If you’ve never struggled with acne, you have no idea how debilitating it can be. It can consume your entire life.

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As a teenager, there were times when my life felt completely wrecked due to acne.

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Sure, there’s physical discomfort, but that’s nothing compared to insecurities in social situations that acne can bring…especially as a teenager.

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Acne followed me into my adult life too.

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I beat anxiety.

Still had acne.

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Got in the best shape of my life.

Still had acne.

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But that’s not the story today. The before/after picture of my back tells the tale well.

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WHAT YOUR SKIN IS TRYING TO TELL YOU

Most people don’t think of it this way, but your skin is your body’s largest organ. It’s exposed to the elements.

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You can be relatively “healthy” and still have acne…because some of your other “systems” are off.

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You see, our skin health is just a reflection of our gut health. If our gut isn’t functioning optimally, then your skin will reflect this. Usually in the form of acne breakouts. And just an overall less than desired skin complexion.

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It doesn’t have to stay this way though!!

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HOW I CURED ACNE (AND YOU CAN TOO)

Growing up I didn’t have access to the knowledge that I do today. Nor did my parents.

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Like most Americans, this led me to western medicine.. Specifically the dermatologist. I spent many years working with the dermatologist growing up.

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They prescribed me everything under the sun in order to try and mitigate my acne. Oral medications.. That ironically enough led to even more gut issues. As most oral medications do. They prescribed topical treatments.. That unfortunately just led to incredibly dry skin. My face looked like a cherry. Leading to even more insecurities.

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Never once did they ask me about my food intake. Which was strictly junk food & soda.. Nor did they ask me how much water I was drinking per day. Which was suboptimal..

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I don’t blame my parents for not knowing any better. Nor do I blame the dermatologists. They’re just doing what they were taught to do in school.

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I’m grateful for the journey I've been on with my skin health. It’s now led me to being able to help so many other people on their journey to healthy skin.

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Here’s the great news.. As I'm writing this article right now, my skin is flourishing. It has never been healthier or more radiant. It’s completely clear of blemishes. Plus it feels so soft & smooth!!

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Below I'm gonna give you a quick breakdown on how you can optimize your skin health. Even if you aren’t really dealing with a ton of acne.. This information can still apply to you. There are levels to skin health and we can always improve!

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I’m gonna begin by discussing some things that I would highly encourage you to minimize or cut out of your life completely. Then I'll move into some things that you can add into your life to help optimize your skin.

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Things to Avoid

1. Processed seed oils

These are vegetable oils obtained from the seed of some plant, rather than the fruit. Most vegetable oils are seed oils

Examples include; sunflower oil, corn oil, sesame oil, canola oil & more

• These are found in almost every processed food today. Especially junk food.. But even “healthy” food. Always be sure to look at the ingredient list before consuming

These oils wreak havoc on our bodies. Causing inflammation to rise. Destroying our gut health. Which leads to poor skin health

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2. Alcohol consumption

As we all know, alcohol is hard on the body.. Especially in high quantities. Avoiding alcohol will improve every aspect of your life. Including your skin.

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3. Lack of sleep

Sleep is arguably the most important thing we do as humans. Poor sleep habits will inevitably lead to a decrease in quality of life. Negatively affecting every aspect of your life. Similar to alcohol. It leads to a lack of recovery. Our bodies need quality sleep every night in order to repair at a cellular level. If it doesn't get that then we will see that in our minds & bodies. Leading to not only suboptimal skin health.. But much more

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4. Chronic Stress

Being chronically stressed out is one of the worst things we can do for our health.. It will not only lead to breakouts on our skin, but eventually it leads to disease. Specifically heart disease for most, but certainly not limited to that.

• Learning to manage our stress levels will change our entire lives for the better

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Productive Habits for Optimal Skin Health

1. Whole food based lifestyle

We’re what we eat.. Humans are designed to eat whole food. I believe in a heavily animal based nutrition approach. Eating high quality animal products. Meat, butter etc. In addition to fruits & vegetables

• Getting plenty of protein in every day.. Nearly every cellular process in our body relies on protein to do its job effectively. If you don’t provide it with enough protein you will see suboptimal results in the way you look & feel

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2. Bone Broth

If you follow me on Twitter then you knew this one was coming!! Bone Broth played a key role in the transformation of my skin. This is a true superfood!!

• Bone Broth is rich in collagen protein. The lining of our gut is made of collagen protein & therefore LOVES bone broth! It has a healing effect on our gut. Leading to healthier skin!!
• I drink it every single day. Sometimes 2-3x per day. I make it at home. It’s such a simple process!
• Here’s a link to a FREE ebook that I have on bone broth. It will teach you everything you could ever want to know about it. How to make it at home. How to buy it in the store.

