Written by Hannah Boyd
Naturopath, Herbalist, Nutritionist, BA, Adv Dip Nat, Nut, WHM.
In clinic, we take a different approach: instead of only treating what you see on the surface, we look for the underlying drivers (like hormones, digestion, stress, nutrient status, and post-pill changes) and support your skin from the inside out.
Here are five simple, practical ways to start improving your skin today.
How naturopathy can help acne (and what we look for)
A common complaint we see in the clinic is acne, which is a condition that lends itself to treatment with naturopathy incredibly well.
When treating acne or poor skin tone, the most important thing is to uncover the underlying cause of it – which is a different approach to what your dermatologist may be telling you. It is possible to have better skin with naturopathy.
These are our Five Ways To Better Skin… But first, this is how a naturopath will assess your skin health....
Fabulous skin starts from the inside
Instead of putting more and more expensive products on your skin, and spending thousands on treatments, try working on your skin from the inside out will see lasting improvements – not just temporary changes. Look, a skincare routine is important, but it isn’t the only thing that you need to be looking at to reduce acne.
Conditions that may cause acne
Some of the drivers of acne or other skin conditions we see in clinic are nutritional deficiencies, PMOS, hormonal disturbances, digestive issues such as Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth – SIBO, poor upper digestive function like reflux, malabsorption, bacterial imbalances, stress(!), autoimmune conditions and food intolerances – oh the list can go on!
One of the most common ones we see is Post-Pill Acne – where your skin goes bonkers after coming off the pill. And, yes – there is so much you can do to prevent this and help heal with which doesn’t involve going back on the Pill.
It is important to remember that your acne will probably have a driver that you can do something about. It may take time – but with the proper investigations and understanding about how your body is working you will begin to see changes.
However, here is a list of the most important things we go suggest to our clients to help them improve their skin. Implementing some or all of these will really help your skin heal from the inside.
1. Let's talk about processed sugar
At New Leaf we promote the idea that life is about balance and sometimes having the cake – working with a non-diet naturopath or nutritionist means we assess what diet changes you may need to make, including sugar – if you need to make any at all.
What sugar do we mean – well, it is mainly processed sugars – so the raw and refined sugars you’ll find in processed foods – not just the junk food in bright packaging and soft drinks, but also in breakfast cereals, muesli bars, yogurt and things you’d pick up in the health food aisle, and “healthy” written on them, and are in brown boxes.
Processed sugar is everywhere. It’s not about I Quit Sugar vibes (please can we never ever go back to this eating disordered way of discussing nutrition). But it’s about you being aware, and making conscious choices about what you’re eating.
Read the ingredients and see if it contains sugar – you’ll be surprised! And just cos it’s raw, paleo or vegan does not mean it doesn’t have sugar in it. Its about being informed with the choices you make.
But let’s not forget alcohol. Another area where informed choice is so important. Alcohol, by its very definition, is a sugar. We know that reducing alcohol has so many positive benefits to your mind and body, so it’s no surprise its also going to improve your skin if its reduced.
2. Understand your hormones
If your acne gets worse at the same time every month, it is highly likely that the driver is your hormones. For females and AFABs, your hormone levels are meant to change throughout your monthly cycle, but these shifting levels may result in a few pimples popping out; sometimes there are more than just a few. This is especially true of teenagers! Deep, sore, angry cystic acne is common. Following the other tips on this page will absolutely help you – but hormonal acne is a great example of how you have to work from the inside out to improve your skin.
Your GP may suggest that the Oral Contraceptive Pill will be the thing to cure this hormonal acne, however we know that this is just a temporary fix and when you come off the Pill you’ll still have acne and it will probably be worse. Seeking an alternative to hormonal birth control to manage your acne is possible – speak to us to see how we can get your periods balanced and then your skin will follow.
3. Have a great skin care routine
This is one of the most important things to do to improve your skin. Skin care should not cost you the earth. We recommend tips and tricks to make your own skin care in our consults and ensure acne-prone skin has all the things it needs to be clean and healthy.
The common mistake we see our clients making with cleansing is using drying products on their skin: “too many pimples means the skin is too oily so I have to dry it out“. Often it is products with tea tree in them, but those very drying, chemically loaded “pH balanced” (umm yeah, right) skin care products are the worst for acne healing and for preventing scarring.
We suggest Oil Cleansing – with Sweet Almond Oil, or Jojoba Oil, or the blend of oils we make at the clinic, as a cleanser. Also Black Soap for very cystic acne a few times a week is very cleansing.
Ensure you have a great alcohol free, nourishing toner and a simple moisturiser (we love The Ordinary which is so affordable and is great for all skin types.)
So Cleanse + Tone + Moisturise at least once a day! Your skin will love you. But you may need more than just water to wash your face!
4. There may be a food driver (but you really shouldn't eliminate anything without professional advice)
Look, sometimes it may be dairy (but not always, so we’re really careful when mentioning things like this). We never advocate for the removal of whole food groups for no reason. And you shouldn’t either. Don’t just drop milk cos you think it may help. Speak to us to make sure it is the right thing before putting yourself on a restricted diet.
This is a controversial one, but sometimes dropping the cow’s milk is the thing that can make difference. It may not be forever, but while we are working from the inside, making this simple change in your diet can help your skin improve so much. This is particularly true of hormonal acne pictures.
We often recommend goat or sheep cheese so you don’t have to reduce too much – as cheese is great and good for you. However, our clients notice that if they’ve been off the dairy for a while and their skin has improved, but they sit down to a bit of a cheese and biscuit fiesta, they will have a couple of red pimples appear the next day. But, seriously, don’t go restricting everything for the sake of it. We’ll work out together whether it will actually make a difference.
5. Use natural, chemical free products
These days, there are so many natural skin care and make-up products available which makes it easy to look after your skin. Choosing make up which is cruelty-free and chemical-free is so important for your skin – and the environment.
Avoiding toxic petrochemicals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals and synthetic products and fragrances will help your skin, and your whole body, be healthy. Remember that everything you put on your skin ends up inside your body – so if you choose products that are free of nasties, your overall health will improve in many ways. Or make your own!
Use the Yuka App to check your personal skin care products to see what kinds of stuff they have in them – are the safe for you and your body?
We really understand that having happy skin is important – feeling confident with how the world sees you makes things a bit easier.
At New Leaf we work through the underlying causes of your conditions and work to inspire you to look after yourself inside and out. Our individual approach to health aims to fit in with your lifestyle, way of eating, and your body.
