The Hidden Reason for Your Acne Might Be Self-Love

Whilst most of us are quick to reach for the latest viral skincare trend to fix what we're seeing in the mirror… what if spending $400 on a face oil isn't what your body needs? What if you would actually have a simpler skin routine and glow in a way that no face oil could ever achieve for you?

After working with clients for over 5 years, there are an overwhelming amount of instances of people's skin clearing up — be it acne, rashes, eczema or psoriasis.

And if you haven't already tried cutting our inflammatory foods and factors like dairy, gluten, vegetable oils, high-stress environments, late nights, and alcohol, then start there. 

But for most people that are up until 2 am googling "how to get clear skin"... they've tried all that. They're begging for answers and RESULTS.

However, whilst their body is screaming at them, they're not listening. 

The thing to understand is that your body is always communicating with you. Whether it's back pain, insomnia, painful periods, IBS, or skin issues — your body has something to say.

We are a very avoidant society and addicted to the quick fix. We spend our days disconnected from ourselves and life as we scroll through our phones, we are always looking for the next dopamine hit, and we are numbed out. 

We don't want to look inward and face our own demons, and we don't want to be told to stop doing something. So if a pill or face oil can act as a bandaid so you have Barbie skin for your date on Friday night... it seems like an "easier" option.

But is it? Because when you go on holiday to Italy, and you forget the trusty face oil, the panic attack sets in for the fear of the horrendous skin issue rearing its ugly head. Or when your parcel is lost and is two days late in the mail... are you going to break out? It is enough to send any sane person into a state of nervous system overload.

On the other hand, when you heal the root issue of what the skin reaction is actually about, you don't need to worry about forgetting the face oil or 432 supplements on your next holiday. Whilst many of us ignore it, there is very real science out there showing the undeniable link between trauma and diseases — whether it's chronic people pleasing and MS, or abuse and cancer, it's there.

For most of my clients who come to me with skin issues, under the surface is a whole host of stored emotions that are literally screaming to be released. To the point where angry, inflamed, and stressed acne is showing up all over your skin. Or the eczema between your legs is related to the shame from being emotionally abused as a child. Whilst your body is trying to get you to see it, at the same time, you’re wanting to stay hidden.

The inflammatory response that's happening as a result of unconscious and/or subconscious stress from these traumas, self-shame, anger, guilt, resentment, and frustration is causing the 'unfixable' skin issues. So time after time, when the anger, trauma, etc., is released, and the client actually can fall back into self-trust, self-love, and feel safe to be seen… well, guess what happens to those issues? They clear up.

Feeling safe to be seen is something that a lot of women struggle with, and it can show up with physical manifestations so that we literally feel like we want to 'hide' ourselves in order to feel safe. This is often a result of childhood trauma (big or little), where you feel safer if you hide parts of yourself. Whether you felt like you had to hide your emotions and needs or that you felt like your experiences were always labeled as 'wrong' by your parents.

When there is a constant stress response going off in your body because of unhealed trauma, your nervous system often goes through serious wear and tear. Especially for women, we have a much more delicate nervous system due to progesterone being easily depleted by stress, and our HPA axis (which consists of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal gland) is central to our autonomic nervous systems but easily affected by stress, causing a whole cascade in our hormones. 

When your amygdala is constantly sounding the alarm bells because you don’t feel safe to be seen by others, that stress response is sending your whole body into a state of survival whether you can feel it or not. Many people these days have learned to live with such high levels of stress, normalizing it and thus not being aware that their body is in a state of freeze, fight/flight, or fawn daily.

So before your unconscious stress turns into IBS, adrenal fatigue, and chronic acne… let's get ahead of it.

Here's a breakdown of the energetic reasons for your acne on different parts of your body:

Back acne:

This is most of the time related to testosterone dominance. If you've tried to balance your hormones, but things aren't working, it's likely because your body is producing too much cortisol and DHEAs, causing your testosterone to increase beyond what the equilibrium is for a woman.

Don't just look at the obvious stressors in your life... what are the hidden things that are constantly on your mind and feel like a weight on your shoulders?

Eczema:

- Feeling like you're not accepted and that you need to hide and suppress yourself.

- Feeling annoyed/angry when you aren't getting your way with others or having the experience that you want to have with others.

- Feeling like you're suffocating and possibly experiencing a sense of 'stagnation' in your life or sense of self.

Face acne (despite having balanced hormones and good gut health)

- Fear of being seen.

- Feeling uncomfortable in your own skin.

- Suppressed anger/resentment/frustration/emotion that is trying to be released.

- Feeling like you cannot fully express yourself and your emotions (so you've bottled it up)

- Self-hatred

- You being in a constant stress response (you may not know it because it's your "normal).

Allow the above to give you some clues about what might be going on beneath the surface.

And before you get frustrated that the serum isn't doing its job, it's worth making sure you've cleaned up the inside of your body, not just physically but emotionally — after all, our skin is a direct reflection of our internal selves.

xx Monica