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3. Organs

Another superfood that I tell everyone about!! Seems crazy at first.. But think about it. Our ancient ancestors weren’t leaving the organs behind when they killed an animal. It was actually quite the opposite.. They would prioritize the organs!! In wolf packs.. When they get a kill the alpha of the pack consumes the heart & liver first. While the rest of the pack waits. They then get the rest of the animal.. The muscle meat

• Organ meat is about 100x more nutrient dense than muscle meat. Containing all of the essential vitamins that our bodies need. Something I've been doing recently that makes it super easy to consume the organs is to take a supplement! It’s the same quality as eating the actual organ.. It’s just freeze dried & dehydrated into a capsule form.
• Here’s the company that I use Heartandsoil
• They actually have a product specifically for skin health as well

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4. Pro/Prebiotic

You’ve probably heard about probiotics & prebiotics before.. It’s been a hot trend over the last 5 years or so. They’re essentially just food for your gut! Our guts are full of bacteria. We have “healthy bacteria” and “bad bacteria” in our gut. Junk food, seed oils etc feed the bad bacteria. Whereas a pro/prebiotic can help feed the good bacteria!

• There are a lot of junk products in this space.. I use a brand called Seed. They’re absolutely incredible!! This goes really well with the Bone Broth if you wanna take your skin to new levels

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5. Consistent sun exposure

The sun is what helps nearly everything on this earth grow & maintain health! It’s become demonized in modern times.. There’s no need to fear the sun!! It’s medicine. It’s the life force.

• I highly encourage getting as much sun exposure as you can daily. With your shirt off. Depending on the pigmentation of your skin (how dark it is) you may need to be a little more cautious than others with how much sun you get. You don’t wanna go 0 - 100 and start sitting outside for hours if you haven't built up the tan. You wanna start slow & build over time. Just like anything else, you will build up your conditioning & your skin won’t get burnt once the foundation is built

IF you live somewhere where the sun only shines a few months per year.. I’ve got another solution for you. Have you ever heard of a “red light” before?

• Red and near-infrared light are part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and more specifically, part of the spectrum of light emitted by the sun. These wavelengths of light are “bioactive” in humans.
• To make a complicated topic simple.. It can act as the sun if you don’t have access to the sun. You stand in front of it for 10-20 min in the morning & before bed. Around sunrise & sunset. Not only can it help improve your sleep, recovery etc.. It also can really help improve the quality of your skin health!! It certainly did for me
• Here’s a link to the brand I use MitoRed

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6. Cold exposure

You know I have to sneak in something about ice baths & cold showers..

• Cold exposure leads to increased blood flow to the skin. Helping flush out toxins from the skin & keep it looking fresh. Plus it makes your skin incredibly soft!!
• If you have access to an ice bath, get in.. 3-4x per week. If you don’t, then a cold shower can suffice!! I would recommend getting at least 30-60 seconds of cold blast on in the shower each day!

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7. Sauna

The sauna played a key role in the transformation of my skin. Specifically a near infrared sauna. Any sauna you have access to will help keep your skin healthy. But a near infrared sauna heats your body differently than a traditional sauna. It heats your body from the inside out. Instead of just heating the air around you as a traditional sauna would do.

• A great brand for this would be Vital Health Saunas

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8. Breathwork Practice

Lastly, I wanna chat about how a daily breath work practice can actually help you heal your skin!

• Remember how I mentioned earlier that stress is a culprit of skin issues? Well, breath work can help negate stress! Especially when done consistently. It certainly has helped me.
• The idea of breath work can be very intimidating.. I know it used to be for me. Well, here’s the solution. There’s a great app called The Wim Hof Method. It makes it super easy to stay on track with your breath work. It’s all guided!!

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9. Drinking Lemon Water!!

• Vitamin C found in lemons may help reduce skin wrinkling, dry skin from aging, and damage from the sun. Plus it tastes GREAT!!! It allows me to drink more water throughout the day because of how great it tastes
• Pick up a $10 lemon squeezer on Amazon

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There you have it! A comprehensive game plan to take your skin to the next level.

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Consistency is going to be the most important factor here when it comes to you seeing real life results. You’ve gotta stay consistent. Over many months. If you do, you will without a doubt see a drastic improvement in the way your skin looks & feels.

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Wishing you all healthy skin & a happy life!

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Much love.

Jay