Understanding Your Acne Triggers: Bloodwork, Diet, and Skincare

Acne isn’t just about what’s happening on the surface—it’s a whole-body conversation between your skin, hormones, gut, and even your stress levels. It’s like your skin’s way of waving a flag and saying, “Hey, something’s off!” From hormonal swings and gut imbalances to the foods you eat and products you use, to how you manage stress and sleep–there are a lot of factors at play.

The good news? Once you start decoding your unique acne triggers, you can take real, actionable steps to clear your skin from the inside out—and keep it that way.

Let’s dive into how you can get to the root of your breakouts and finally achieve that glow you’ve been chasing. Hint: Acne Lab Panel.

Hormones and Acne: The Skin Connection

Hormones are often a big culprit behind breakouts, particularly during puberty, menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and times of stress. Elevated androgens, like testosterone, stimulate excess oil production, clog pores, and lead to inflammation.

Hormonal acne typically presents as deep, cystic breakouts along the jawline and chin, often flaring up before or during your period. Keeping track of your cycle alongside your breakouts can reveal patterns and help you understand your skin better.

How to Treat Hormonal Acne Naturally

While chemical imbalances trigger hormonal acne, it can often be treated and improved with diet and lifestyle modifications:

• Move More: Physical activity like strength training and long walks help to stabilize blood sugar, which therefore helps balance elevated androgenic hormones like testosterone. Additionally, consistent movement helps to stimulate the lymphatic system, reduce stress, and support better sleep.

• Prioritize Rest: Deep, quality sleep is essential for balanced hormones and the skin repair process. Aim for 7–9 hours nightly and incorporate a stevia-free sleep supplement like PILLOWTIME-MAG.

• Support Balance: Supplements like MINDBODYSKIN are specifically formulated to address hormonal imbalances while promoting skin clarity.

PRO TIP: The only way to confirm hormonal acne is through functional lab testing, which provides a clearer view of your internal imbalances.

The Role of Bacteria in Acne Development

Acne isn’t just about hormones and oil production—bacteria play a critical role too. Propionibacterium acnes (recently renamed Cutibacterium acnes) is a naturally occurring bacterium found on the skin. In healthy conditions, it coexists with other microorganisms without causing harm.

However, when excess oil and dead skin cells clog pores, C. acnes can multiply rapidly. This overgrowth triggers an immune response, leading to inflammation, redness, and the formation of pimples or cysts.

How to Address Bacteria in Your Skincare Routine

• Use non-comedogenic products with gentle exfoliants like PREGAME to remove dead skin cells and prevent clogged pores.

• Avoid harsh cleansers that strip your skin barrier, as this can worsen bacterial imbalances. Instead, opt for acne-safe, SLS-free products like those in the CLEAR KIT.

• Keep your skin refreshed and hydrated with SKINSPRAY ALL DAY.

PRO TIP: Consistency is key when targeting acne-causing bacteria. Incorporating antibacterial and anti-inflammatory ingredients in your routine can help over time.

Gut Health and Acne: The "Gut-Skin Axis"

Even with a flawless skincare routine, poor gut health can sabotage your skin. The gut-brain-skin connection highlights how imbalances in your digestive system can lead to inflammation, increased oil production, and, ultimately, breakouts.

The bad bacteria in our gut are only problematic when they overgrow, and they love to feed on sugar! Being mindful of high-glycemic food (like sugar and refined carbohydrates) intake can have a positive impact on your gut, and therefore, your skin! 

Everyone's body is unique, so focus on what works best for you. Always monitor your skin's response when introducing any new product into your routine!

Acne-Friendly Diet Tips:

• Opt for low-glycemic options like leafy greens, sweet potatoes, and quinoa.

• Add omega-3 fatty acids (found in salmon, chia seeds, and walnuts) to reduce inflammation.

• Limit processed foods, sugary snacks, and dairy if they aggravate your skin.

PRO TIP: Consider trying an elimination diet. Remove common triggers like dairy, sugar, eggs, and gluten for 30 days. Gradually reintroduce one food at a time to observe how your skin reacts.

The Role of Bloodwork in Acne Management

Persistent acne could be your body’s way of signaling deeper issues. Getting the right lab tests can provide valuable insights into what’s driving your breakouts. Standard tests often miss deeper imbalances, which is why a functional approach is essential for identifying the root causes of acne. Here are the key tests to request:

Key Blood Tests to Request for Acne Clarity

1. CBC + CMP (Complete Blood Count & Comprehensive Metabolic Panel): These two tests give a big-picture view of your body's overall health and can reveal the state of your immune system, potential underlying infections, stress levels, and the health of your detox organs, including the liver and kidneys. 

2. Fasting Insulin: This test isn’t typically included in conventional lab work, but it’s a game-changer for understanding hormonal acne. Elevated fasting insulin can be a major acne trigger because it stimulates excess testosterone production, leading to increased oil production and clogged pores. If left unchecked, high insulin levels can contribute to androgenic acne, which often appears as deep, cystic breakouts.

3. IGF-1 (Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1): IGF-1 is a hormone that promotes cell growth and repair, but elevated levels can be a huge acne trigger. One of the most common causes of increased IGF-1 levels is dairy consumption—especially milk and whey protein. High IGF-1 levels can overstimulate oil glands, leading to excessive oil production and inflammation, which worsens breakouts. If your IGF-1 levels are high, eliminating dairy, whey, egg whites, and excess sugar may significantly improve your skin and help reduce breakouts.

