My Decade-Long Battle With Acne

Guys, until a month ago, I thought I was going to have acne forever. Seriously. I'm not trying to be dramatic, but I had literally tried EVERYTHING (except Accutane, which was going to be my next step). Since I was about 14 years old, I've had acne. Of course, when you're a teenager, some acne is expected, but mine was severe and constant. In hindsight, I truly believe it's the reason behind a lot of my self-esteem issues. Every makeup I ever wore made me break out, and every cream I ever put on my face made me break out. But yet I needed the cream to heal my dry skin, and the makeup to cover my blemishes... It was a serious catch 22.

And what is the first thing the doctor tells you when your acne won't go away as a teenager? Go on the birth control pill, of course! So that's just what I did. Unfortunately, until recently, I had no idea the impact the birth control pill has on the body, and I am certain it has played a role in my fertility issues, among other things. I won't go into detail, but if you're at all interested in the impact of the birth control pill, I highly encourage you to listen to Jenn Pike's podcast! She is a women's hormone expert from Newmarket, ON, and she is an absolute wealth of knowledge. In fact, she played a pivotal role in me realizing that acne can only be healed from the inside out.

Anyway, where were we?? Oh ya, the birth control pill. I don't remember it having a positive impact on my acne at all. When it wasn't working the way I wanted it to, I went back to my doctor and was put on a prescription oral medication for my acne. When I look back now, I shake my head and think "holy shit Morgan, you should have known that a pill was only a bandaid fix!!" but I wanted so desperately for my acne to go away, I just didn't care... And I didn't know any different... So I stayed on the medication for several years. Lord knows what it did to my body. A little later on, I began to take an interest in my health and my body, and I recognized that taking a pill was not a permanent fix, so yet again, I went back to the doctor. Please keep in mind that not ONCE was I asked about my diet and how it may contribute to my acne. The next thing my doctor wanted to try was a prescription benzoyl peroxide cream for my skin, which did work really, really well. I was super pleased when my acne cleared up that I figured I would just use the cream forever. Since it was not going in my body like a pill, I figured it was safe. Boy, was I wrong... When we began trying to conceive, I was told that if I got pregnant, I'd have to quit using the cream. This was a HUGE red flag to me that this was not something that was healthy for my body.

At this point, I just quit using everything medication-related and began trying natural alternatives. I slowly began transitioning to natural face care products by doTERRA, including the HD Clear acne line. I also began using oils like Tea Tree as a spot treatment and making my own makeup remover wipes. This helped a little, but the acne was still there. I was so confused and frustrated because I was doing all the right things... Or so I thought. I then started seeing a Naturopath and learned about healing acne from the inside (i.e. with diet). Of course, she did what all practitioners focused on diet-related solutions seem to do - she told me to cut out gluten, dairy, meat, etc, etc, etc. This was not something I was prepared to do because it felt SO overwhelming. What I wish she would have told me is that it's ok to do this slowly and at my own pace... Instead, she wanted me to cut them all out immediately. Sorry, not happening. So again, I felt stuck.

As I've begun to work on my physical and mental health in the past ~6 months, I have taken a huge interest in my diet and the effect of food on my body. Our bodies are temples, and we have to treat them as such. If we eat crap, we're gonna feel like crap. Period. I always considered myself a good cook, and we rarely ate food from a box, but I was not taking that extra step and looking at the effects of the types of food I was putting in my body on my hormones and therefore my skin. This is when Jenn Pike's podcast on hormonal acne was plopped in my inbox, like a gift from the universe. Guys, this podcast changed my life. Everything she talked about resonated with me so deeply, and I was so inspired to change. My first step was slowly cutting out dairy. And holy shit I love cheese, so this felt impossible. But the key is that I never cut it out completely because it is something I do enjoy... I have just taken small steps to limit my dairy intake. For instance, I don't consume typical milk anymore; rather, I use almond milk in my coffee, morning shake, cereal, etc. I also consume a morning shake that uses a plant-based protein. I have tried several dairy-free cheeses, which I'm not a fan of, but I'm looking for options that I do enjoy. In case you're wondering, yes I do still eat cheese and yogurt sometimes, but I have reduced my intake greatly, and I have noticed a HUGE difference in my skin. Eventually I hope to be completely dairy-free, but for now I am proud of my progress and kind to myself when I slip up.

Around this time, I began seeing a dermatologist for my skin because some of my family members would not leave me alone about my acne... Now, I'm at a place in my life where other people's opinions don't phase me, but three months ago they did. So I went. Can you believe the dermatologist never even LOOKED AT MY SKIN OR ASKED ABOUT MY DIET?? She just tried to push Accutane on me, which I responded no to because to take this medication, you have to be on the birth control pill. No thank you. Also, if I have to have my bloodwork done monthly while on medication, what the heck is it doing to my body??? Another huge red flag. I was also adamant that I did not want a bandaid fix this time - I wanted something that would work. So I was prescribed spironolactone (a water pill) and was told it would fix the problem. When you have hormonal acne, you tend to have more male hormones in your body, so the water pill flushes these out. Yes, my skin cleared up quickly, but I quickly realized this was yet another bandaid fix... Ugh.

I took this about a month until I happened to stumble upon a product called Bell Clear Skin formula from Country Cupboard. Julia, the owner, told me this worked wonders for her skin and to give it a try since it had a 100% money-back guarantee! So I figured I literally had nothing to lose. I transitioned off the water pill and onto the Clear Skin capsules for one month (1 capsule 3x daily). Julia suggested that once I finished one bottle, I should switch to high-quality/high potency fish oil to maintain skin health, so that's exactly what I did! And guys, it worked!!! My skin has been so nice the last month, and with NO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS involved. I could cry. I have struggled for over a decade with horrible skin, and I can finally go out without makeup on. This has been incredible for my self-esteem.

The entire point of this is that it has been a process that has taken over a decade. Nothing that's going to last will come easy. But ultimately, I recognized it was up to ME to change. A pill would fix the problem, but at what cost? My acne was a sign from my body that something was severely wrong inside, so I finally listened to it.

Suggestions to maintain good skin:
-Use doTERRA's Verage line morning and night (dries my skin less than the HD Clear line)
-Use doTERRA's mud mask once a week for a deep skin cleanse and/or use the oil cleansing method
-Take doTERRA's Lifelong Vitality supplements every day
-Take NutraSea fish oil from Country Cupboard every day
-Use natural makeup from a company called Nude By Nature
-Use a natural laundry detergent that's fragrance-free (I currently use soap berries)
-Use as many dairy-free options as possible
-Cut my sugar intake immensely
-Drink a TON of water to flush toxins from my body
-Don't touch/pick my face (which I realized is an anxious habit of mine)
-Get a good night's sleep (your skin cells rejuvenate while you sleep)
-Cut as much stress as possible (I use deep breathing, meditation, exercise, therapy, and medication)