What is Acne?

Overview of Acne

Acne is a common skin condition that happens when hair follicles under the skin become clogged. Sebum—oil that helps keep skin from drying out—and dead skin cells plug the pores, which leads to outbreaks of lesions, commonly called pimples or zits. Most often, the outbreaks occur on the face but can also appear on the back, chest, and shoulders.

Acne is an inflammatory disorder of the skin, which has sebaceous (oil) glands that connects to the hair follicle, which contains a fine hair. In healthy skin, the sebaceous glands make sebum that empties onto the skin surface through the pore, which is an opening in the follicle. Keratinocytes, a type of skin cell, line the follicle.  Normally as the body sheds skin cells, the keratinocytes rise to the surface of the skin. When someone has acne, the hair, sebum, and keratinocytes stick together inside the pore. This prevents the keratinocytes from shedding and keeps the sebum from reaching the surface of the skin. The mixture of oil and cells allows bacteria that normally live on the skin to grow in the plugged follicles and cause inflammation—swelling, redness, heat, and pain. When the wall of the plugged follicle breaks down, it spills the bacteria, skin cells, and sebum into nearby skin, creating lesions or pimples.

For most people, acne tends to go away by the time they reach their thirties, but some people in their forties and fifties continue to have this skin problem.

(NIH.gov)

The following factors may increase your risk for developing acne:

This Blog Article Focuses on Adult Hormone Imbalance.

• Hormones. An increase in androgens, which are male sex hormones, may lead to acne. These increase in both boys and girls normally during puberty and cause the sebaceous glands to enlarge and make more sebum. Hormonal changes related to pregnancy can also cause acne.  Hormonal imbalance can affect acne. Adult acne is also called Rosacea - so if you are 40, 50, or in your 60s and still getting skin redness with breakouts, you likely suffer from Rosacea. Men and Women alike go through hormonal changes throughout their lives. Finding balance is important.
• Family history. Researchers believe that you may be more likely to get acne if your parents had acne.
• Medications. Certain medications, such as medications that contain hormones, corticosteroids, and lithium, can cause acne.
• Age. People of all ages can get acne, but it is more common in teens.

 The following do not cause acne, but may make it worse.

• Diet. Some studies show that eating certain foods may make acne worse. Researchers are continuing to study the role of diet as a cause of acne.
• Stress.
• Pressure from sports helmets, tight clothes, or backpacks.
• Environmental irritants, such as pollution and high humidity.
• Squeezing or picking at blemishes.
• Scrubbing your skin too hard.What do we do about hormonal acne?

You can certainly do a lot on your own with just diet and stress reduction. The pink links below take you to more articles and options - so read on!

What can I do about hormonal acne?

1. Your Gut Matters - Heal It

Your digestive tract is an amazing environment. Yep, the gut microbiome (the balance of micro-organisms like the good bacteria found in yogurt cultures) plays a role in balancing hormones. Your gut needs prebiotics (veggies, greens) to support the probiotic bacteria. Letting the bad guys get crowded out by good guys starts with diet and lifestyle changes.

Research indicates addressing the (great article) gut microbiome is important in addressing acne, and probiotics can help restore healthy gut flora and help balance hormones. I recommend Usana’s probiotic. You can also choose the duo pack and save. Our balance your belly pack, bring the balance pack, and jumpstart kit all contain the probiotic along with other excellent supplements to clean our guts and jumpstart our cellular health.

2. Manage stress

Stress, especially in combination with digestive and gut microbiome imbalances and poor diet, triggers inflammation, oxidative stress and damage (cellular change/breakdown of cellular communications), and high cortisol. This is bad news for the skin. Whether it’s journaling, positive thought, taking a warm bath, using essentials oils/diffusing, taking restorative yoga classes, listening to soothing music, strolling through nature or some other way to calm your mind and soul, pick one to do every day. Register for one of my classes today and let interval fitness help burn the inflammatory fat or let yoga bring you calm and lower cortisol levels. OR BOTH:). Attend a Sugar Buster Program. We have special guests that present Reiki, Tapping, Chair Yoga to help you reduce stress.

3. Improve detoxification

One of our liver’s jobs is metabolizing hormones amongst many other cell clean up responsibilities, and when our detoxification pathways are suboptimal, we can end up with imbalances in hormones and their metabolites. A well-designed cleanse program such as our Clear the Way Detox or Sugar Buster program can enhance liver detoxification. Clear the Way is a 28 day program - self directed - and this is the complete product kit needed to support you through - Balance Your Belly Pack.

The amino acid glutathione (also a potent antioxidant) is lower in the skin of acne patients compared to people without acne. Certain nutrients such as N-Acetyl Cysteine and Vitamin C can boost glutathione and support detoxification. Our Cellsentials provide the necessary ingredients to support our liver pathway clean up. The Cellsentials are also included in the Balance your Belly pack.

4. Balance hormones naturally

Chasteberry can be helpful for women when hormonal imbalance is the underlying trigger for skin problems. Functional medicine research notes it to have hormonal effects similar to progesterone in the body, which in turn can help relieve acne symptoms. Dr Anna Cabeca’s Mighty Maca Plus is a supplement that has adaptogenic properties and can support hormone balance. Find this under the “shop” section of the link above.

For men or women with excess testosterone, Usana’s Palmetto Plus may help curb the excess. Hormones are not easy to understand, so if yours are out of balance, it’s best to work with a functional medicine provider or naturopath or physician who really knows how to balance hormones naturally.

5. Reduce sugar

When you reduce your sugar intake, it’s easier to manage your blood sugar and insulin levels. Sugar is hidden in many foods, so in addition to avoiding sugary treats and sodas, read ingredient labels for sugar in popular packaged foods like breads, crackers, juice, smoothies, dressings, and condiments. And, remember, many other foods turn into sugar in the body like breads, pastas, and other high carbohydrate foods.

In addition to reducing sugar, be sure to eat plenty of fiber, protein, and healthy fats at your meals to prevent the spikes and crashes. If your blood sugar runs high or you’re not sure, talk with your doctor to have your levels tested.

6. Update your skincare routine

Externally, we can prevent and treat acne by ensuring a regular skincare routine with mildly acidic skincare products and by creating a healthy skin microbiome with the right regimen to prevent the overgrowth of P. Acne bacteria. Clicking the pink link above is a great article discussing how to take care of your skin.

The messages skin provides can help us know we’re heading in the right direction – or if we are still imbalanced. Whether it’s acne clearing up or eruptions fading away, the skin will reveal if you are making progress with hormonal balance.

Usana’s skin care line offers an array of non toxic, non comedogenic products with skin loving natural ingredients with self preserving technology which allows production without harmful chemicals and preservatives. Knowing how to support skin health is important. Celavive and the brightening line are excellent options for your skin care routine. Review all the products on my Usana website. Click the supplement facts to read details on ingredients. The Cellsentials provides all the inside cellular support ingredients to not only support healthy skin but all your cell signaling processes for optimal health.

So if your skin is sending you signals, listen up and get working on clearing it up.

If your own efforts aren't enough, work with your healthcare provider to discover more ways to help.

Reset, Rejuvenate, Renew - Here's to a healthier YOU!

Janet