Top 9 Root Causes of Adult Acne (Your Doctor Didn’t Tell You)

If you’ve been doing everything to clear your skin, from switching up your skincare to cutting out dairy, and still not seeing results…

It’s not your fault. You’re just missing the root cause.

Download the FREE Root Cause Checker here.

➡️ That’s exactly what I reveal in my brand new video: Top 9 Root Causes of Adult Acne (Your Doctor Didn’t Tell You)

Here’s what you’ll learn:

✨The 9 real reasons behind persistent adult acne (that go way deeper than skincare).

✨How internal imbalances like blood sugar, stress, detox pathways, and even limiting beliefs are showing up on your skin.

✨Simple signs to help you identify your personal root causes.

✨What it feels like when you have addressed those root causes and stepped into the highest, healthiest version of YOU.

As someone who personally struggled with acne for over 10 years, I know how frustrating and defeating it can feel when nothing seems to work.

But trust me, your acne is not random. It’s a message from your body. And it’s time to start listening.

Your acne can clear. I believe this is possible for YOU but the journey starts with knowing WHY you’re breaking out, so let’s start today.

Click here to watch the full YouTube video here.

Transcript

If you're ready to stop guessing and finally understand what's actually causing your acne, then you have got to watch this video.

Intro:

Your acne is not random. It is a signal from your body of an internal imbalance and you need to listen. 

And I know…you’re already asking the questions, you're just not getting the answers.

That’s about to change because in this video I’m breaking down the top 9 root causes of acne so you can finally get the answers you need to reach the clear, glowing skin you’re already working so far to achieve.

Introduce Myself + Show Social Proof:

Hello, I’m Melissa. Your favourite Acne-Focused Nutritionist, Naturopath, and Mindset Coach and I struggled with acne for 10+ years before I addressed my root causes and cleared my skin for good. Now, I work with clients to help them regain confidence in their skin for good.

Free Root Cause Checker:

I know you’re serious about clearing your skin so I have created a free guide to go alongside this video which breaks down all 9 of these root causes with questions for you to ask yourself so you can identify your root causes straight away.

And in this video, we’ll be diving in deeper so head down to the description box below and download your free guide Root Cause Checker now.

Let’s get into the video…

Core Information:

Before I jump into the specific root causes what a “root cause” for your acne actually is because up to this point, you’ve probably been trying to clear your acne with the surface level solutions used commonly to clear acne, such as:

• Skincare products 

• Facials and treatments

• Prescription topicals like tretinoin or BP

• Medication and prescriptions from the dermatologist

And, if you’ve been at this for a while I’m sure you’ve also tried:

• Cutting out dairy 

• Drinking lemon water or turmeric shots

• Spearmint tea

• And even taking probiotics or clear skin supplements

None of these things are directly addressing the root causes of your acne AND if you don’t know what the root cause of your acne is then it really feels like you’re “trying everything and nothing is working” those are words that my clients tell me directly before they work with me, not my words.

I want to empower you with the information that you really NEED to clear your skin.

So here is the first root cause for acne that you need to know:

1. Adrenal, Poor Stress Resilience & Nervous System Dysregulation

This is your stress and these 3 things fall inside that umbrella and honestly, I see this with almost everyone that I work with.

You’ll know this is a root cause for you because you’ll get anxiety, maybe even feelings or low mood, overthinking, brain fog, fatigue, maybe you’re someone who scrolls through social media whilst watching TV, or you get over stimulated easily. You’d define yourself as not responding well to stress. 

These are just a handful of signs that this is a root cause for you.

Addressing this root cause means you will feel calm, relaxed, you’ll be sleeping through the night, your energy will be vibrant, you’ll be more present and spending more time in your real life instead of escaping through social media. You’ll feel more fulfilled and balanced most of the time.

There is always going to be stress we cannot control. But how we respond to that stress, and how we prioritise our recovery from it is the most important thing.

2. Blood Sugar Imbalances

Next, is blood sugar imbalances which means you’re adding additional and unnecessary stress to the body that is well within your control. Most people can turn this around quickly by tweaking nutrition and lifestyle.

You’ll know this is a root cause for you because you’ll get hangry when you don’t eat, feel hungry after 1 hour of eating, wake up frequently during the night, and get a 3pm dip in energy.

If you’re someone who skips meals, doesn’t eat breakfast, has a history of following diets, if vegan or vegetarian, then this is very likely a root cause for you.

Addressing this root cause will again, create vibrant energy. You’ll be full and satisfied after each meal and stay fuller for longer. You’ll start sleeping through the night. Your appetite will come back. Sugar cravings will disappear.

3. Poor Detox & Drainage

Your body is working to process toxins within your environment in your day to day life every single day and these are referred to as exogenous toxins. Not only that, but we are producing toxins internally too referred to as endogenous toxins.

These include metabolic byproducts from exercise, hormones which are not only our reproductive hormones like oestrogen, but also stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, and even nutrient insufficiencies which impact the processes our cells go through.

You don’t need to know all the scientific details, but what you should know is that if these toxins don’t have a clear path out of the body then they can show up in the skin.

Drainage supports the flow of toxins to certain organs, then those organs detoxify the waste. Detox is the process of breaking down and removing toxins from the body, mainly through the liver, kidneys, colon and then the skin, and lungs. 

Addressing this root cause means your eyes will shine brighter, your bowel movements will be daily and easy, your jawline, neck and ear breakouts will stop happening and your pre-menstrual breakouts will clear up too.

BUT this doesn’t mean going on a “detox” - that can be incredibly dangerous if you don’t prepare your body FIRST.

4. Gut Health Imbalances

The gut is strongly connected to the skin through the gut-skin-axis and there are various ways gut health can be connected to acne.