At CLEARSTEM, we created the Acne Lab Test with leading Acne Specialists to uncover root causes. Unlike standard tests, our analysis includes markers for stress, hydration, hormones, immune function, and more. You'll also receive a personalized care plan designed to stop the guessing game and deliver real results.

The Stress-Acne Connection

Stress isn’t just an emotional response—it’s a biological trigger that can lead to breakouts. When stress levels rise, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that increases oil production and inflammation, making acne worse. 

Managing stress effectively can help balance hormones and reduce acne flare-ups. Here’s how:

4 Stress Management Tips for Clearer Skin

1. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness practices like meditation, journaling, or deep breathing exercises help calm the nervous system and lower cortisol levels. Even five minutes of daily mindfulness can make a difference in your skin and overall well-being.

2. Prioritize Rest

Your skin repairs itself while you sleep, but poor sleep quality can increase inflammation and disrupt hormone balance. Create a wind-down routine by:

• Put away screens at least an hour before bed (blue light can suppress melatonin). 

• Use PILLOWTIME-MAG, a magnesium and inositol sleep supplement designed to help you fall asleep faster and wake up refreshed. 

• Keep your bedroom cool (ideally 67°) and dark to promote deeper sleep.

3. Get Moving 

Exercise is a powerful stress reliever that helps regulate hormones and improve circulation, both essential for glowing skin. Even simple activities like a 15-minute morning walk before looking at your phone or hula hooping, dancing, (or anything that makes movement fun) can regulate stress hormones and improve circulation.

4. Support Your Digestion

Did you know stress impacts gut health, which in turn affects your skin? Taking deep breaths before meals activates the parasympathetic nervous system (“rest and digest” mode), helping your body absorb nutrients more effectively and reducing inflammation. 

Try this: Before eating, take three slow, deep breaths. This simple habit supports digestion, reduces bloating, and keeps stress hormones in check, all of which benefit your skin.

Consistency and Patience: Keys to Acne Improvement

While it’s tempting to expect instant results, acne treatments often take time. Skin cell turnover typically takes about 28 days, and it can take 8–12 weeks to see significant improvements when trying a new product or routine.

This period allows for dead skin cells to shed, active ingredients to work at a cellular level, and inflammation to subside.

Tips for Staying Consistent

Consistency is essential when tackling acne. Adopting the right habits can help you stay on track and see visible results over time:

• Stick to a Non-Comedogenic Routine: Use acne-safe products specifically tailored to your skin's needs and avoid skipping steps in your regimen, even when progress feels slow.

• Avoid Product-Hopping: Resist the urge to switch products frequently. This can irritate your skin, disrupt its natural balance, and delay improvements. Instead, give each product a fair trial of at least 8–12 weeks. Mark it on your calendar to stay on track and monitor progress more effectively.

• Celebrate Small Wins: Notice incremental progress, like fewer breakouts or reduced redness, as encouraging signs that your efforts are working.

• Track Your Progress: Take before-and-after photos to monitor changes. Progress can be subtle day-to-day but more noticeable over weeks or months.

• Review Your Product Ingredients: Many products like makeup, haircare, and even laundry detergents contain pore-clogging ingredients that can secretly worsen acne. Use our Pore-Clogging Ingredients Checker to identify and eliminate problematic products.

Self-Care for Acne: Small Changes, Big Impact

Acne affects more than your skin—it impacts your confidence, mood, and overall well-being. We’ve been there, and we get it.

The good news? Small, intentional self-care practices can have a big impact over time!

Acne-Safe Self-Care Tips

• Hydrate: Drink at least 3 liters of mineral-rich water daily to flush toxins and support your skin’s natural detoxification process. 

• PRO TIP: Add stevia-free electrolytes! We like Body Bio E-Lyte.

• Daily supplements like GOOD SEEDS promote skin hydration.

• Exercise Regularly: Any movement counts—whether it’s dancing in your room or a brisk walk, just keep your body active.

• Sleep Smart: Combine an eyemask, a soothing bedtime ritual, and a quality sleep supplement to support restorative sleep. Aim for 7–9 hours of uninterrupted sleep to allow your skin time to regenerate.

• Log an Acne Diary: Track your daily habits, from meals to skincare, to identify patterns and make proactive changes.

Empower Yourself with Knowledge and Tools

Achieving clearer skin requires more than just surface-level fixes—it’s about understanding the deeper connections between your body and skin. With the right insights, targeted products, and lifestyle changes, you can take control of your acne journey.

Whether it’s through personalized bloodwork, dietary adjustments, or optimizing your skincare routine with non-pore-clogging products, your path to clarity starts now. Say goodbye to the endless trial-and-error cycle and hello to a confident, glowing you.

SOURCES:

1. Pappas A. The relationship of diet and acne: A review. Dermatoendocrinol. 2009;1(5):262-267. doi:10.4161/derm.1.5.10192

2. Scholz, C. F., & Kilian, M. (2016). The natural history of Cutibacterium acnes. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 30(4), 479–487.

3. Dréno, B., et al. (2018). The role of Cutibacterium acnes biofilm in acne vulgaris: A new target for treatment. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 32(11), 1891–1898.

4. Anti-Acne Diet: Can Food Help or Worsen Acne? - Healthline

5. Acne Vulgaris - Physiopedia

6. Zasada, M. L., & Buddenkotte, J. (2021). Overview of skin renewal cycles and the importance of consistency in skincare. Dermatology Research and Practice.