How to Heal Acne
what causes acne?
Microbiome Imbalances: Dysbiosis (excessive bacteria, yeast, or parasites) in gut and skin microbiomes can trigger inflammation and acne.
Poor Gut Health and nutrition: Issues like leaky gut and nutrient deficiencies affect skin health and inflammation. Inadequate breakdown of nutrients due to low stomach acid, insufficient bile production, or a lack of digestive enzymes can lead to deficiencies. This can have a negative impact on skin health, immune function, and hormonal equilibrium.
Dietary Factors: A diet high in sugar, processed foods, and pasteurized dairy (for some people) can exacerbate acne through hormonal triggers and by promoting sebum production.
Insufficient Liver Function: Liver health affects detoxification; a compromised liver may worsen skin conditions, including acne. Toxins in the body are eliminated through the skin, liver, kidneys, and digestive system. If they are not functioning optimally, toxins will exit through the skin.
Skin Barrier Damage - Stratum Corneum (skin barrier) damage from the following can lead to breakouts: surfactant based cleansers, excessive or harsh exfoliation, prescription retinoids (often used to treat acne, but can damage the skin barrier, leading to a cycle of breakouts), extreme temperatures applied to the face when washing (too hot especially), allergens, irritants and toxins, chemical-based skincare products, alcohol-based products, excessive sun exposure and burning, chemical treatments.
Hormonal Imbalances: Hormones like insulin/IGF-1, androgens, and estrogen dominance influence sebum production and acne severity.
Increased Linoleic Acid: An unbalanced omega-3 to omega-6 ratio can lead to inflammation.
Medications such as all types of steroids, lithium, and some hormonal contraceptives can trigger acne.
Toxins: Environmental toxins can have a negative impact on skin health. We are exposed to constant toxins in today’s world. Dioxin, among many others. is considered a pollutant that can contribute to acne.
Last, but certainly not least, stress is an underlying contributor of all conditions, including acne. Stress can lead to acne by elevating cortisol levels, which in turn, elevates oil production. It also triggers inflammation, impacting the skin's immune response. Stress may also affect behaviors that can worsen acne, such as skin picking or frequent face touching with unclean hands.
What to explore first when you have acne
Diet
Whether you have clear skin or are dealing with acne or any other skin condition, choose an organic whole foods diet tailored to your own needs. Eliminate any and all processed foods from your diet and replace with simple health-promoting real foods.
Stress
Stress destabilizes the body systemically, and can in-turn, cause acne. Stress can weaken the immune system, allow microbes to take over, and create endocrine imbalances.
Hormones
Hormonal imbalance can trigger acne. The body can release too many androgenic hormones, which caused by increased insulin production or metabolic syndrome. This can cause a cascade of excess sebum production, congested follicles, and therefore, acne. An imbalanced estrogen to progesterone ratio in the body can cause acne, as well. Another scenario can be a sudden change in hormonal balance, such as that created by pregnancy or certain illnesses.
Medications
Some medications that can trigger acne due to the imbalances that they create in the body. Contraceptive pills are a commonly used medication that create major long-term health problems and can also bring on acne. All types of steroids and lithium can also trigger acne. While antibiotics are important in some in cases of serious medical need or life-threatening infections, using them casually for any reason, especially for acne is highly detrimental. Chronic antibiotic use as a child absolutely destroyed my health into adulthood. By using antibiotics in hopes of improving acne, you are actually setting up a cycle of poor overall health and worsening the root causes of acne in the first place.
How to Treat Acne at it’s root cause
1. Open Drainage Pathways
Drainage
This image illustrates the order in which fluids move through the body to remove toxins. When this drainage funnel gets clogged and stagnation occurs in the colon or liver, toxins get dumped into the the bloodstream. The toxins then move through the blood and are picked up by the skin, lungs, and kidneys.
If you have acne, or any chronic skin condition, this means that your cells, organs, tissues, lymphatic system, liver, bile ducts, and colon are all clogged and are showing you on your skin that you need detoxification
So, how do we unclog our drainage pathways? We need to address each area.
Skin -
If you have skin eruptions, it can mean that your other drainage pathways below are backed up and the toxins are forced to exit the skin. Here are some ways to intentionally draw toxins out through the skin.
Skincare - Explore Elaa’s masks and ozonated products to cleanse and detox the skin.
Sauna - I also use an infrared sauna at least once a week, to remove toxins through the skin via sweat. Start low and slow and work your way up to higher temperatures and longer times in the sauna as tolerated.
This is one the best sauna and red light set ups.
This is a wonderful, more affordable option.
