Alternative Treatments for Acne
Triggered by Diet

Author: Jessica Gremley

Do you suspect that diet is triggering your breakouts?

You’re probably right! Have you ever seen blemishes after enjoying your favorite ice cream, a bowl of gooey mac and cheese, a PB&J sandwich, shrimp sushi rolls or bag of crispy sea snacks? Then you’re definitely on the right track. 

Foods like these can be highly triggering for those who are susceptible. If you’ve been exploring Clear Skin Central, especially the diet acne trigger, you’ll know it’s the presence of iodine or the androgen-triggering nature of certain foods like peanut butter and shrimp that’s the underlying cause.

Who do you turn to for help?

Here’s the thing. Parents, friends, dermatologists and blogs almost all miss the mark about what foods REALLY trigger acne and which don’t. (Unless they’ve personally helped thousands of people get clear through a natural, holistic system, it would be hard for them to know.)

So it’s absolutely understandable if you’re uncertain about which foods to avoid! It’s also perfectly understandable that you want to reach out for professional help when the acne won’t go away or keeps getting worse no matter what you try at home.

With that in mind, let’s explore the options.

Dermatologists.

A good dermatologist can literally be a lifesaver (just think about the crucial work they do with screening for cancerous moles and other skin growths). But when it comes to acne, there are some drawbacks to consider.

First, dermatologists have limited time to spend with you. Typically, ten or fifteen minutes at most to fully evaluate the rich tapestry of who you are and what might be impacting your life and triggering your acne―including your diet.

Second, because dermatologists don’t have time to address the WHOLE you, they prescribe meds. It’s what they know. And meds mean a “one size fits all” regimen of oral antibiotics, topical prescription creams like Retin-A (which contains pore clogging inactive ingredients), Benzoyl Peroxide and topical antibiotics.

When this approach ends up failing after a few months (which it always does―otherwise you wouldn’t be here), dermatologists usually prescribe a new round of antibiotics. And then another. Until they’ve blown through their chemical options except for one last resort. Acccutane.

Also known as isotretinoin, not only does Accutane put patients at huge risk for multiple, severe side effects such as dry skin, dry eyes, constipation, diarrhea, liver damage, depression and much more. It fails to cure the acne, even after patients try several rounds of Accutane.

What about alternative treatments for acne?

If you prefer a more natural approach, you might be considering alternative treatments, like turning to a nutritionist, trying acne laser treatments or visiting a local esthetician.

They’re typically very knowledgeable and can help you start addressing your acne. As you consider these options, bear the following in mind.

Nutritionists

When it comes to treating acne, a professional nutritionist can guide you to a healthy, whole-foods diet rich in fruits and vegetables. They may also suggest supplements and ample hydration. And even advise you about the impact of stress or hormonal imbalance on acne. All of these are important contributors to healthy skin.

The tricky thing is, nutritionists might unknowingly also recommend “good for you” foods that trigger acne. Foods like free-range, organic whole eggs, seafood and sea plants, yogurt, kefir, peanuts. Which will keep setting you back in your skin clearing journey no matter how well you stick to their advice.

Acne Laser Treatments

Acne laser treatment combines an intense pulsed light (IPL) laser with a gentle vacuum to remove excess oil and dead skin cells from clogged pores. And it’s FDA-approved to treat blackheads, whiteheads and pimples. With acne laser treatments, a laser is shot at your face to ablate the surface of the skin. By burning the surface of your skin, you’re “tricking” the body to stimulate collagen production and stimulate the natural healing functions.  

And while this technique treats the acne you see on your skin’s surface, it has three serious shortfalls. First, it’s not addressing the microcomedones already formed inside your skin. Acne forms under the skin for up to 90 days before you see it surface. So even if you used laser treatment TODAY, acne that’s already formed still has to work its way up and out through your skin.

Second, this treatment doesn’t address actual acne triggers―like your diet. As long as you keep eating acne-triggering foods, you’ll keep getting breakouts and undo any benefit of the laser treatment.

And third, this super expensive treatment usually makes your acne worse! Highly stimulating and typically aggressive, it triggers pre-acne hiding just under the surface of your skin to the surface. Not, I imagine, what you’re looking for.

Local Esthetician

You can also visit your local esthetician. They typically offer an array of services that can help treat your skin. 

• To help you clear out pores and remove dead skin cells and plugs, consider deep cleansing, exfoliation, facial steams and facial massage.

• To help prevent pore blockages from becoming inflamed, estheticians can extract blackheads, soft closed comedones (oil plugs that are liquid or soft) and hard closed comedones (whiteheads). None of these types of blemishes are red or painful.

• They will likely recommend skin care products and regimens.

• If licensed, they can even do light chemical peels and microdermabrasion to help reduce scarring.

All of these treatments are helpful for what’s ON your skin. Think of them as part of your toolkit to help prevent or reduce scarring and darkened pigmentation related to old acne blemishes.

However, none of these treatments address what’s triggering your acne. If your diet is big trigger, for instance, as long as you keep eating acne triggering foods, you’re going to keep overriding any benefit from your esthetician treatments.

When it comes to acne, here’s what’s missing…

Nutritionists, licensed skincare professionals wielding acne lasers, and estheticians are not acne specialists. They’ve likely not studied the myriad, interconnected ways stress, gut health, hormone balancing, pore-clogging ingredients, supplements and herbals of every ilk, non-pore-clogging acne care products and regimens AND diet must ALL be balanced and optimized to create clear skin.

For example, even if your nutritionist recommends a whole food diet, they might not catch that organic whole eggs and dairy trigger acne. They might not realize that most skincare and beauty products―even acne topicals―contain pore-clogging ingredients.

While nutritionists as well as technicians and estheticians can help you make inroads on healthy skin, you’d be missing critical components to fully address all the potential triggers wreaking havoc with your complexion. Which explains why you often only see fleeting or little improvement!

What can you do instead?

The future of office visits is here—and available everywhere

It’s called telemedicine, and it’s a virtual visit with a healthcare provider

via video conference on your phone, tablet or laptop. Telemedicine has actually been around for over 20 years. But thanks to high speed Internet, it’s now reaching the medical mainstream.

Five reasons why telemedicine is the next big thing in health care: 

1. Better access to specialists

You can live anywhere—even in a remote location several times zones away—and still receive the access to the specialist you need. There’s no need to drive long distances or invest a lot of time and energy to visit a doctor’s office.

2. No time off work

You can schedule your appointment during a lunch break, or before or after work. You just need to find a place that offers sufficient privacy. Even your car can work as a great visiting room when it comes to telemedicine!

3. No transportation costs

Since you’re visiting your practitioner via the Internet, you don't spend a dime on gas, parking or public transportation. Plus, you don't have to worry about running into traffic jams or parking problems that can make you late.

4. No child care issues

Let’s face it: scrounging around for a babysitter to take care of your child so you make your doctor’s appointment is difficult, expensive and impractical. Telemedicine solves this problem by allowing you to see your doctor in the privacy of your home at a time that’s convenient for you and your family

5. No more wasting time in the waiting room

A video visit means that your appointment starts at the allotted time. No more showing up at an office and waiting 30 minutes or longer before your practitioner is available to see you.

Telemedicine has helped thousands of patients all over the world receive access to specialized care when they couldn’t get it otherwise. Thanks to video conferencing, it’s easy and convenient for clients to receive evaluation and treatment―as well as support and encouragement every step of the way.