How I cleared my skin without prescription drugs
Recently, lots of people have asked me to write about my health, wellness, and beauty regimens because I listen to a lot of podcasts and research these topics to death in a way that other people have no interest in doing. I’ve always been opposed, thinking it would make me seem like another #fitnessblogger with an Instagram account riddled with affiliate links and loosely apropos hashtags, but I decided someone, somewhere could benefit from what I’ve learned in my health/wellness/beauty research and experimentation. So, if that interests you, read on.
When I was a freshman in college I had a bit of acne like a lot of people do when they’re a teenager. But unlike other people, mine didn’t go away with time, but rather persisted and got worse at the end of my sophomore year in college, at 20 years old. When it got really bad, I went to see my parents’ dermatologist friend who had helped my brother immensely. He prescribed me some antibiotics and a topical gel. Bacteria in your system is the main culprit for chronic acne, and the accepted medical doctrine for fixing it is therefore topical antibiotics as well as oral antibiotics, depending on how persistent the acne is. Two months into the treatment, I was elated to find that my skin was clearing and I felt like myself again. I hadn’t even realized just how self-conscious and shy I had become due to my acne until it was gone, and I couldn’t have been happier.
But four years later, I was still taking antibiotics. Any time I tried to go off of them, my skin would slowly start to relapse into adult acne, so I would keep taking the antibiotics. But soon, I started to break out again even while I was on the antibiotics. I noticed that my stomach had become extremely sensitive. I started having other weird symptoms — like becoming seemingly allergic to random foods — and realized that I had developed leaky gut syndrome from so many years on the medication.
Antibiotics, a miracle of modern medicine, are great for short term use in killing a rampant bacterial infection, but in the long term destroy your gut microbiome. This is not only related to digestive issues. 90% of your serotonin (happiness neurotransmitter) is made in your gut microbiome, which is why some people become depressed as a result of taking medications like Acutane— you need the bacteria in your gut to do more than just digest your food.
A year ago, I ditched my antibiotics in favor of a more holistic approach based on lots of research I did in an attempt to figure out what the real cure that fixes the root(s) of this problem is.
If you’re interested in learning my approach, I’ve outlined it below. To be clear, this isn’t just about clear skin, it’s about having a healthy body that makes you feel energized, happy, and confident.
Step 1: Get a Medical Food Grade Probiotic
I stated above that 90% of your serotonin is created in your gut microbiome, but your gut is connected to and responsible for way more than serotonin production. It’s basically responsible for the functioning of most of your body. Probiotics help clear your skin by killing the bad bacteria in your gut that is responsible for acne, just like antibiotics do, just in a way that improves your microbiome instead of destroying it in the process.
According to Dr. Rhonda Patrick (who has been on podcasts such as the Joe Rogan Experience and the Tim Ferriss Show, where I first heard her speak on the subject), VSL#3 brand of probiotic is one of the only brands that shows real evidence of improving gut health. Since most probiotics are not medical food grade and are not refrigerated, most of the bacteria are dead and not substantially beneficial for your gut health. You need live bacteria to really create a change, and this probiotic has 112 billion live cultures — way more than any other supplement on the market, which is also key.
It’s pricey, but invest in this — your gut health is paramount to everything in your body. You’ll feel the difference in your mood, see the difference in your skin, and notice a difference in your overall well being and immunity. Eating fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and Kombucha will also add bacterial variety to your microbiome which is critical.
Step 2: Green Your Routine and Balance Your Hormones
Eliminating endocrine disrupters from your products is the next biggest step that again will not only have an impact on your skin, but also your health and your mood. Endocrine disrupters are toxic chemicals that get into your bloodstream and act like hormones, therefore disrupting your endocrine system and throwing your hormones out of whack.
One of the biggest culprits of this are the chemicals found in antiperspirants, which you swipe on your armpits daily, essentially shooting toxic chemicals straight into your lymph nodes, possibly causing cancer, and definitely disrupting your hormone production.
Disrupted hormones mean more hormonal acne (and worse PMS and countless other problems as many bodily functions relate to hormone production) so detox your medicine cabinet and start using organic beauty products from sites like Thrive Market, Follain, or the CLEAN products at Sephora, or just swap products like lotion for a light body oil (I personally like Trader Joe’s Lemongrass Coconut body oil — super light, smells great, only a few natural ingredients), toner for an ACV + water toner, body scrub for a super simple coffee body scrub.
Step 3: Use Topical Probiotics and Niacinamide
Topical probiotics are a complete game changer in skincare.
In our modern society, we sanitize absolutely everything. Most people by now have come to terms with the fact that using antibacterial products on everything only makes bacterial infections stronger and more resistant to our antibacterial chemicals, but not everyone recognizes just how damaging this sanitation truly is. Our bodies didn’t evolve in a sanitary environment, we evolved digging in the dirt, cutting open animals, eating with our hands, eating fruit covered in dirt and bugs, and as a result, constantly getting a variety of bacteria from all different sources into the microbiomes that are our gut — and our skin.
Our skin, much like our gut, is a microbiome, full of different kinds of bacteria that make up an ecosystem. Extreme hygiene and our modern sanitized life has wreaked havoc on the natural balance of our skin’s microbiome, causing skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis, and of course, acne.
Topical probiotics get us one step closer to having a healthy skin biome naturally. Mother Dirt’s AO+ Mist has become popular among the paleo lifestyle and hippier crowds as a way to add probiotics back into your skin biome, helping to curb body odor (caused by overgrowth of bad bacteria on your skin) and skin disorders. Personally, I feel good about using this product regardless of the results, but I use it mainly on my face to keep acne at bay and keep my skin biome healthy. While many products claim to be probiotic, this is one of the only products I’ve found that has a high concentrated level of pure bacteria cultures. Spray it on your face daily when you get out of the shower to maintain a balanced biome and keep acne and other skin issues at bay.
As for Niacinamide, this ingredient helps regulate oil production, increases ceramides which increases the effectiveness of your lipid barrier, making skin plumper and more hydrated, and also lightens pigmentation, helping with acne marks and scarring. Using a Niacinamide product like The Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% a few times a week at night all over my face (after my probiotic spray) has helped my skin immensely, and creates an even, hydrated complexion for a very reasonable price.
Step 4: Detox Your Pores With Bentonite Clay
You may have seen the ever popular Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay mask around the internet — this is a brand of bentonite clay, a type of clay mainly found in Montana and Wyoming that is known for its healing properties. Bentonite clay masks are extremely beneficial for the skin because they have negative ions that act as a magnet for positively charged toxins in the skin. Once applied to the skin, it will draw out toxins and infuse the skin with minerals like calcium, magnesium, and silica, leaving it detoxified and remineralized. In order to make a bentonite clay mask, you have to mix the clay powder with water or apple cider vinegar, but I highly recommend using apple cider vinegar for best results.
