Acne: The Holistic Esthetician’s Approach

Most everyone experiences acne at some point in their lives and the severity varies from person to person. Whether experiencing a severe or mild case of acne, all can leave emotional as well as physical scarring. Teenagers tend to experience acne to the extreme. It can be a traumatic experience and lead to low self-esteem and confidence. While a person is embarrassed about their face, their self-worth is at stake and can lead to poor body image or even depression.

It is important to understand acne and how to work with the body, mind and spirit for healing. By only focusing on the symptoms, this hinders addressing the root cause. If focused on the symptom of acne, chances of battling it later in life are higher, as well as harming other organs. It is important to take a whole body approach to acne and make sure the three pillars of holistic healing are addressed.

The mainstream approach is to treat the symptom, which is the philosophy of modern medicine. It is not the approach I take because I know there is a reason for the issues but you have to take the time to look for it. With my holistic and herbal background, as well as mind/body training I have learned to look beyond the surface and go to the root of the source. I give clients the tools to unlock their own healing abilities and teach them where to look for answers. My membership gives the key to resources that will help uncover deep healing benefits.

So what is acne? There are different severities and grades to acne. Do you fit into any of these categories?

· Grade 1: Mild acne consisting of open and closed comedones scattered over less than half of the areas of the face and back.

· Grade 2: Moderate acne that has an increased number of open and closed comedones as well as an occasional papule and pustule.

· Grade 3: Moderately severe acne that is characterized by numerous open and close comedones, papules, pustules and occasional cysts that can be frequently red and inflamed. Some acne scarring can start especially with the cystic lesions or acne lesions that have been picked.

· Grade 4: Severe acne consists of numerous papules and pustules as well as a large number of cysts on the face, chest, and/or back. Large cystic lesions leave deep scarring. The acne can occur over 50% or more on the face.

Papule: is a small elevation of the skin, usually inflammatory, that doesn’t contain pus. If they progress they can become pustules.

Pustule: is a small inflamed elevation, the next step in the progression from a papule, filled with bacterial fluid and pus. These appear red and cloudy or white.

Puberty is when we see increased levels of acne in teenagers because of the higher levels of androgen hormones. This hormone produces more sebum and can cause follicles to become clogged. Also, younger skin cells turn over quicker than adults and the shedding of the dead skin can also be contributor to clogging pores. For the past half of a century doctors thought acne was clogged follicles, developing into an over growth of acne and causing inflammation in the skin, but now it’s been shown the inflammation is the fault.

Now, here comes the reason for cause for acne…well, actually there is not one reason. If your dermatologist tells you it is unknown, well that’s because there are many factors outside their scope of practice. A dermatologist may even refer you to another specialized physician if they have an understanding of the cause but most likely they will prescribe a medication for the symptom of the acne. One thing we do know is how it develops and works at skin level, but it’s going to take more than cleansing your face twice a day to clear it up. Identifying the root cause will help the chronic issues; and good hygiene and topical products will alleviate the symptom.

Below are possible contributing factors for the cause of acne:

· Heredity: If your parent had acne growing up there’s a good chance it will be passed down.

· Diet: Processed and aggravating foods

· Hormonal imbalances

· Premenstrual: High progesterone hormones can cause someone to breakout before their menstrual cycle.

· Nervous system disorders

· Allergies: Foods, molds, cosmetics, chemicals.

· Medications

· Candida: Yeast overgrowth or other bacterial overgrowths

· Digestion, liver function, thyroid and adrenal disorders: These should be checked and consulted with a Doctor.