When my acne first popped up during puberty, it was annoying—but hey, everyone told me it was normal. “It’ll pass,” they said. “It disappears in your 20s,” they promised.

Well, imagine my horror when I hit 21, and not only did my acne not disappear—it got worse. Year after year, my skin kept rebelling. At one point, I actually thought, Maybe when I hit menopause and my periods disappear, my acne will too. (A little dramatic? Maybe. But when you’ve had chronic acne for 10 years, you start to spiral.)

Now, I wasn’t just sitting around hoping for a miracle. I was on Google every day searching things like “how to clear acne for good” and “why won’t my acne clear?” I visited doctors, specialists, and skin clinics. I tried every skincare routine, skin peel, and supplement under the sun. At the time, I truly thought I’d tried everything.

Turns out—I was missing one major piece of the puzzle.

Why My Acne Wouldn’t Clear (And Why Yours Might Not Be Either)

My biggest mistake? I was hyper-focused on acne itself. And so were the professionals I went to for help.

I even asked my doctor, Could something be causing my acne? Maybe my diet? My makeup? My skincare? His response? “Diet, skincare, and makeup don’t make a difference. The only thing that will help is antibiotics.”

Something about that didn’t sit right with me. Surely something was contributing to my breakouts?

So, I started looking at my whole-body health. And what I realised changed everything.

When my acne was at its worst, I was also struggling with crippling IBS. But back then, gut health wasn’t the hot topic it is now—so I never thought to connect the two.

I also didn’t know that:

• 36-42 day cycles weren’t normal.
• Being curled up in pain every month because of my period wasn’t normal.
• Having a super-light, two-day period wasn’t normal.
• Recurrent tonsillitis wasn’t normal.
• Feeling exhausted every single day (even with 8 hours of sleep) wasn’t normal.

Why did I think all of this was just part of life? Because no one—including the doctors I saw—connected the dots. But all of these symptoms were clues as to why my skin was stuck in a cycle of breakouts.

How to Clear Your Acne (Way Faster Than I Did)

Looking back, even though it took me 10 years, I’m grateful for the journey. It pushed me to study nutritional therapy, corneotherapy and learn about the body. This eventually, led me to be able to help you clear your skin much faster than I did.

So, if I had acne again, here’s exactly what I’d do:

1) Look at Your Whole-Body Symptoms

Those little things you’ve accepted as “normal” (bloating, fatigue, irregular cycles, digestive issues)? They’re not normal. They’re signs that something’s out of balance. And guess what? Your skin is a response organ. It reacts to what’s happening elsewhere in your body.

Don’t believe me? Science backs this up:

• A study found that people with acne are more likely to have IBS than those with clear skin.
• Another study linked severe acne in women to undiagnosed PCOS.

So, start paying attention: Are you bloated all the time? Struggling with period pain? Missing periods? Constantly exhausted? These aren’t random. They’re clues.

2) Dig Deeper Into Your Health

Back when I was struggling, I ate healthy and exercised regularly—but my acne still wouldn’t budge.

It wasn’t until I asked my doctor to check my hormones and got a diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) that I realized something deeper was going on.

But here’s the thing: The only advice I got was to take the pill and keep eating well. That’s it.

So, I took matters into my own hands and did a private, comprehensive blood test. And what did I find?

• Blood sugar imbalances
• Hormone dysfunction
• Liver imbalances
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Bacterial and candida overgrowth

Eating healthy and working out was great—but it wasn’t enough to fix all of this. That’s where targeted, high-dose supplements made a world of difference.

3) Nutrition & Skincare Need to Work Together To Clear Acne Faster

And not just any skincare. The right skincare.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Didn’t you already try skincare and say it didn’t work? Yes—but here’s why:

The skin therapist I saw didn’t look at the bigger picture. She gave me a routine based on my acne, not based on my skin health as a whole.

There are generic protocols for acne-prone skin. They tend to be quite harsh and intense. And while this can work for some people, my skin barrier was already in a bad way. Adding even more intense actives, acids and peels to my skin just made things worse. So, you need skincare that supports barrier repair, hydration, and microbiome balance—not just harsh treatments to “destroy” spots. One vital sign that your skincare isn’t correct is if your skin feels tight after cleansing. You’ve probably just stripped the essential healthy fats off your skin!

How to clear acne faster

Acne isn’t just a “skin issue.” It’s a reflection of what’s going on inside your body.

If you’re stuck in an endless cycle of breakouts, don’t just slap on another treatment, or reach for another skin-targeted supplement and hope for the best. Take a step back, look at your whole-body health, and start connecting the dots.

And if you need help? I’ve been there. I get it. And I’m here to help you clear your acne in way less time than it took me.