Is Your Skin Trying to Tell You Something? The Deep-Rooted Causes of Acne & Skin Imbalances

Are you struggling with persistent acne, rosacea, eczema, or dry skin—despite trying every skincare product, cutting out dairy and sugar, or switching to clean beauty brands? If your skin concerns won’t go away, the issue likely runs deeper than just your skincare routine.

Your skin is a reflection of your internal health. Breakouts, redness, or inflammation often signal underlying imbalances like hormonal fluctuations, gut health issues, or chronic inflammation. Addressing the root causes is the key to achieving clear, healthy skin—not just temporary fixes.

In this guide, we’ll explore the real reasons behind persistent skin issues, how the gut-skin connection and hormone balance play a role, and how functional lab testing (like GI-MAP, DUTCH, HTMA, and Functional Blood Chemistry) can help identify the root cause of your skin concerns. Plus, we’ll share actionable steps to heal your skin from the inside out so you can finally get lasting results.

What’s Really Causing Your Skin Issues?

Most people focus on external solutions—skincare products, treatments, and trendy diets—but the truth is, real healing starts inside your body. 

If your skin isn’t improving, here are some possible reasons why:

1. Hormonal Imbalances & Acne

Hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and cortisol directly impact skin health. If they’re out of balance, you’ll see it on your skin:

• Androgens and Sebum Production: Elevated levels of androgens, such as testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), can increase sebum production. Excessive sebum can clog pores, creating an environment conducive to acne development.
• Hormonal Acne (Jawline & Chin Breakouts): High testosterone and DHT increase oil production, clogging pores.
• Dry, Flaky Skin & Dull Complexion: Estrogen contributes to maintaining skin hydration and elasticity. Reduced estrogen levels, which may occur during menopause or with a dysregulated cycle, can lead to dryness and a dull complexion.
• Rosacea & Persistent Redness: Chronic stress elevates cortisol levels, which can disrupt the skin's barrier function and exacerbate inflammatory skin conditions like rosacea.

Common causes of hormonal imbalances include poor hormone metabolism, chronic stress, gut dysfunction, blood sugar imbalances, nutrient deficiencies (zinc, magnesium, B vitamins, omega-3s), and post-birth control syndrome & synthetic hormones. If these aren’t addressed, even the best skincare routine won’t clear your skin.

Here are some ways to help support your hormones for clear skin:

✔️ Support estrogen metabolism with liver detox strategies - Since your liver is responsible for metabolizing excess hormones—especially estrogen—cruciferous veggies, and castor oil packs can make a noticeable difference in supporting your natural detoxification pathways. 

✔️ Increase progesterone naturally - Another key player is progesterone, aka the calming, skin-loving hormone that keeps androgens in check. But here’s the catch—chronic stress can tank progesterone levels. So, reducing stress and nourishing your adrenals (hello, magnesium, whole foods, and proper rest!) can help your body naturally boost progesterone production.

✔️ Balance androgens with insulin regulation - If excess testosterone and DHT are driving your breakouts, blood sugar balance is essential. That means pairing protein with carbs at every meal, avoiding processed seed oils, and being mindful of insulin spikes—because blood sugar roller coasters can wreak havoc on your skin.

✔️ Functional Testing: DUTCH Hormone Test reveals the full picture of your hormonal health. If you're tired of guessing what’s going on with your hormones, functional lab testing is the way to go. The DUTCH Hormone Test gives a full breakdown of your hormone levels, metabolism, and stress response, so you can target the real root cause of your skin issues—instead of just treating symptoms.

2. The Gut-Skin Connection: Why Gut Health Matters

If you’ve ever noticed your skin breaking out after a heavy, greasy meal, or worsening when your digestion is off, you’ve experienced the gut-skin connection firsthand. Our gut and skin are deeply interconnected, and disruptions in the digestive system can trigger inflammation, breakouts, rosacea, and even eczema.

This relationship is known as the gut-skin axis, a communication network between your digestive system and skin. The gut plays a crucial role in absorbing skin-supportive nutrients, eliminating toxins, regulating the immune system, and maintaining a healthy microbiome—all essential for clear, glowing skin. If the gut is inflamed or unbalanced, the effects often show up on your face.

How Gut Imbalances Contribute to Acne & Skin Issues

• Leaky Gut: Your intestinal lining acts like a protective barrier, allowing nutrients to be absorbed while keeping harmful substances out. When this barrier is damaged or weakened (a condition called leaky gut), toxins, bacteria, and undigested food particles leak into the bloodstream, triggering inflammation and immune responses—both major contributors to acne, eczema, and rosacea.
• Poor Nutrient Absorption: Your gut is responsible for absorbing skin-essential nutrients like:

✔️ Zinc – Helps control inflammation, regulates oil production, and speeds up skin healing.
✔️ Vitamin A – Supports skin cell turnover and reduces acne.
✔️ Omega-3 Fatty Acids – Essential for reducing redness, irritation, and inflammation.