Baths - Epsom Salt baths help draw toxins from the skin.
Kidneys - Hydrate with half your body weight of Distilled or Reverse Osmosis water to support the kidneys to lessen exposure to radioactive elements and dissolved solids. Take KL Support (Enter LxgHzGOs as the Patient Direct Code) or Urinary & Renal Support Tonic to support Kidney drainage.
Lungs - Breath Work (closed mouth for inhalation always) can help to clear and detox the lungs, as well as help to regulate the nervous system. Do not do any stimulating, intense, or open mouth breath work, as it activates the sympathetic nervous system and unprocessed trauma. This is not what we want to do when detoxing.
Colon & Liver/Bile Ducts - Coffee enemas or enemas using Advanced Tudca ( Enter LxgHzGOs as the Patient Direct Code) are very powerful for opening up colon and liver drainage. These can easily be done at home. In fact, I love doing them and once you experience how you feel afterwards, will too. 1-2 times per week during detox is ideal. This is my favorite enema kit. My favorite enema coffee.
Liver/Bile Ducts - A gentle, yet effective way to detoxify the liver that be done daily are using castor oil packs. Use liver supporting herbs regularly, such as Liver Detox & Support Tonic and KL Support (Enter LxgHzGOs as the Patient Direct Code).
Lymphatics - This is an often overlooked, but essential part of detoxification. You want to continuously be moving the lymph. I use this Vibration Plate, this body gua sha, and this ionic dry body brush for lymphatic drainage. You can also user a rebounder instead of the vibration plate. Another option is getting regular lymphatic massages.
Binders are critical throughout the detoxification process. Use all of these binders (Biotoxin, ViRadChem, Carboxy, HM-ET) in order as you go through the protocols. (Enter LxgHzGOs as the Patient Direct Code)
2. Clean up your diet
Remove: Processed, refined, and chemical "foods" of all types (these are not food!) All refined and simple sugars, and reduce natural sugars ( honey, starches and fruits) at least until your skin is regulated. Alcohol. Refined oils and seed oils. Pasteurized conventional dairy products. Even raw, organic, pastured dairy can be a trigger for acne, for some people.
Here are some general recommendations for foods to avoid if you are in the process of clearing acne and encouraging outstanding health:
foods to avoid
Processed and chemical "foods" of all types (these are not food!)
Refined grains and gluten containing grains. Definitely remove all gluten forever. Ideally, remove all grains at least temporarily.
All refined sugars, and natural sugars (including all starches and fruits). Low doses of glyphosate-free certified organic honey and low-glycemic fruits are okay after your cleanse period. Do not eat any sugars, including fruits during your cleanse period, ideally. Sugars feed the “bad guys” (parasites, bacteria, etc.)
Alcohol and caffeinated beverages. Remove all alcohol ideally forever, it is very bad for health and especially triggering for skin conditions.
Refined oils and seed oils.
Pasteurized conventional dairy products. Even raw, organic, pastured dairy can be a trigger for acne, though.
And here are some ideas for foods and superfoods you can incorporate in to your diet for health promotion:
foods To enjoy
Pasture raised, Organic eggs.
Pastured raised, Organic meat of all kinds. Wild caught Salmon no more than 1 x per week.
Healthy fats such as Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil (do not cook with it), Organic Coconut Oil from Fresh Coconuts only, Organic grass-fed ghee or butter, Organic avocado, Organic pastured tallow and animal fats, and sun dried olives.
Organic fresh colorful veggies, consumed raw or cooked depending on personal constitution, digestion, and preference. If eating raw, make sure your gut health is superb and you throughly clean and disinfect the produce first.
Nutrient dense wild foods, such as greens, herbs, and berries.
Warm healing broths. Bone broth is amazing for health and digestion. Try adding of veggies, roots, herbs, and medicinal mushrooms.
Health promoting algaes, such as Marine Phytoplankton and Chlorella.
Raw fermented foods, like sauerkraut and coconut water kefir. Do NOT eat fermented foods if you have MCAS or Histamine Intolerance.
3. Address stress & dysregulation
Learn how to be with emotions and move stuck emotions through your body and regulate your nervous system, slow down, nourish yourself with self-care, nature, and connection. Learn how to be with emotions, how to move stuck emotions through your body, and how to regulate your nervous system. This is a long-term process and happens over time with consistent practice after the education of how to do this begins. Contact me if you need resources and programs for regulation.
