Have you started your skin healing journey, and found your skin has got worse instead of getting better? The panic starts, your thoughts spiral, and now you’re thinking “My skin is getting worse, not better”, “Maybe this isn’t working,” or “I’ll never have clear skin.” If this has happened to you, you’re absolutely not alone. In fact, it’s incredibly common for acne to get worse before it gets better. And while it might feel like a setback, it can actually be a sign that your body and skin are starting to heal. We just have to push through it so you get the healthy, clear skin your deserve. I’ll explain exactly why acne can get worse before it gets better, how long it might take, and practical steps to help you stick with it.

Healing Is Often A Messy Journey

A few years ago, therapist once shared something with me at the beginning of our sessions that really stuck:
“When you begin therapy, it’s not uncommon to feel worse before you feel better. You’ve spent years suppressing difficult emotions and experiences into a sort of ‘safe box’ in your mind. The moment you kick open that box, everything you’ve suppressed starts bubbling up to the surface. It can feel messy and uncomfortable, but that’s how healing happens. Over time, you process those emotions, work through them, and eventually, you feel better than you did when they were suppressed.”

And honestly, it’s very similar when it comes to your skin.

When you start addressing the deeper causes of acne, whether it’s gut imbalances, hormonal fluctuations, or a damaged skin barrier, you’re essentially ‘opening the box.’ All those underlying issues that have quietly built up beneath the surface begin shifting, and sometimes that can look or feel worse before it improves.

It’s like cleaning your room

Have you ever started tidying a cluttered room and halfway through, it looks even worse than when you began? I know I’ve done this many times and thought – wow I’ve made this SO much worse. You’ve pulled everything out into the open, piles of clothes and other random clutter, and for a moment, it feels completely overwhelming.

Now imagine if, in that moment of panic, you thought “What have I done? I’ve made it worse!” and shoved everything straight back into drawers or under the bed. You haven’t actually cleaned, you’ve just hidden the mess again.

That’s often what happens with skin healing too.
We start a new routine, get a flare-up, freak out, stop everything, and go back to what we were doing before. But if you don’t let the process complete, clearing out, repairing, and reorganising, so there’s no real change. Your room is still messy and cluttered. The discomfort is temporary, but if you don’t let yourself complete the task, you’ll stay stuck in the same cycle.

Why Does Acne Get Worse Before It Gets Better?

Ok, hopefully now you see why we do have to push through the initial worsening of your skin condition. But why does it get worse before it gets better?

Now, if you’re new to this healing journey, and say for the past 5 years (or more) you’ve not really taken much notice of healthy eating, exercising, or other healthy habits, it’s completely normal to feel worse before you feel better.

Sorry for another analogy, but they really help highlight how the body works.
Imagine you’ve never been to the gym before. Your first workout isn’t going to feel good. In fact, you’ll probably feel a bit awful, out of breath, sore, and tempted to quit. But you also know that if you keep going, eventually lifting those weights will feel easy, you’ll be stronger, and you’ll see the benefits.

That’s because your muscles are breaking down in order to build back up stronger. It’s a natural (and essential) part of the process.

It’s kind of the same when you start eating better and supporting your skin health. If you’ve spent years not really feeding your body the nutrients, fibre, and antioxidants it needs to support healthy detoxification, hormone balance, or gut health, then adding all that in at once can feel like a bit of a shock to the system.

You might expect your skin to just magically clear up overnight because you’re doing all the ‘right’ things, but that’s rarely the case. What usually happens is that your body finally has the tools it needs to get to work, supporting detoxification, shifting the gut microbiome, balancing blood sugar and reducing inflammation. And while those systems start working optimally again, there can be a bit of a messy adjustment phase, which sometimes shows up on your skin.

Gut Health, Acne & Detox Reactions

One of the most common underlying triggers for acne is a gut imbalance. What I usually see in clients is that they either have an overgrowth of infections or bad bacteria, or they’ve got low levels of good bacteria. Both aren’t good for skin health! So if you’re working on your gut health, through diet, probiotics, or antimicrobials, you may notice your skin (and gut) flaring up early on.

In the case of an overgrowth, the symptoms can be often due to die-off reactions. A die off reaction happens when bacteria are killed, and they release toxins known as lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that can trigger an immune response. This increase in inflammation can manifest in the skin.

If you have low levels of good bacteria, you might experience symptoms like bloating, changes in bowel movements and other symptoms alongside some skin changes. Generally, this should last around 2-4 weeks and then start to improve. However, for some people it can take longer. But in most cases, if your skin flares during gut protocols, it might actually mean things are working, you’re detoxing and laying the foundations for clearer skin.

Hormonal Acne Takes Time

If your acne is related to hormones, whether from PCOS, endometriosis, post-pill issues, or stress, it’s really really important to be patient. (I know, exactly what you don’t want to hear when you want clear skin ASAP!).

Hormones are sensitive and slow to balance. When you introduce new routines (like diet tweaks, lifestyle changes, or supplements), symptoms can shift unpredictably. You may see your cycle length change a little, mood slightly swing, and your acne breakouts might increase temporarily.

If you are wondering, why has my skin got worse after a hormone balancing protocol, it could be because your body is recalibrating. Hormonal acne typically needs 3–6 months to reflect real improvement (sometimes even longer depending on any underlying conditions).

Skin Barrier Repair

If your skincare routine has involved harsh, stripping or reactive products, like strong foaming cleansers, high-percentage acids or alcohol-based toners, your skin barrier may be compromised.

Now sometimes those ingredients might look like they’re working at first, because they dry out breakouts, tighten the skin and temporarily reduce oiliness. But what they’re actually doing is stripping your barrier, disturbing your skin’s pH, and weakening the skin’s microbiome.

When you stop those products and switch to a barrier-supporting routine, your skin often freaks out a little. You might get a flare-up as your skin tries desperately to rebalance itself.

When you’re rebuilding the skin barrier, you’re repairing the skin’s pH, supporting the skin microbiome (the good bacteria that protect your skin), and rebuilding the physical barrier – the skin cells and the ‘glue’ (lipids and ceramides) that keep everything balanced and protected.

And, just like with gut healing, hormone balancing and immune support, this repair phase can be messy. It’s normal to get some extra congestion, breakouts or dryness while your skin adapts to the new routine.

How Long Should You Give It?

So how long should you stick at something before you decide it’s not working? It depends on the situation, but here’s a quick guide from personal experience with 1:1 clients in clinic:

Remember, if you panic at the first sign of redness or a few new spots and go back to old habits, you haven’t actually solved anything, you’ve just postponed the problem by retreating into comfort. I know how hard it is to push through this phase because I’ve done it myself. But this is where working with an experienced practitioner can help work out what’s a normal level of ‘purging’, and what actual isn’t normal and needs to be changed. You also get that hand holding you’ll most likely need to guide you through a flare up, so that you’re consistent and get the results you deserve.

Final Takeaway? Trust the Process

If you’ve been wondering “Why is my skin getting worse, not better?”, it’s often a normal phase of healing. Unless of course you are doing something that isn’t right for your skin, and in that case it is continuously getting worse. But for most people, acne can get worse before it gets better as your body and skin start to rebalance.

Don’t shove the mess back into the drawers. Give your skin time, and with patience, consistency, and the right protocol, you will achieve healthier skin, I promise!

Ready to Get Personalised Support?

If you’re unsure whether you’re experiencing a skin purge, a hormonal flare, or both, I’m here to help, and offer 1:1 support through my nutritional therapy sessions.