The Real Causes Of Acne That Cosmetic Companies Won't Tell You

If you've tried every face wash and cream you can get your hands on, but the acne still won't go away (or it does, but your skin gets fried dry), you've been doing it wrong. We get it - those commercials are super convincing.

If your doctor prescribed you acne medication because the creams weren't cutting it, but the pills were disgusting and made your stomach hurt, then she/he did you wrong. We get it - a doctor should know. But orthodox medicine still cannot eradicate acne without other health consequences.

"In 2016, the global acne treatment market was worth some 4.9 billion dollars and was expected to grow to over 7 billion by the end of 2025." - Statistica

Symptoms vs. Cause

If you've done your research, you've probably found that the above "solutions" only attempt to treat symptoms (the effect), but fail to address the underlying cause. Because the causes, as you've probably learned, are supposedly a mixture of bacteria and hormone imbalances. And that's partially true, but there's much more.

The most important question is "What internal conditions are causing the germs to flourish in the skin that are causing the breakouts?" This, simply put, is the holistic approach.

The "solutions" only attempt to treat symptoms, but fail to address the underlying cause.

In getting rid of breakouts once and for all, knowledge is power. So here's everything you need to know about getting rid of acne!

Bacteria and Understanding Toxicity

The body was intended to live in balance with its environment. It was designed as a marvelous mechanism with several systems that work in coordination with each other. When imbalance occurs, certain organs come to the rescue and act as filters. With acne, the intestines, blood, lymph, kidneys, and liver are all involved. When those "filters" get overly clogged, then there is debris build-up in the largest "filter" of the body - the skin.

Think of a clogged shower drain. Gunky water gets backed up and fills the shower floor. How? Because a pipe that usually does the draining is blocked. See where we're going with this? Bacteria are not so much the cause of acne, but the result.

Fats and Sebaceous Glands

During puberty, the body increases the output of sex hormones. These sex hormones increase the activity of certain glands in the skin called the sebaceous glands. Excessive oils (sebum) clog greasy sebaceous glands. The excessive oil, which is held captive by the overgrowth of a layer of skin, invites germs. Those germs grow, stagnate, undergo chemical changes, and become a vehicle for various types of bacterial growth, such as breakouts.

The fat-soluble toxins involved here are important.

• They may signal a problem with the breakdown of fats.

• The body may actually be unable to utilize the fats properly. (This is why eating fried foods and hydrogenated fats can be utterly disastrous for someone with acne.)

• When those fats dissolve, they become rotten to the system.

Understanding Sex Hormones

Historically, puberty began slowly and gradually between the ages of 14-16. But in today's culture, this onset is occurring earlier and earlier at an alarming acceleration. Girls are often beginning their periods between the ages of 10-12 and even much earlier.

What causes this acceleration?

• Eating a large consumption of meat and dairy products tainted with growth hormones.

• Excessive amounts of sugar, stimulants, artificial flavorings, colorings, and preservatives in the diet.

• Absorbing environmental toxins from plastics, chemicals, metals in vaccinations, fluoride, and food prepared on non-stick cookware.

• Premature mental and bodily stimulation due to our hyper-sexualized culture.

It's been said that in areas of the world where the youth undergo puberty in a slow, gradual manner, acne is nearly non-existent. What does this suggest? That it's not the normal activity of sex glands that cause acne, but the abnormal activity of sex glands.

In areas of the world where youth undergo puberty in a slow, gradual manner, acne is nearly non-existent.

Breakouts commonly occur before periods. This happens because progesterone rises, which is needed to prepare the womb for pregnancy. When pregnancy doesn't occur, the uterine lining exits the body in the form of a period. Progesterone then decreases while estrogen increases until the time of ovulation. Deficiency in Vitamin B6 can make the effects of this fluctuation worse.

Food Matters

For those who were exclusively nursed by mothers who ate wholesome, unrefined foods (and who continued to eat wholesome, unrefined foods through their developing years) acne is nearly non-existent. 

Food was intended to be organically grown, unrefined, and consumed fresh. The further we drift from this practice, the more we risk developing nutritional deficiencies. Junk food is depleted of nutritional value and causes deficiencies in Zinc, Iron, and Vitamin A (vitamins and minerals that make healthy skin).

Sometimes food allergies are responsible for acne breakouts. Common allergies to wheat, corn, milk products, soy, tomatoes, or animal proteins can be detected by food sensitivity testing. Rotating these foods out of the diet can help alleviate symptoms.

Sometimes food allergies are responsible for acne breakouts.

Foods high in simple sugars or lactose (milk sugar) cause the adrenal glands to produce excess oils.

This might be painful to hear, but cocoa and chocolate - sweetened or unsweetened - fuels acne like gasoline on a fire. They both contain an ingredient similar to caffeine that stimulates the nervous system, causing the adrenal glands to produce even more excess oils.

Gut Health

Fiber-rich nutrition will get you a healthy gut. Both good and bad bacteria will be held in check to assure proper eliminations. Without enough fiber, you get constipated, and your inner "pipes" get blocked. The mounting waste in your intestines helps create acne.

Blood Integrity

Rotting waste that mounts up in the intestinal system can become a buffet for parasites. Parasitical infection often leads to anemia (low red blood cell count), which is responsible for some forms of acne. 

Blood waste must not become stagnant. When this occurs, it's as if your body's trash collectors have gone on strike and garbage overflows. Where? Through your skin.

For blood waste to be eliminated, those "trash cans" (the lymphatic system) must be dumped.

Exercise To Move the Mess and Manage the Stress

But move with caution: Testosterone is produced when women undergo physical (and emotional) stress, like when we over exercise.

Furthermore, the cells that produce excess oils contain receptors for stress hormones. If you've been in a state of "fight or flight" for some time, these receptors can send excess oil production into overdrive.

Unless stress is managed, applying acne creams will only be a temporary and limited solution.

Good skin hygiene is important, but unless stress is managed, applying acne creams will only be a temporary and limited solution. Ever been on a relaxing vacation and noticed your acne cleared up?

Closing Thoughts

The holistic perspective provides insight into what causes germs to flourish in the skin, resulting in acne. These are the causes of acne that big pharma brands won't tell you. They'd like you to believe acne can be eliminated with the newest cream or facewash. Now you know better.