts just do not clear up despite all of our wise care, we may have another issue going on. So! Be sure to have a dermatologist take a peek to give you a solid diagnosis so you know how to clear your skin up once and for all.
When nothing seems to work, there is still something that can work…
If we do have regular body acne and nothing clears it up (such as a good daily skin care routine a home, a diet that eliminates any foods that cause breakouts, hormone balancing support, stress reduction, eliminating any topical irritants…) laser treatments can work to heal acne on our bodies as well as on our faces. (Yes, they really can.)
“What yoga is to mind and body, skincare is to skin.”
~Intelligence Skincare
”Being comfortable in your skin means to embrace what you are born with, but how about enhancing it with skincare to make it feel loved.”
~ Intelligence Skincare
“The best tip- Religiously follow a morning and night skincare routine.”
~ Intelligence Skincare
“Trust me, my skin throws more tantrums than me. It gets irritated whenever I skip my skincare routine.”
~ Intelligence Skincare
“Like, I’m hyper-conscious about going to bed on time, and doing my seven-step skincare routine at night.”
~Gillian Jacobs
Blog written by Marna Herrington with Rich Earth Organic Skin Care Studio
Blog copy editing and polishing provided by Karen-Eileen Gordon (MsGordonLovesWriting@gmail.com)
This blog is not intended to take the place of in-person consultations with qualified skin care and health care practitioners. This blog is for the purpose of education and fun only.
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