What Your Skin is Trying to Tell You
The Hidden Root Causes of Adult Acne and Eczema
If you’ve ever felt like your skin is betraying you, breaking out in cystic acne, flaring up with eczema, or reacting to everything you touch or eat .. you’re not alone. And more importantly, you’re not broken.
Skin symptoms are never just surface-level.
They are signals , important messages from deeper systems in the body asking for support.
And I know this firsthand.
My Story: When My Postpartum Skin Fought Back
After the birth of my daughter, I experienced relentless postpartum acne and rosacea. As a naturopathic doctor, I was doing everything I knew to support my body, eating nourishing meals, using clean skincare, working on hormone balance. And yet, my skin kept flaring.
It wasn’t until I ran functional lab testing on myself that I discovered the deeper root:
Multiple gut parasites
Significant intestinal permeability (leaky gut)
Chronic inflammation that my liver was struggling to keep up with
Once I began to repair my gut and support detox pathways, my skin began to heal, gradually, but powerfully.
Today, my skin is clear and has been for many years. And it’s not because I found the perfect serum. It’s because I addressed what was going on internally.
What Really Causes Adult Acne and Eczema?
Skin issues rarely happen in isolation. Here are the six most common root causes I see in my clinical practice:
1. Gut Dysbiosis + Leaky Gut
When the gut microbiome is imbalanced (due to parasites, yeast, or bacterial overgrowth), it creates systemic inflammation. If the gut lining becomes compromised, toxins and undigested food particles can enter the bloodstream and the skin often tries to eliminate them.
2. Impaired Detoxification + Liver Overload
Your liver is responsible for processing hormones, toxins, and waste. When it’s sluggish or overburdened, the body often uses the skin as a backup detox organ, which can show up as breakouts, rashes, or flushing.
3. Hormonal Imbalances
The skin is highly sensitive to hormonal shifts, especially when estrogen isn’t being properly cleared, or androgens are elevated. This often leads to cycle-related acne, jawline breakouts, and persistent flare-ups around ovulation or menstruation.
4. Food Sensitivities + Histamine Reactions
Undiagnosed food sensitivities can trigger skin inflammation, especially when paired with poor gut health. High histamine foods or slow histamine breakdown can lead to rashes, hives, and eczema-like symptoms.
5. Nervous System Dysregulation
Chronic stress alters immune function, gut integrity, and hormone balance. If your nervous system is in a persistent fight or flight state, it impairs healing and keeps inflammation high, a recipe for ongoing skin symptoms.
6. Blood Sugar Imbalances
Frequent blood sugar swings, from skipped meals, caffeine on an empty stomach, or carb-heavy snacks, can trigger cortisol surges, increase oil production, and drive inflammation. This often shows up as acne, skin dullness, and poor healing.
Tip: Balance each meal with protein, healthy fats, and fiber to support skin stability from the inside out.
What You Can Do Right Now
Here are three practical places to begin:
✔ Support your gut: Add a daily source of prebiotic fiber (like garlic, leeks, or cooked greens).
✔ Nourish detox pathways: Warm lemon water in the morning, include cooked cruciferous veggies daily, and move your body to sweat regularly.
✔ Regulate blood sugar: Build your meals around steady, nourishing macronutrients and avoid going too long without eating.
Deep Dive Testing Package
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At home stool and/or hormone testing
1:1 educational consultation to review results
Individualized recommendations to tend to your health
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The takeaway?
Your skin isn’t just trying to frustrate you, it’s trying to talk to you.
And when you take the time to listen, nurture, and investigate the deeper layers, that’s when real healing begins.