Why Your Acne Is Never “Unexplained” (Even If You’ve Been Told Otherwise)

If you’ve ever been told your acne is “just hormonal,” “genetic,” or simply “unlucky skin,” I want you to know something:
Your acne is never unexplained. It’s just that no one has looked in the right places or dug deeper for you...yet.

As a naturopathic doctor specializing in acne, I can confidently tell you that breakouts are always your body trying to communicate that something deeper is out of balance. The frustrating part? Most conventional approaches never go beyond the surface to investigate why your skin is inflamed in the first place. So most of us think we’ve hit a dead end.

Let’s unpack this a little…

1. Acne Is a Symptom, Not a Root Cause

Acne isn’t a random event. It’s a symptom of chronic internal dysfunction that have been building up for years..whether it’s gut imbalances, chronic stress, nutrient deficiencies, blood sugar issues, sluggish detox pathways, or a combination of all of the above. Your skin is just one of the body’s elimination channels, and when it’s overwhelmed, acne can show up as a sign of that overload.

2. “Hormonal Acne” isn’t just due to your hormones

Yes, hormones play a huge role in acne..but they don’t go haywire without a reason. If your testosterone, progesterone, or DHEA is out of balance, we want to ask:
Why?
Is it stress driving up your cortisol and disrupting ovulation?
Is it under-eating or skipping meals, leading to blood sugar spikes and androgen dominance?
Is your liver struggling to detox excess estrogen properly?
When we zoom out, we realize hormonal acne is rarely about the hormones alone.

3. Conventional Testing Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story

It’s common to get standard labs done and be told everything looks “normal” (been there done that) but that doesn’t mean everything is optimal or functioning well. Functional lab testing goes deeper, looking at patterns in gut health, cortisol rhythms, nutrient absorption, and detoxification that often get overlooked. If your acne has been labeled “unexplained,” it’s likely no one has run the right tests or interpreted them in terms of OPTIMAL ranges.

4. Skin Triggers Are Often Misunderstood

Cutting out dairy, sugar, or gluten might help temporarily..but eliminating foods without understanding why they’re causing a reaction isn’t the solution. Food triggers often reflect deeper gut permeability, immune dysregulation, or imbalanced microbiota. Acne-prone skin doesn't need restriction - it needs regulation.

5. You're Not Crazy..You Just Deserve Better Answers

If you’ve been dismissed, handed a prescription, or told to “just wash your face more,” you’re not alone. But I promise: your acne isn’t your fault, and it’s not something you have to settle for.

Acne is never “unexplained.” It is your skin waving a flag that something internally needs attention..and when we listen with curiosity instead of frustration, we can begin to decode what your body is telling you.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER - All content on this website is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for advice and recommendations provided by your healthcare provider.