The Acne Clearing Roadmap
As someone who struggled with acne, I know that all you want is someone to tell you exactly what you need to do in order to get rid of it. And while there isn’t a magic bullet there are steps you can take to ensure you are addressing the root cause of your acne. Below is a roadmap that I have put together for you to follow at your own pace. Each step is ideally taken and implemented in 30 day increments. However I truly believe that we are our own biggest healers and if something doesn’t feel right, then don’t do it or change it to what you feel intuitively is right for you and your journey. One thing to note though is that while I was going through this protocol I maintained a gluten free, dairy free diet religiously while also staying away from corn and sugar as much as possible. Diet is a HUGE piece of this puzzle guys, especially while we are healing our guts. I will say today the only thing I stay away from is gluten, because that ish just does not agree with me, but I am now able to enjoy a good cheese platter, chips and salsa, and not feel crappy or be afraid a zit will pop up the next day. Stay the course, healing is not linear and it takes time. But small steps everyday become BIG change in the long run.
Step 1: Gut Cleanse
Before we can really go after the root cause of your acne, we need to ensure your gut is working properly because this is what will help eliminate toxins from your body from yeast overgrowth, bacterial overgrowth or hormone build up that can cause hormonal imbalances and liver toxicity. This 30 day gut cleanse will help to clear out build up in the gut that can also prevent proper nutrient absorption which can be a cause of acne because if nutrients aren’t being absorbed it will set you up for nutritional deficiencies.
How to Start:
Order your gut cleanse kit from Cellcore Biosciences (this is the leading brand in whole body detoxification) Practitioner Code (needed for checkout): BIQH01T8
Follow the dosing instructions below
Be sure to drink PLENTY of water & fluids during the cleanse as the Para 1 product will turn into a gel inside the gut and therefore needs liquid to help it move through the digestive tract as it scrubs along the way
Make sure you are going to the bathroom #2 at least once a day
Keep your body moving by taking long walks, doing some yoga or light running
Eat whole foods that are minimally processed
Meditate and get your mindset into a place of healing and restoring
Step 2: Eliminate Yeast and/or Bacterial Overgrowth
Now that we’ve cleansed we are able to start going after some of the deeper causes of acne, 2 of the most common are yeast and bacterial overgrowth. These can happen slowly overtime due to antibiotic use, birth control, poor diet, stress, poor digestion and more. While genes can be a cause of acne, there is a saying that goes “genes load the gun but lifestyle pulls the trigger.” Throughout our life all those lifestyle triggers such as antibiotics, birth control, stress, poor digestion and more can be the trigger that sets those genes off. But luckily, just a lifestyle can trigger the genes, we can also implement lifestyle changes so send those genes back to sleep.
Where to Start:
Identify if you’re dealing with bacterial overgrowth, yeast overgrowth or potentially both.
Symptoms of Bacterial Overgrowth
Acne
Bloating
Burping
Distended stomach
Cramping/stomach aches
Nausea
Loose stool or constipation (may vary between both)
Passing Gas
Athletes Foot
Muscle/joint pain
Trouble gaining/losing weight
Crave sugar/processed carbs
Decreased libido
Learning/memory issues
Brain Fog
Symptoms of Yeast Overgrowth
Acne
Chronic yeast infections - key difference between bacterial and yeast overgrowth
Bloating
Loose stool or constipation (may vary between both)
Passing Gas
Athletes Foot
Muscle/joint pain
Trouble gaining/losing weight
Crave sugar/processed carbs
Decreased libido
Learning/memory issues
Brain Fog
Eliminate and rebalance - Now that you’ve identified bacterial, yeast or both, we can focus on eliminating the overgrowth. Overgrowth tends to create a lot of toxicity in the body and if the gut isn’t working properly, those toxins have to go somewhere and if you’re dealing with acne it’s most likely your skin. Below you will see the protocols for both bacterial overgrowth and yeast overgrowth. You can choose one or the other or do a combination of both if you feel you could have both scenarios going on (which is actually pretty common with acne). Depending on how severe the overgrowth is, it can take anywhere from 30-90 days. Do not take past 90 days without consulting your practitioner. The protocols below can be found in Fullscript.
Potential die off symptoms may occur when you start the protocol. You may experience your acne getting worse, however this is a good thing. It’s like that saying, “It’s darkest before the dawn.” This purge or die off is all of those toxins getting our of your body. And once the body is rid of those toxins it can begin to heal. Everyone’s die off varies, personally mine lasted about 10-14 days, and I will say it was rough, because I didn’t know about this die off process. So I am warning you now, this might happen but I promise you this is a good thing!
Step 3: Foundational Support
Now that we have addressed the gut and any bacterial or yeast overgrowth that may be at play, it’s time we make sure we are supplying our bodies with the foundational nutrition it needs in order to produce clear, vibrant radiant skin from within. This is where I am a true believer in supplements even if you eat the cleanest, healthiest diet around. Our food, even whole foods, are extraordinarily depleted of the nutrients thy once had and these deficiencies in nutrients then get passed onto us. Not to mention the use pf prescription medications, birth control, environmental toxins, and stress to name a few that also deplete our bodies of vital nutrients. Below are basic foundational nutrition I believe everyone needs in order to have vibrant glowing skin and feel their absolute best.
