Have you been dealing with breakouts for a while and do you feel uncertain of when you can expect it to go away? Acne is not only age specific but only depends on multiple other factors.
Acne may be caused by different reasons such as hormonal imbalance, inflammation, gut dysbiosis, overgrowth of bacteria or due to certain skincare products. The recovery time depends on the root cause. While balancing your hormones might take 6 months, changing your skincare routine can show results much quicker. I’ll personally recommend talking to a specialist to find the root cause and a treatment plan, if you suffer from severe acne. However, an anti-inflammatory diet, certain supplements, probiotics and changes in your skincare may help treat acne.
In order to address how long it’ll take to get rid of acne, we’ll also talk about signs of healing and natural ways of getting rid of acne.
Will Acne Go Away On Its Own?
Many people often have somehow throughout their lives been dealing with some degree of acne – or have had a pimple or two.
According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, acne is a common skin condition where inflammation occurs in the hair follicles beneath the skin.Â
Underneath the skin, sebaceous follicles are responsible for producing oils (sebum) that moisturize the skin. The sebaceous follicles are attached to follicular canals and sebaceous glands. If the pores get clogged with too much oil it increases the risk of inflammation – acne.
Acne may be related to our hormonal balance – especially androgens. Androgens have an important role in regulating sebum production and high levels of testosterone may cause increased risk of acne.
Fluctuations in women’s hormones such as estrogen and progesterone close to her period may also increase risk of acne. This is due to progesterone and estrogen drops – and testosterone may be more ‘dominating’, which makes the sebaceous glands produce more sebum.
If you have persistent acne that doesn’t seem to go away, you may wonder why?
This may be due to multiple factors such as hormonal imbalance, gut dysbiosis, inflammation, overgrowth of acne bacteria, a broken skin barrier or certain skincare products.Â
How Long Will Acne Take To Go Away?
If you suffer from acne and it doesn’t seem to go away on its own – looking at the root cause is the first step in treating acne.
Is it due to hormones? In our younger years our hormones are all over the place. This often leads to teenage acne. When hormones get balanced, acne will typically decrease as well.
However, both men and women can have hormonal imbalance as adults as well. Our hormones are fragile and may be affected by lifestyle, stress, poor diet etc. If hormones keep being out of balance, the pimples may keep popping up once in a while until your hormones get back in balance.
How Do I Know If My Hormones Are Imbalanced As A Female? – You may experience symptoms such as anxiety, fatigue, acne, mood swings and low mood, PMS, weakened immune system etc. But what causes hormonal imbalance in the first place?Â
Acne not only gets affected by hormones – but may also get affected by inflammation (that stems from a poor diet and lifestyle) and gut dysbiosis. If that’s the case, acne may clear up when you support your gut health and reduce inflammation.
If you’re getting pimples once in a while it may also be due to your skincare routine.
From my experience as a skin therapist, acne may happen due to:
- Clogged pores (and pore clogging products)
- Not cleansing your skin (or not doing it thoroughly enough)
- Lack of exfoliation (or over exfoliation)
- Using too harsh products on the skin (like acids)
- A broken skin barrier
If that’s the case, I’ll recommend you to focus on a simple skincare routine that suits your skin type.
This includes:
- Double cleaning morning and evening
- Calming toner
- Hydrating serum / retinol serum
- Barrier protective moisturizer
- Non-comedogenic SPF (in the morning)
- Exfoliate once a week
There’s no guarantee that skincare itself will decrease or get rid of acne – however, I believe what we put on our skin can make a huge difference for our skin.
If you feel like you’ve tried everything and want a professional opinion from someone who’s been through an acne journey myself – you can book a consultation here.Â
Signs That Acne Is Healing
If you’ve been wondering how long it’ll take for acne to go away and what’s the signs of acne is healing – here is what you can look out for:
- Reduction in blackheads and whiteheads
- Less nodulus (cystic acne)
- Less acne outbreaks
- Skin seems less oily or more balanced
- Fewer breakouts around your period
- Less breakouts due to certain foods
- Breakout are healing with less pigmentation
Note that the healing process looks different for everyone as everyone’s skin is different.
If you want to heal your acne naturally – let me go in depth with a few suggestions.
How Can I Clear My Acne Naturally?
Getting rid of acne naturally I personally recommend finding the root cause whether it’s hormonal imbalance, inflammation, gut dysbiosis, poor diet and stress or your skincare regimen.
Natural healing could be through eating an anti-inflammatory diet that lowers inflammation in the body. You may also wonder Which Vitamin Gets Rid Of Acne? – Vitamin A, B, D, E and zinc may help you decrease acne – but why you may wonder? This I’ve explained in detail in the guide above.
Supporting your gut health not only through an antiinflammatory diet but also through probiotics may help you get rid of acne.
If you’re suspecting hormonal imbalance, I recommend you talk to a specialist (you can book a consultation here) to test your hormones – not only for getting clear skin, but to optimize your hormones and wellbeing as well.
Some remedies in your skincare regimen could include:
- Tea tree oil
- Salicylic acid (oily skin)
- Azelic acid
- Retinol
- Vitamin C
- Cicalfate hydrating skin recovery
However, each skin is different and we all have different needs.
Final Thoughts
Many people deal with acne to some degree throughout their lives. The root cause may be due to hormonal imbalance, inflammation, gut dysbiosis, a broken skin barrier or certain products.
The root cause might be an indicator of why it’s been difficult to get rid of acne in the first place and with the right treatment, it can take anything from a week to a year.
I’ll always recommend talking to a specialist if you suffer from severe acne.
