Why Your Acne Root Cause “Pie” Looks Different Than Everyone Else’s

One of the biggest mistakes I see when it comes to acne healing is assuming there’s one root cause. You’ll hear people online swear up and down that “hormones are the problem,” or “it’s always dairy,” or “just heal your gut and your skin will clear.”

Every single person’s acne root cause looks different - and I like to think of it as a pie chart.

The Acne Root Cause Pie

Imagine your acne as a pie that’s divided into different slices. The slices represent the things contributing to your breakouts. For some people, hormones might take up 50% of the pie, while gut health and stress make up the other 50%. For someone else, gut imbalances might take up 80%, and stress is only 10%. Another person may have nutrient deficiencies or detox/liver support making up the biggest slices.

The “pie chart” is unique to you.

Why This Matters

When you don’t understand your unique acne root cause pie, you end up chasing cookie-cutter advice..cutting out random foods, trying trendy supplements, or bouncing from topical to topical..without ever seeing lasting results.

But when you actually identify what your largest slices are - through testing, symptoms, and a functional medicine approach..you stop wasting time and start addressing what your skin really needs.

What Makes Up the Pie?

• Hormones

• Gut health

• Blood sugar

• Stress & adrenals

• Detoxification pathways

• Nutrients

• Sleep

• Hydration

• And more!

For example:

• Client A had 70% hormone-driven acne, 20% gut imbalances, and 10% nutrient deficiencies.

• Client B had 50% gut imbalances, 30% stress/adrenal dysfunction, and 20% impaired detoxification.

• Client C had 40% nutrient deficiencies, 40% stress, and only 20% hormones at play.

Each pie looks completely different, even though the end result - breakouts - looks the same on the surface.

This explains why two people can try the exact same diet, supplement, or skincare routine and get totally different results. It’s also why quick-fix solutions (like prescriptions, birth control, or Accutane) usually fail in the long run. They might shrink one slice temporarily, but they don’t rebalance the entire pie.

Instead, the goal is to figure out what your biggest slices are and then build a personalized plan to shrink them down!

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 provide