If your gut isn’t functioning properly, you won’t absorb these nutrients effectively, which can slow down skin healing and worsen breakouts.

• Gut Dysbiosis: Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria that influence digestion, immunity, and inflammation. When there’s an imbalance between good and bad bacteria (gut dysbiosis), the immune system goes into overdrive, which can lead to acne, rosacea, and increased skin sensitivity.
• Histamine Overload: Histamine is a chemical involved in immune responses, digestion, and brain function. However, if your gut isn’t breaking down histamine properly, excess levels can cause skin flushing, redness, rosacea, and itchiness.

Signs Your Gut Health is Affecting Your Skin

✔️ Persistent breakouts, rosacea, or eczema that don’t improve with skincare
✔️ Frequent bloating, gas, or constipation
✔️ Food sensitivities or unexplained rashes
✔️ Worsening skin inflammation after eating certain foods
✔️ Skin reacts to stress, sugar, or inflammatory foods

How to Improve Gut Health & Clear Your Skin:

✔️ Balance gut bacteria with probiotics & fermented foods
– Beneficial bacteria help reduce inflammation and strengthen the gut barrier. However, if you have SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), probiotics can worsen symptoms, so testing is key.

✔️ Heal leaky gut with collagen, L-glutamine, & bone broth
– These help repair and restore the gut lining, reducing inflammation that contributes to acne and other skin issues.

✔️ Identify & eliminate food sensitivities
– Common triggers include gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, and processed foods. These can cause low-grade inflammation in the gut, leading to acne and redness.

✔️ Functional Testing: GI-MAP Test
– This advanced stool test analyzes your gut bacteria, and checks for infections, parasites, leaky gut markers, and digestive function—helping you find the root cause of your gut-related skin issues.

If you've tried changing your skincare routine, eliminating dairy and sugar, or following an anti-inflammatory diet, but your breakouts persist, it might be time to look at your gut health. Healing from the inside out is the most powerful way to achieve long-term, clear skin!

3. Detox & Liver Health: Clearing Toxins for Clearer Skin

Your liver is your body’s ultimate detox organ, responsible for breaking down hormones, toxins, and inflammatory byproducts so they can be safely eliminated. When the liver is overloaded or sluggish, these waste products can recirculate in the body—sometimes pushing out through the skin, which can lead to breakouts, congestion, dullness, and irritation.

If you struggle with hormonal acne, especially around the jawline and chin, or notice your skin looks inflamed and sluggish, your liver might need extra support.

• Hormonal Acne & Liver Detox Health: Your liver is responsible for breaking down excess estrogen and clearing it from the body. But if your detox pathways are sluggish, estrogen can build up and recirculate, leading to hormonal acne—especially around the jawline, chin, and lower cheeks.
• Toxin Buildup & Skin Inflammation: The liver filters out environmental toxins from pollution, processed foods, alcohol, and synthetic chemicals. If it's overburdened, these toxins can trigger chronic inflammation, clogged pores, and skin irritation.
• Blood Sugar & Liver Connection: The liver also helps regulate blood sugar levels, which is crucial for balancing androgens like testosterone and DHT (both of which are acne triggers). When liver function is compromised, blood sugar imbalances can spike oil production, contributing to breakouts and excessive sebum.

Signs of Liver Dysfunction Affecting Your Skin

✔️ Hormonal acne (jawline, chin, cheeks)
✔️ Dull, congested, or inflamed skin
✔️ Increased sensitivity, redness, or rosacea
✔️ Strong reactions to alcohol, perfumes, or chemical exposures
✔️ Chronic fatigue or brain fog
✔️ PMS symptoms or irregular periods

How to Support Your Liver for Clearer Skin

✔️ Support Phase 1 Detox (Liver Filtration) with Antioxidants
– Nutrients like B vitamins, vitamin C, and glutathione help break down toxins.
– Eat berries, citrus fruits, and dark leafy greens to boost antioxidant levels.

✔️ Support Phase 2 Detox (Hormone & Toxin Elimination)
– Once toxins are broken down, they must be neutralized and eliminated.
– Include cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts), sulfur-rich foods (garlic, onions), and amino acids (eggs, bone broth, grass-fed meat).

✔️ Improve Bile Flow for Efficient Detox
– Bile helps flush out toxins and excess hormones.
– Support bile production with beets, dandelion root tea, bitter greens, and digestive enzymes.

✔️ Avoid Liver Overload
– Limit processed foods, alcohol, caffeine, and synthetic beauty products.
– Reduce exposure to endocrine disruptors (plastics, conventional cleaning products, fragrances).

