Treat acne with a Naturopath - get to the ROOT CAUSE instead of using bandaid treatments -

Picture describing internal and external treatments for acne

What does ROOT CAUSE mean?

A root cause is something underlying in your body, diet or environment that is causing Acne. The root cause is due to the naturopathic belief that the body works TOGETHER, and the skin is NOT a single organ. It is influenced by the whole body, diet and environment. Being prescribed bandaid medications will not solve your acne long term. This is due to the skin being influenced by:

  • your diet,

  • your hydration levels,

  • your internal nutrient status,

  • your ovarian, pancreatic, thyroid and adrenal hormones,

  • your gut,

  • your liver,

  • your kidneys

  • your environment

  • your stress levels

  • inflammation

  • caffeine, alcohol, and sugar

  • topical products

  • …etc!

This is why bandaid treatments are frustrating - why is there a one size fits all approach in our mainstream medicine to all bodies with acne? It’s dismissive of your symptoms and is frustrating because most of the time they don’t work.

for a more detailed explanation about the root causes, refer to my blog about acne

Determine your ROOT CAUSE of Acne-

Inflammatory driven QUESTIONNAIRE:

  1. I have pain in my body, such as neck pain, back pain, knee pain, headaches

  2. I have skin rashes, like eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, allergic dermatitis

  3. I have chronic digestive issues, like bloating, diarrhoea, reflux or indigestion

  4. I have asthma or allergies

  5. I am constantly tired and lethargic

  6. I eat a diet that is not based on whole foods or I eat many processed foods and added sugar

  7. I have a family member with an autoimmune condition

  8. I have been formally diagnosed with PCOS

if you answered yes to:

1-4 of these, it’s likely you have moderate inflammation

5-8 of these, it’s likely you have severe inflammation

Insulin driven QUESTIONNAIRE:

  1. I have more weight than I should

  2. I find it hard to lose weight

  3. I notice my weight is mostly around my abdomen

  4. I crave sugar

  5. I crave carbs like rice, bread, potatoes

  6. I don’t feel full easily, or binge eat at times

  7. Type 1 or 2 diabetes is in my immediate family

  8. I get hangry easily and can be sensitive if I skip a meal

  9. I have dark, velvet patches in the folds of my skin behind my neck, thighs, or under my arms

  10. I have skin tags

  11. I have fatty liver

if you answered yes to:

0-2 of these, you might have mild or undetectable insulin resistance

3-6 of these, it’s likely you have moderate insulin resistance

7-11 of these, it’s likely you have severe insulin resistance

Adrenal and stress driven QUESTIONNAIRE:

  1. I have a lot of stress in my life

  2. I have experienced extreme stress in the past five to eight years

  3. I do not get enough sleep

  4. I have anxiety

  5. I have depression

  6. I consume too much sugar

  7. I have heart palpitations

  8. I drink a lot of coffee to get through the day

  9. I get irritated easily

  10. I have serious mood symptoms when I have PMS

  11. I have low blood pressure

  12. I have dizziness when I stand up too quickly

  13. I overwork and do not take time to relax

  14. I have taken steroids for a medical reason

  15. I gain weight around my abdominal area

  16. I have an eating disorder now or have had one in the past

  17. I have a low libido

  18. My muscles feel weak

  19. I am very tired between 3-5pm

  20. I feel best in the evening

  21. I have had high DHEAs reading on bloodwork

if you answered yes to:

0-4 of these, you might have a mild stress factor

5-13 of these, it’s likely you have a moderate stress factor

14-21 of these, it’s likely you have a severe stress factor

Androgen excess QUESTIONNAIRE:

  1. I have hirsuitism: the growth of excess or course hair on my chin, face, upper lip, chest or abdomen

  2. I have significant acne, located on my jawline, back, or chin

  3. I have hair loss that is either diffuse or concentrated at the front hairline

  4. I have a deep voice

  5. I have high DHEAs, testosterone or DHT levels on blood testing

if you answered yes to any of these, you have an androgen excess factor to a significant degree

Hormone balance QUESTIONNAIRE:

  1. My cycles are or have been thirty five days or longer for significant periods of my life

  2. I have had polycystic ovaries on ultrasound

  3. I ovulate late in my cycle - around day 18 or later

  4. I have needed medications to help with ovulation

  5. The medications to help me ovulate didn’t work on at least one occasion

  6. I have had high AMH reading on a blood test

  7. I have had a high LH to FSH ratio on a day 3 blood test

  8. I have had low progesterone readings on blood work

if you answered yes to any of these, you have a hormonal imbalance factor to a significant degree

