Stubborn Acne

Meghan calls the skin a backup exit: when the colon, liver and lymph are backed up, the skin takes on the extra load, so stubborn acne signals congestion upstream. The causes she sees most:

• ■The gut, including candida, H. pylori, parasites, low stomach acid, leaky gut, poor bile flow and constipation.
• ■Hormones that aren't clearing: estrogen dominance, excess androgens and estrogen recirculating because of constipation. Birth control can mask this without resolving it.
• ■Stagnant lymph, which shows up as puffiness, dull skin, redness and slow healing.
• ■Gaps in zinc, vitamin A, B vitamins, iron, magnesium and omega-3s, usually from poor absorption.
• ■Toxic burden from metals, mold, pesticides, plastics and personal care products.

What to do:

• ■Get to 1 to 3 easy bowel movements a day, because estrogen leaves through the bowels.
• ■Move your lymph daily with walking, rebounding, dry brushing, deep belly breathing and plenty of water.
• ■Sweat a few times a week through exercise or sauna, and wear natural fibers against your skin.
• ■Switch to skincare that is non-pore-clogging and free of endocrine disruptors, and cut synthetic fragrance.
• ■Fix digestion and absorption before you add more supplements.
• ■If jawline acne comes with irregular cycles, ask your doctor to check androgens.

Her rule: when the skin breaks out, open drainage before treating the skin. One client came in for acne, and the real issue was that she went to the bathroom every 3 days. Meghan cleared her own cystic acne this way, without Accutane, spironolactone or birth control, after years of elimination diets, facials and products had failed. Gut and terrain work is Phase 2 (Rebuild), after drainage, and the free Detox Phase Quiz shows where to start.