4. Look for the cause of hormonal imbalances
If it is due to pregnancy, most women’s skin improves after the first trimester. The tendency towards pregnancy acne is usually due to a previous history of acne, irregular menstruation, polycystic ovary syndrome, and the use of certain medications. But, for everything else, hormonal imbalances are downstream of other issues. It often is stress or trauma, microbes, and toxicity. The key thing to consider here, is what is upstream of the hormonal imbalance? Hormones are downstream of other issues always. It often is stress or trauma, microbes, and toxicity. So, address those three areas first before trying to take hormones or impact hormones directly.
5. Treat dysbiosis in the gut
For acne, I highly recommend going through the entire Foundational Protocol. First, do all the steps mentioned above to set yourself up for the best possible results. Once you have those in place, You will need to treat the toxins and microbes that are causing the acne. (Enter LxgHzGOs as the Patient Direct Code)
I always recommend specific herbal protocols for treating excessive bacteria, yeast, or parasites. But, these will only be effective if you address everything else above first.
6. Nourish
These are some valuable supplements that you might consider incorporating into your process as you heal your acne and your body for overall support.
Probiotics and digestive enzymes to support the digestive system.
Plant-derived MSM. taken with high quality, food-based, Liposomal Vitamin C (vitamin C increases absorption of MSM, in addition to being great for the skin and immunity)
Herbs like Horsetail and Nettle (rich in silica: a beauty mineral)
Tonic herbs such as schizandra, reishi mushroom, and pearl powder, traditionally used to beautify the skin and bring balance to the entire body
7. Treat Topically
Adopting a healthy skin care routine will make a significant difference in your skin and overall health. Start by immediately eliminating all chemical acne treatments, like benzoyl peroxide, or any other “medicated” products from your life. These not only have a drying effect on the skin that is damaging, but the chemicals themselves are placing a heavier load of your body's ability to detoxify.
The best topical treatment for Acne
A miraculously powerful and effective fully ozonated treatment balm for face and body. Highly concentrated, it regenerates skin and tissues with fully ozonated oil and a blend of the most highly therapeutic oils to create healing and renewal for any skin troubles. This is the ultimate skin barrier repair and skin condition treatment. It has been clinically proven to regenerate skin and tissue. Studies have shown that it promotes wound healing and modulates the inflammatory phase, which aids in skin barrier repair. Additionally, it stimulates angiogenesis and enhances oxygen metabolism, which are beneficial for wound healing and tissue repair.
We use medical oxygen, only glass, and cold plasma ozone to produce the highest quality ozonated oils. Full ozonation means there are no waxes and no fillers. It is a thick gel at room temperature and cooler… all due to the extensive ozonation process. It takes long periods of time to achieve this full ozonation.
The oils work synergistically to soothe, reduce signs of aging, reduce inflammation, rejuvenate, calm all kinds of skin conditions, improve circulation, clear toxins, ease pain, revitalize cells, reduce scar tissue, and stimulate the growth of new, healthy, properly structured collagen.
A little goes a very long way! Just a tiny dab is enough to cover the entire face.
Strength - Choose Full Strength for most cases and for the best results. Full Strength is the original After the Rain formula. If you have been using After the Rain, this is the option to choose. Choose Ultra Sensitive for babies, pets, or for skin conditions that are highly active and reactive to everything. The difference in the two versions is that Ultra Sensitive contains no essential oils. If you have any question at all, choose Ultra Sensitive, as it is always best to start slow if you are sensitive.
Scent - Ozone has a unique and distinctive scent - expect the scent of medical ozone when experiencing your ozonated products. That unique ozone scent means you have a powerfully healing product completely saturated with ozone. It can take some getting used to for some people.
Heat Sensitive - It is safe if it arrives melted or warm. This product will become liquid if warm. If it is over 65 degrees F where you live, place it in the refrigerator for a few hours prior to opening the jar so it can return to its solid form. Keep it in the refrigerator during warm weather to keep it solid and also to maintain the best potency over the long-term. Degradation of the ozone does not occur unless the product is kept in sustained temperatures of over 130°F and in UV light. Both of these factors must be met to degrade the bonds formed during the ozonation process. After the Rain is protected from UV by the Miron Violet Glass of its jar and the shipping box. The ozone potency will diminish after six months at room temperature. The shelf life is two years when refrigerated. Refrigeration is recommended, if possible.
Use - Please note that this is a highly concentrated balm. Always, patch test first and gradually get your skin used to it if you are sensitive. Use as spot treatment or you can cover your entire face after a successful patch test. It can also be used anywhere on the body. Ozone is a powerful detoxifier, and if you are very sensitive or dealing with health or skin conditions, a detox response is possible. See The Elaa Ritual below for how to use it.