Multi-vitamin: This is ideally taken in liquid form through a nutritional shake you make daily. Personally I take mine with the Vanilla Paleo Meal and Combine it with my Total Greens
Daily Greens: Diversity is the key to a healthy microbiome, our ancestors would eat around 300 different varieties of fruits and vegetables every single year and today we are now at a measly 50… And that’s if you are really trying to diversify. Which is why adding in a good greens powder with a variety of fruits and vegetables is so important. You can even get crazy and mix a green and red powder together to super charge your diversity! My favorite way to get in my greens is by adding it to my vanilla nutritional shake in the mornings. This way I am killing two birds with one stone. Below are some of my favorite greens powders plus my favorite red powder if you’re wanting to get sassy.
Total Greens - 27 different fruits and vegetables, has a berry flavor. Probably the smoothies and easiest on the taste buds.
Organifi Greens - Use code DANI for 15% off!
Organifi Red - Use code DANI for 15% off!
Digestive Enzyme: Digestive enzymes help the body properly break down your food, aiding your digestion in it’s natural process while we get your digestive fire back and burning fierce. They also help significantly with inflammation as these enzymes can scavenge the body for undigested proteins that cause inflammation.
Critical Digestion - This is my go-to, I literally have a bottle in every bag and purse I own. I will take 2 before a big meal or eating out to help with any cross contamination issues that may happen (I am highly gluten sensitive so this helps tremendously)
Probiotic: Probiotics are probably one of my absolute must have’s in my wellness cabinet. Especially for myself as I have had my appendix removed, and while western medicine says you don’t need your appendix, I for one would disagree as it is the incubation sack for all your good bacteria. Take that away and where are your good bacteria supposed to thrive?? So for myself probiotics have been a game changer for my gut and my overall health. When I first heard about probiotics though I was less than impressed because I felt I was taking these overpriced refrigerated pills that honestly didn’t make me feel any different. And that is when I discovered that quality, especially probiotics, is VITAL! Being my own guinea pig I have only found 3 brands that I have truly noticed a difference with and have also seen amazing results with my clients as well.
Seed Synbiotic (Pre/Probiotic combo) This is a great every day probiotic - Use code Dani10 for 10% off your first order
MegaSpore Biotic by Microbiome Labs - This one I use for major repopulation, i.e you just did a round of antibiotics, or are needed to rebalance some bacterial overgrowth
Proflora 4R - Great for bacterial overgrowth
Magnesium: This was my saving grace when it came to my chronic constipation problems. Never before had i taken something that gave me relief so quickly. Now there are many many different types of magnesium out there, and I will say I have tried plenty that did absolute diddly. So you may have to find your perfect blend. For me the Thorne Research Magnesium Citramate is my jam! However some may benefit from a more full spec magnesium.
Vitamin D3: Regardless of whether you live somewhere sunny or not, so many of us are deficient in Vitamin D. It is crucial fo ran optimal immune system and healthy hormones as vitamin D in the body tends to act as a more of a hormone than a vitamin.
Skin Support: To be honest I thought hair, skin and nail supplements were a complete scam, and truthfully I think most of them still are, they are just capitalizing on us ladies using crap ingredients and spending their entire budget on marketing. Can you tell I’m a little salty… HOWEVER, I am never one to back down from a challenge and so I went in search of a QUALITY hair, skin and nail supplement and found one that I actually am pretty dang impressed with and take myself everyday.
Zinc
B-Complex
Vitamin C
Advanced TUDCA
Glucose Optimizer
Step 4: Diving Deeper
From here you have a couple of options depending on where you feel you need support:
Naturally Clear - Self-paced online course walking you through a deeper dive into healing the gut, plus taking you through the necessary steps to detox the liver and balance the hormones. Often times women feel their acne is hormone related, if you feel like this is you, Naturally Clear is your next best step.
If you are wanting a more definitive answer to what is causing your acne, or you feel like you have literally tried everything under the sun to fix it, this is where functional lab testing comes into play. This can help you identify exactly what is at the root of your acne, ideally running an Organic Acids Test, Stool Analysis Test and a Food Sensitivity Test would be the first 3 to understand what nutrient levels your body is at, what your yeast and bacterial load look like and if there are any major food sensitivities you have currently. These are all major contributing factors to acne. From there you could add on the Hormone Panel to see how your hormones are performing throughout your cycle, however I would not jump straight into hormone testing without knowing the status of your gut, because that is where a majority of your hormones are produced. And if the gut isn’t working properly and you try to do something to your hormones, you’ll just be chasing your tail. You can find more info about functional lab testing here, the lab does provide a 30 minute review of your results with the purchase of the lab, if you are wanting to have Dani take a deeper dive into your labs and look at if from an acne perspective you would need to schedule a separate appointment with her.