✔️ Functional Testing: Comprehensive Blood Chemistry Panel
– This test assesses liver enzyme levels, bile flow, and detox efficiency, providing deeper insights into how well your liver is functioning.

Studies show that supporting liver function through proper nutrition and detox strategies can reduce acne and skin inflammation. Supporting liver function through proper nutrition and detox strategies tailored to your needs can help clear your skin naturally.

4. Nutrient Deficiencies & Skin Problems

Even if you're eating a healthy diet, your skin may not be getting the key nutrients it needs to heal and thrive—especially if your gut isn’t absorbing them properly.

Many essential skin-supporting nutrients come from our diet, but poor digestion, chronic inflammation, and stress can lead to deficiencies that worsen breakouts, redness, and irritation.

Why Nutrient Deficiencies Trigger Skin Issues

• Zinc Deficiency & Acne:
  Zinc is one of the most critical minerals for clear skin. It:
  ✔️ Regulates oil production and helps prevent clogged pores.
  ✔️ Supports wound healing to reduce acne scars.
  ✔️ Has anti-inflammatory effects to calm breakouts.

Low zinc levels are common in people with gut issues, stress, or high sugar intake, and deficiencies can make acne, eczema, and rosacea worse.

• Vitamin A & Skin Cell Turnover
  Vitamin A is essential for skin renewal and repair. It:
  ✔️ Regulates sebum production to prevent breakouts.
  ✔️ Speeds up skin healing and reduces acne scars.
  ✔️ Plays a role in hormone balance, particularly for those with hormonal acne.

However, synthetic vitamin A (like Accutane) can have harsh side effects. Instead, focus on natural sources like grass-fed liver, egg yolks, and wild-caught fish.

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids & Inflammation
  Omega-3s are powerful anti-inflammatories that help:
  ✔️ Reduce redness, irritation, and inflammatory acne.
  ✔️ Improve skin barrier function, preventing dryness and sensitivity.
  ✔️ Balance hormones and support liver detoxification.

A diet high in processed seed oils (like canola, soybean, and vegetable oils) can disrupt omega-3 balance, leading to increased inflammation and breakouts.

• Magnesium, B Vitamins & Blood Sugar Balance
  Magnesium and B vitamins help:
  ✔️ Regulate blood sugar levels, reducing androgen-driven acne.
  ✔️ Support stress resilience (which protects against cortisol-induced breakouts).
  ✔️ Enhance liver detox pathways to clear excess hormones.

If you have hormonal acne, insulin resistance, or chronic stress, focusing on these nutrients can dramatically improve skin clarity.

How to Replenish Skin-Supportive Nutrients

✔️ Increase Zinc Intake
– Best sources: Oysters, grass-fed beef, pumpkin seeds, eggs
– Supplements: Zinc picolinate or zinc glycinate (but avoid long-term high doses without testing).

✔️ Boost Vitamin A Levels
– Best sources: Grass-fed liver, egg yolks, wild-caught salmon, grass-fed butter
– Avoid synthetic retinol creams, which can over-dry and irritate the skin.

✔️ Balance Omega-3 to Omega-6 Ratio
– Best sources: Wild-caught fatty fish (salmon, sardines), pastured eggs, flaxseeds
– Avoid processed seed oils (canola, soybean, sunflower, vegetable oils), which drive inflammation.

✔️ Support Magnesium & B Vitamins
– Best sources: Dark leafy greens, avocado, nuts, bananas
– Consider supplementing magnesium glycinate or malate if under high stress.

✔️ Functional Testing: HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis)
– This test analyzes mineral levels and imbalances, revealing which nutrients your body is lacking for optimal skin health.

Why Skincare Alone Isn’t Enough

If you’ve tried cutting out dairy and gluten, investing in expensive skincare products, or following an anti-inflammatory diet, but your skin is still breaking out, you're not alone. Many people assume that acne and skin conditions are only surface-level problems, but the truth is, your skin is a reflection of what’s happening inside your body.

While using the right skincare can help support the skin barrier, reduce inflammation, and prevent excessive dryness or irritation, it won’t fix deeper imbalances driving acne, rosacea, eczema, melasma, or persistent redness.

The real reason topical treatments and elimination diets don’t always work long-term is that they fail to address the internal root causes of skin conditions—things like hormonal imbalances, gut dysbiosis, sluggish liver detox, and nutrient deficiencies. Without correcting these underlying dysfunctions, even the most "clean" or high-end skincare routine won’t be enough to heal your skin for good.

Functional Lab Testing: Getting to the Root of Your Skin Issues

Rather than guessing what might be triggering your breakouts, functional lab testing provides real data on what’s actually happening inside your body. These advanced tests help uncover the root cause of acne and skin inflammation, so you can stop playing trial-and-error and start seeing progress. 