Thyroid QUESTIONNAIRE:

  1. I feel cold

  2. I feel tired a lot

  3. I do not lose weight easily

  4. I experience constipation

  5. I have dry, flaky skin

  6. I am losing hair or it has become brittle

  7. My nails are brittle

  8. I’m depressed or anxious

  9. I have chronic muscle and joint pain

  10. I feel pressure or swelling in my neck

  11. I have a family member with thyroid issues

  12. I have high cholesterol

  13. I have unexplained changes in my weight

  14. I have changes in my memory and concentrations

  15. I have had abnormal thyroid testing results

if you answered yes to:

1-4 of these, you have some signs of a thyroid issue

5-9 of these, it’s likely you have a moderate thyroid factor

10-15 of these, it’s likely you have a significant thyroid factor

Environment QUESTIONNAIRE:

  1. I use, or have in the past used, plastic containers to a significant degree to heat food, or I use plastic water bottles

  2. I currently eat, or have eaten, canned foods, including soda from a can

  3. I was fed from a plastic baby bottle or plastic sippy cups as an infant

  4. I have worked in retail, handling receipts

  5. I work in the dental profession, hair/nail salon, or other profession where I am exposed to environmental toxins

  6. I buy nonorganic produce, dairy, and/or meats

  7. I have worked in agriculture or gardening with pesticides, or my mother was exposed to pesticides prior to being pregnant with me

    if you answered yes to:

    1-3 of these, you have a moderate environmental factor

    4-7 of these, you have a significant environmental factor

Diet QUESTIONNAIRE:

  1. When I have made changes to my diet in the past, I have seen significant improvement in my acne symptoms

  2. There are areas of my diet I feel I could improve

  3. I consume fast foods or sweets at least twice a week

  4. I have intense cravings for sugar or carbs

  5. I find it difficult to stop eating or I binge at times

  6. I do not eat enough veggies

  7. I am not sure what I should be eating

  8. I find it hard to make good decisions with eating

  9. I tend to eat the same food all of the time

  10. I go through periods of eating well and periods of eating poorly

  11. I scored moderate to high on the insulin resistance quiz

if you answered yes to:

1-4 of these, you have a moderately high need for nutritional support

5+ of these, you would benefit significantly from making nutritional and dietary changes

Functional testing for ACNE -

The type of test will depend on what we think your root cause is. Common functional testing I perform in clinic include:

  • Saliva and urine hormone testing for androgens, estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol

  • Complete microbiome mapping test for inflammatory and gut driver

  • FUNCTIONAL interpretation of blood testing

    • common misconceptions about testing: many people come in with previous blood tests, or the thought that things have been investigated and are ‘fine’ or ‘normal’ - however -

      • not many people know that hormones need to be tested on a particular day of their cycle,

      • or that stress/exercise, medications, supplements and/or illness could affect their results,

      • or that a ‘normal’ result does not ‘rule out’ that cause, it means you need to dig deeper if you still have symptoms,

      • or that there might be other markers your practitioner hasn’t ordered to fully investigate your symptoms,

      • or that the reference range that is on your blood test is a statistical average of a population and not a reference range for optimal function,

      • or that there are many other functional testing you can do with me, such as saliva hormone testing, hair mineral analysis, stool microbiome mapping, skin microbiome sampling

Natural treatment for PCOS

Naturopathic acne treatment is using diet changes, lifestyle changes, environmental changes and short term herbal and/or nutritional interventions for long term results. I have created a blog for all of the treatments available for PCOS - this will depend on your ROOT CAUSE though.

Consultations with a SKIN/HORMONE Naturopath

ready to heal your skin naturally? Book a consultation with an acne focussed naturopath

Citations:

  1. Muhammed Saeed AA, Noreen S, Awlqadr FH, Farooq MI, Qadeer M, Rai N, Farag HA, Saeed MN. Nutritional and herbal interventions for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): a comprehensive review of dietary approaches, macronutrient impact, and herbal medicine in management. J Health Popul Nutr. 2025 May 2;44(1):143. doi: 10.1186/s41043-025-00899-y. PMID: 40317096; PMCID: PMC12049039.

  2. Calvo F, Karras BT, Phillips R, Kimball AM, Wolf F. Diagnoses, syndromes, and diseases: a knowledge representation problem. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2003;2003:802. PMID: 14728307; PMCID: PMC1480257.

  3. Rubin R. It Takes an Average of 17 Years for Evidence to Change Practice-the Burgeoning Field of Implementation Science Seeks to Speed Things Up. JAMA. 2023 Apr 25;329(16):1333-1336. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.4387. PMID: 37018006.