Meet Zoe
This is a story in progress.
We have been working together for three months, and we are not only seeing the inflammation decrease and her acne become less nodular and pustular, but we are also seeing great improvements in her gut health and overall wellbeing.
I have taken a different approach with Zoe’s treatment, working from a traditional Ayurvedic perspective. This is a completely different way of looking at the body than Naturopathy offers… and it’s awesome!
I love to work with body-typology to understand the unique predisposing factors each individual has to certain diseases like acne, and what lifestyle and dietary recommendations are going to work best for them to keep them healthy and balanced.
Zoe is a mesomorphic body-type. From an Ayurvedic perspective, this is a Pitta dominant constitution, meaning that she has a tendency for high heat in the body.
The general Pitta person is active, likes to rise with the sun and wind down at dusk, has good levels of energy and has a fast metabolism with a good appetite (when they are healthy and balanced).
When there is too much Pitta in the body, there is too much heat, and we can see this in the roughness and inflammatory changes to the skin.
Ayurveda is something I had newly began studying, so I adjusted Zoe’s treatment in accordance with her constitution, to help to reduce the excess Pitta that I believe was contributing to the inflammation in the skin (especially post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation).
This involved dietary changes (incorporating more cooling foods and infusions) as well as removing alcohol extracts from her prescription. This is not a usual approach of a herbalist, as most of our herbal medicines are extracted with alcohol. Alcohol is very heating to the body, and will aggravate those who have too much heat… like Zoe!
We started these Ayurvedic changes at the end of May, which coincided with Zoe coming off the Pill.
We can see the beautiful improvements and reduction in heat in the skin in this month, though I do believe that coming off the Pill will also have contributed to this.
Zoe’s body-type has the tendency to be sensitive to androgens/steroid hormones, which are usually the culprits behind acneic changes. Androgens stimulate the sebaceous glands, increasing the release of sebum, which sets off the cascade of changes in the skin that cause acne. Whilst we might assume that the Pill would help this problem as it shuts down our natural production of androgenic hormones, the Pill itself is actually most molecularly similar to an androgenic hormone, testosterone.
So, whilst her body was not producing a significant amount of androgens… or any hormones at all for that matter… I do believe that the sensitivity of Zoe’s constitution to androgens meant that the Pill continued to aggravate her skin.
This would explain why Zoe continued to suffer with acne whilst still on the Pill… though there are also a few other reasons why acne can continue even on the Pill (see Kira’s story here).
The pill changes the microbiome of the gut, and we know that the microbiome of the gut impacts the microbiome of the skin. Studies show that those who suffer with acne and eczema (as well as rosacea, psoriasis and recurrent skin infections) have a different skin microbiome than those who don’t suffer with these conditions.
Where there is a history of dysbiosis/disruption to the gut microbiome that has not been rectified, this in itself can contribute quite greatly to acne (and eczema, and all the rest!).
The pill also reduces the absorption of several important nutrients, including some B vitamins and zinc.
Zinc is imperative for hormone balance, as well as skin healing and infection control… all of which are vital aspects in reducing acne.
Zoe’s skin has improved consistently throughout treatment so far, and we are not even up to the juicy part of being able to truly balance her hormones (as I can’t do this effectively whilst a patient is on the pill).
We have so far been working on the hormones, gut and detoxification pieces of The Clear Skin Formula™ and will soon be able to integrate reproductive hormones as part of our treatment.
I am so excited to see what we uncover in the coming months as we can investigate her hormones properly, and more excited to share her progress.
Too often do we look at the before and after pictures only, and whilst you are on the journey of healing your skin, it can feel miles away before you get to that “after” picture.
This is why Zoe and I are so happy to share the journey of progress, to help to encourage those who are maybe scared to start, or feel like they aren’t making much headway in their treatment.
Remember…
You don’t have acne because you aren’t using that-one-skincare-product-that-claims-it-heals-everything.
You don’t have acne because of a lack of antibiotics or hormone replacement therapy.
You have acne because of very individual drivers.
And, it is in your uniqueness that you will find your answers.