Here’s how functional testing can help pinpoint the underlying causes of your skin issues:

• GI-MAP Test (Gut Microbiome Analysis & Pathogens)
  ✔️ Identifies gut dysbiosis, leaky gut, parasites, bacterial overgrowth, and inflammatory markers that may be contributing to acne and skin inflammation.
  ✔️ Reveals if bad bacteria or candida overgrowth is fueling breakouts or causing histamine-related skin flare-ups (redness, rosacea).
• DUTCH Test (Hormonal & Cortisol Testing)
  ✔️ Measures estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHT, and cortisol balance—helping determine if acne is being driven by androgens (high testosterone/DHT), estrogen dominance, or adrenal dysfunction.
  ✔️ Identifies poor estrogen metabolism, which is a common cause of hormonal acne on the jawline, chin, and cheeks.
• HTMA Test (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis)
  ✔️ Looks at levels of zinc, copper, magnesium, and heavy metals—all of which influence skin health, hormone function, and inflammation.
  ✔️ Can reveal mineral imbalances that affect detoxification, blood sugar regulation, and stress resilience—three major acne triggers.
• Functional Blood Chemistry Panel
  ✔️ Assesses blood sugar balance, liver function, inflammation markers, and thyroid health, which all play a major role in hormonal balance and clear skin.
  ✔️ Reveals if blood sugar spikes are fueling excess oil production and acne, or if thyroid dysfunction is slowing down skin renewal and healing.

By using functional lab testing, you can stop wasting time on ineffective solutions and finally get clear, science-backed answers about what’s causing your skin issues—so you can create a targeted, effective healing plan.

How to Heal Your Skin From the Inside Out

Instead of relying on temporary solutions like topical treatments or trendy elimination diets, long-term skin healing comes from correcting the root cause of imbalances inside your body.

Here’s how you can support your skin from within:

✔️ Support Gut Health
– Take probiotics & digestive enzymes to restore microbiome balance and improve nutrient absorption.
– Heal leaky gut with collagen, L-glutamine, bone broth, and gut-healing foods.
– Identify & remove food sensitivities (gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, processed foods) that may be triggering inflammation & acne flare-ups.

✔️ Balance Hormones Naturally
– Regulate blood sugar levels by eating protein + healthy carbs together and avoiding refined sugars & seed oils.
– Support estrogen metabolism with cruciferous veggies and liver detoxification.
– Reduce cortisol (stress hormone) through mindfulness, better sleep, and adrenal support.

✔️ Optimize Liver Detox Pathways
– Eat liver-supporting foods like beets, dandelion root, bitter greens, and sulfur-rich foods (garlic, onions, eggs) to help the liver metabolize excess hormones & toxins.
– Support bile flow (which helps clear toxins & waste) with digestive bitters and choline-rich foods (eggs, liver, sunflower lecithin).
– Avoid toxins & endocrine disruptors from plastic, synthetic beauty products, and processed foods.

✔️ Replenish Skin-Supporting Nutrients
– Get enough zinc, vitamin A, omega-3s, magnesium, and B vitamins—which all help regulate oil production, calm inflammation, and promote skin healing.
– Prioritize nutrient-dense foods like grass-fed liver, wild-caught salmon, pasture-raised eggs, and dark leafy greens.
– Use HTMA testing to check for nutrient deficiencies & mineral imbalances.

✔️ Functional Testing for Precision Healing
– Instead of guessing which supplements or diets will work, use GI-MAP, DUTCH, HTMA, and Functional Blood Chemistry tests to get a personalized, data-driven approach to healing.

Ready for Clear, Radiant Skin?

If you’re tired of temporary fixes and are ready to heal your skin from the inside out, my Balanced Blueprint Program can help. We’ll uncover the root cause of your skin issues and create a personalized plan that helps you finally get results.

You don’t have to struggle with breakouts, redness, or irritation forever. With the right support, clear, healthy skin is possible. Click HERE to get started!

Resources:

Hanna Sillitoe – Dr. Gemma Newman Discusses Acne
https://www.hannasillitoe.com/blogs/news/dr-gemma-newman-discusses-acne

Hanna Sillitoe – Dr. Gemma Newman Discusses Eczema
https://www.hannasillitoe.com/blogs/news/dr-gemma-newman-discusses-eczema

Rupa Health – The Gut-Based Approach to Healing Acne
https://www.rupahealth.com/post/the-gut-based-approach-to-healing-your-acne

Healthline – The Gut-Skin Axis and Its Role in Eczema
https://www.healthline.com/health/eczema/how-does-the-gut-skin-axis-affect-eczema

Carolina Functional Nutrition – The Gut-Skin Connection
https://www.carolinafunctionalnutrition.com/blog/the-gut-skin-connection-unraveling-the-root-causes-of-skin-issues

DUTCH Test – Treating the Root Cause of Acne
https://dutchtest.com/video/treating-the-root-cause-of-acne