But you’ll know this is a root cause for you if you’re having symptoms of constipation, diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal pains, acid reflux, gas and even stress related symptoms like anxiety in your lower abdomen.

The nervous system and the gut are strongly connected.

5. Overall Inflammation

Acne is an inflammatory condition. We know this. But, that doesn’t mean the solution is to just focus on adding in anti-inflammatory methods like turmeric and ginger shots if you’re not addressing the root cause of the inflammation which could be all 3 of the root causes we’ve spoken about so far…

When your body is dealing with systemic inflammation, it means your immune system is constantly in a heightened state, triggering widespread irritation. When inflammation is high, your skin becomes more sensitive, reactive, and prone to acne. Reducing inflammation can help calm the skin and prevent breakouts.

Addressing this root cause can make you feel lighter, you’ll feel less puffy, less bloated, more energised, period pains will go away, you’ll be losing weight easier and your immune system will be stronger so your skin and pigmentation will clear up and fade quicker.

6. Hormonal Imbalances

There are certain hormonal fluctuations and imbalances that can cause acne, but when we’re speaking about reproductive hormone imbalances (such as with testosterone, oestrogen, or progesterone) they will always have a deeper root cause too.

So the hormonal imbalance can be the root cause of acne e.g., leading to oilier skin and more breakouts.

BUT something else in your internal environment is causing that hormone to move out of balance which may or may not also be leading to acne.

Addressing the environment allows your hormones to move back into balance on their own which is incredible and shows that actually, we don’t need hormone balancing herbs. We need to shift our nutrition and lifestyle.

You’ll know you’ve addressed this root cause when you no longer break out at the same time each month. When your overly oily skin reduces. When your PMS symptoms reduce or stop completely.

7. Nutrient Imbalances & Insufficiencies 

Don’t underestimate this one! Deficiencies in key skin-supporting nutrients, or nutrients needed for other body systems like the gut, the liver and even hormones, can weaken the skin barrier and increase breakouts both directly and indirectly.

Increasing your nutrient imbalances is the ultimate foundation for clear and glowing skin that you can maintain.

You’ll know you’ve addressed this root cause when your nails become stronger, your skin has more colour, your energy is vibrant and thriving, you’re waking up well rested and sleeping easily each night, your hair will be healthy and strong, you’ll have a strong appetite and your breakouts and scarring will be healing quicker because your immunity will be healthy.

8. Topical & Irritation Acne

Topical acne is caused by using skincare products that don’t agree with your skin. It can happen when skincare or make-up products contain pore-clogging ingredients.

Irritation acne refers to skin barrier damage from harsh products, over-exfoliation, and skin microbiome imbalances which leads to skin irritation and allows bacteria to cause breakouts.

Skincare is only a small piece of the puzzle when it comes to clearing acne BUT if your skincare routine is causing more damage to the skin barrier and constantly clogging the pores day after day…then you won’t be able to track all of the amazing results you’re getting from the internal shifts you’re making.

You’ll know your skincare isn’t an issue when you’re not using pore-clogging ingredients (this doesn’t just mean “non-comedogenic”), your skin barrier is strong and glowing, and your skin feels hydrated and plump.

9. Limiting Beliefs & Limiting Decisions

Last but not least we have the root cause that is the driver for all of the other 8 root causes. I like to think of limiting beliefs as the seed that plants the tree which grows the roots which are the physical root causes of the tree which has branches as the symptoms such as acne.

Let me simplify this…

The seed is planted into the ground. This is your limiting beliefs.

It then grows roots which become a trunk which has branches.

The root causes are the root of the tree.

The trunk is how the body responds.

The branches are the symptoms.

Most conventional ways to clear acne focus on trimming the branches and suppressing the symptoms.

In naturopathy, we address the root cause and the roots.

But with my Mind, Body, Skin approach I go even deeper to shift the limiting beliefs and change the way the seed has grown the roots.

Here’s why…

Limiting beliefs, past experiences, and negative emotions can create subconscious stress, keeping the nervous system in a constant state of dysregulation. 

This ongoing stress can trigger inflammation in the body, including the skin, making it more reactive and prone to breakouts. 

Emotional tension can also contribute to hormonal imbalances and poor detoxification, both of which can worsen acne.

They are often created before the age of 7 and underpin how we view and show-up in the world, such as “I’m not good enough…

Limiting decisions on the other hand are crafted at any age and choice you’ve made out of fear, doubt, or negative emotions such as “nothing will clear my skin” or “I’ll always have acne”. 

A limiting decision is a choice (often subconscious) that reinforces a belief.

By shifting our limiting beliefs and limiting decisions, we start to pay attention to ways we can reaffirm our positive beliefs around having clear skin. We’ll celebrate skin improving. We’ll see our self-worth outside of just having clear skin. We’ll build confidence even whilst still having breakouts.

I fully believe that acne doesn’t have to impact confidence and how you show up day to day but I KNOW that it does. I want you to have a method for clearing your skin that works AND I know you to feel confident whilst doing it.

Outro:

I trust this video helped you identify what the root causes of your acne are but that is just the first step in the puzzle when it comes to clearing your skin. Let me know in the comments down below which root causes you identified for yourself and any questions you are surrounding this.

Now that you know your root causes, you also need to understand what’s driving your root causes and what you can actually do about it…

So if you’re serious about clearing your skin so you can wake up every single day with glowing skin but not only that, you’re ready to shift your mindset to build unshakable self-worth and magnetic confidence…

Then I want you to head down to the description box below and click the application form so you can fill out some quick details and apply for my Clear Skin Complete programme where I can guide you step-by-step through addressing your root causes. 

So thank you so much for watching this video AND I cannot wait to read your application form.