Adult Acne: Causes & Solutions

You're Not Alone

A common misperception about acne is that it only -- or at least primarily – affects teenagers; and that by the time we've progressed into adulthood those annoying, embarrassing and sometimes painful pimples, zits, blackheads, and whiteheads will be nothing more than a memory.

The truth is that adult acne is widely prevalent. So if you're an adult who is still suffering from this condition, you can at least take heart in knowing that you're certainly not alone:

“Clinical studies indicate that between 40 and 55 percent of the adult population age 20-40 are diagnosed with low grade, persistent acne and oily skin. According to the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology, 54 percent of women older than age 25 have some facial acne.”

Now, given its continuing prevalence, it should come as no surprise that acne is not a simple condition, with a simple one-size-fits-all “magic bullet” cure. If there were a magic-bullet fix, then such a large percentage of children and adults would not still be struggling with this condition – right? The causes of acne are various and multiple and differ from one person to the next.

The good news is that both western and Chinese medicine have made strides in understanding more fully the internal and external causes of acne, and there definitely are things that you can do to begin the healing process.

The Myriad Causes Of Adult Acne

The first thing to understand about the causes of acne is that they are primarily internal. While external factors such as air-born pollutants, or toxic soaps, shampoos, lotions, and cosmetics can play a role in creating acne, or in exacerbating already-existing acne – in most cases such external influences are only secondary.

The deeper internal causes of acne include:

• Digestive imbalances
• Lymphatic stagnation
• Hormone fluctuations/imbalances
• Low-grade infections elsewhere in the body
• Leaky Gut Syndrome
• Psychological stress
• Cigarette smoking
• Excessive alcohol drinking
• Poor diet

Several of these causes of acne are directly related to our lifestyle choices: An unhealthy diet, cigarette smoking, and psychological stress tend to be associated with a variety of physical imbalances. And these are things that, to some extent at least, are under our control. We can transform our lifestyle in a way that supports the overall health and well-being of our body and mind – which can set the stage for improving or completely healing our acne. We'll talk more about this below.

Of the acne causes listed above, the one that may have surprised you most is Leaky Gut Syndrome – which some healers believe to be the root cause of 60-70% of severe acne cases. So what exactly is Leaky Gut Syndrome? According to Karen Kurtak, L.Ac. --

“The basic theory of Leaky Gut Syndrome is that damage occurs to the tight junctions between the cells that line the small and/or large intestines.  Normally, these cells act as a filter so that only fully digested nutrients can fit through these junctions.  If the tight junctions sustain damage, they can leak fragments of undigested proteins into the blood and lymph where the immune system recognizes them as invaders and then launches an immune attack.” 

So far we've spoken of the causes of acne mostly in terms of a western medical paradigm. But sometimes a completely different diagnostic framework can be very helpful – and such is the case when it comes to teasing out the causes and formulating a treatment for acne. For instance, Chinese Medicine (and in particular its herbal formulas) tends to have great success in treating acne, largely because of how this ancient healing modality distinguishes different disease patterns – i.e. different causes of the acne – in different people:

“There are at least five separate root causes of acne in Chinese Medicine.  Each one can combine with any of the others to create an elaborate web of imbalances that are complicated by hormone fluctuations, stress, improper diet, and poor lifestyle choices.”

What You Can Do Today To Improve Your Acne

Now that we've explored some of the causes of adult acne – from both western and Chinese medical points of view – let’s talk about what you can do today to begin the healing process. As you can see, these recommendations focus largely on diet and lifestyle, along with being intelligent about the products that you put directly on your skin.

* Avoid alcohol and cigarette smoking.

* Decrease or eliminate your consumption of coffee – replacing it with black tea, green tea, chicory, chaga, rooibos or other herbal teas.

* Decrease or eliminate your intake of highly processed foods containing refined flours and sugars. Instead, enjoy a diet that includes generous quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy oils; along with your choice of protein. (When possible, go with organic!)

* Decrease or eliminate your intake of partially-hydrogenated oils (toxic man-made fats with “trans fatty acids”) such as margarine, vegetable shortening, or liquid shortening. Instead, consume generous quantities of healthy oils -- such as grass-fed tallow; pasture-raised lard; free-range duck fat; coconut, palm, olive, sesame, almond, avocado, flax seed, walnut and sunflower oils; and butter or ghee – in cold-pressed, virgin, organic varieties when possible.

* Eliminate toxic artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet); Sucralose(Splenda); Saccharin (Sweet 'N Low, Sweet Twin); and Acesulfame K (ACE K, Sunette, Equal Spoonful, Sweet One, Sweet 'n Safe). Instead, satisfy your sweet-tooth with natural healthy sweeteners such as stevia, agave nectar, raw honey, pure maple syrup, date sugar, barley malt syrup, brown rice syrup, sucanat (sugar cane crystals), molasses or xylitol (derived from birch bark).

* Include fermented foods with “live active cultures” – such as yogurt, kefir, tempeh, miso, sauerkraut, kimchi or kombucha – with one or two meals every day. These provide a wealth of health-enhancing probiotics, i.e. the “friendly bacteria” that nourish and support the microflora of our digestive system.

* Supplement with high-quality EPA/DHA fish oil capsules: Krill is a great choice, as is salmon or sardine.

* Choose a skin lotion made primarily of aloe vera gel, and/or sesame, safflower, almond, avocado, jojoba, babassu, grass-fed tallow and/or castor oil. Tea tree oil – which has anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial qualities – is also an excellent ingredient to look for in a soap or lotion. Shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil and olive oil are possibilities also, though (heads up!) they don't work for everyone: while some love these heavier oils/butters in a lotion, others find that they tend to clog their pores. 

* Use a grass-fed tallow soap for added nourishment and protection of your skin.

* Drink plenty of high-quality water every day, e.g. filtered water (Brita pitchers are a good, simple option); or lab-tested spring-water; or (for a real health-boosting treat) hydrogen-infused water.  

* Consider adding a yoga or meditation practice, to help manage stress, and connect with the peace and joy at the core of your being.

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