The human body is ancient. While our lifestyles have dramatically changed, aside from some evolution (like the shape of our jaws), the human body is still made exactly the same as it always was. We are hard-wired for survival. Every single action that the body takes is made with the purpose of keeping us alive and in homeostasis.

Contrary to what the conventional, natropathic and holistic industries will tell you, acne, according to the biological laws of nature, is caused by an attack conflict or a soiled conflict. So, this could mean:

• unwanted words being thrown at you in an argument
• feeling “stabbed in the back”, worrying that someone is talking behind your back, or being guilty of gossiping behind someone else’s back (back acne)
• a physical attack, like over-cleansing, scrubbing, or picking your skin (vicious cycle)
• an emotional attack on oneself through self criticism
• thinking that your skin is dirty (something repulsive splashed on your skin, or you think the acne bacteria is “bad” and therefore, need to clean it away)

When we experience a perceived “attack”, our psyche perceives it as a threat, sends a message to the brain, which sends a message to the skin to start proliferating (growing) extra skins cell. This happens to create extra “protection” or “cushioning”, so that biologically, your body feels better equipped to handle the conflict.

This is how acne begins. At this point, you’ll feel a little bump under the skin, and will think, “Oh no! I’m getting a pimple”. It’s vital that you leave it alone at this point, because if you disrupt this process by “attacking it” through squeezing, scrubbing and picking, you’ll end up with more pimples because of how this biological program works.

Once you resolve the conflict, the body sends bacteria to the proliferated cells to eat away at them and break the cells down. This is when we see inflammation and pus. At this point, your body is already healing the breakout. It’s getting rid of the built up cells that are no longer needed for your “protection”. This is the exact reason why we don’t want to kill the bacteria, like dermatologists and many skin care lines will come in and do. The bacteria is there to assist the healing, it’s NOT the cause of the breakout.

To heal acne, we need to look at where we are being “attacked” in our lives and resolve the issue. Most of the time, it’s an attack one self through low self esteem and self criticism. This is especially common during puberty, when kids bodies are changing rapidly and they’re trying to figure out where they fit into this world. Their obsession with appearance results in self criticism, unknowingly creating a biological program within the body. Learning to love and accept yourself exactly as you are is the most important first step in healing acne.

When you begin to deeply understand that acne is a biological program, and that it is highly connected to your emotional experiences, you can begin to appreciate your body for taking optimal care of you, and have more success in healing your acne in the long-term.