Seeing a naturopath for acne? Why we start with blood testing, not a supplement plan.
Acne is rarely only a surface problem. You can be using the right actives, repairing the barrier properly and still be watching the same breakouts arrive month after month. When that happens, the question is not usually what else to put on the skin. It is what is going on underneath it.
This is one of the reasons Plump runs skin and naturopathy alongside each other, and why our naturopath, Alida, starts with baseline blood work rather than with a supplement plan.
A patient was working with one of our Dermal Clinicians on barrier repair, sebaceous activity, congestion, inflammation and PIE, with topicals and in-clinic treatment. That work was appropriate and it was being done well. What her clinician also noticed was a pattern the topicals alone were not going to resolve, so she referred her internally to our naturopath.
That referral is the part worth paying attention to. Recognising when skin needs more than skin is a clinical decision, not a sales one.
The first step was not a treatment plan. It was baseline blood testing, requested by Alida through private pathology, which is standard practice here whenever acne is the presenting concern.
Three findings came back together: low iron, low vitamin D and raised liver enzymes.
Individually, each of those is common. Together, in someone presenting with acne, they give a naturopath a very different starting point than a consultation alone would have. Here is what each one means, and, just as importantly, what it does not mean.
The physiology here is well established. Iron is an essential cofactor for prolyl hydroxylase and lysyl hydroxylase, the enzymes that hydroxylate proline and lysine during collagen synthesis. Without adequate iron, that step does not run properly, and collagen formation is part of how the skin repairs itself after inflammation.
That matters for anyone whose acne is leaving marks and scarring behind. It is worth being precise, though: low iron is not an established cause of acne. What it plausibly affects is how well skin recovers from it.
Sebocytes and keratinocytes carry vitamin D receptors, and vitamin D is involved in immune regulation and in the proliferation and differentiation of those cells. Multiple studies, including a meta-analysis, have found lower serum vitamin D in people with acne compared with controls, with an inverse relationship to severity.
We are careful with how we phrase this one. That research shows an association. It does not establish that low vitamin D causes acne, or that correcting it will clear it. The authors of that work say the same thing and call for further study. What it does support is testing for it rather than guessing.
The liver is the principal site where oestrogens are interconverted and conjugated for excretion into bile and urine, and it extracts and conjugates androgens as well. Hormonal drivers are central to acne, so how efficiently that clearance is running is a reasonable thing to look at.
One important point, and we would rather say it plainly than leave it out: raised liver enzymes are a medical finding, not a skin finding. They need review by a GP to determine the cause. Naturopathic care at Plump works alongside your doctor, never instead of them, and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis.
Testing changes the quality of the conversation. Without it, you are treating a presentation. With it, you are treating a picture: what is low, what is elevated, what is likely contributing and what can be monitored and retested later to see whether anything has actually shifted.
It also protects you from spending money on the wrong thing. A supplement regimen built on assumption is expensive guesswork. A plan built on baseline results has something to measure against.
This is the same logic the skin side of the clinic runs on. We assess with dermatoscopy using Wood's lamp and cross polarised light to read oil flow and sebaceous activity, vascularity and the true depth of pigmentation, because what the skin is doing under UV and polarised light is not always what it looks like under a treatment room lamp. Assess first, then treat. Internally and topically.
Wondering if your acne needs more than skin care?
Book a free 15 minute Clarity Express Consult with Alida, a short, no-obligation conversation to work out whether testing and naturopathy make sense for you. Ready to start? Book a one hour initial naturopathy consultation, where Alida takes your full health history and plans your testing.
Alida is Plump's naturopath and lymphatic specialist, with a particular interest in skin conditions such as acne, eczema and rosacea, approached from the root cause. She takes time to understand your health history, lifestyle, nutrition and the patterns that have brought you to where you are now, then builds a personalised plan with you. That may include nutrition and lifestyle guidance, supplement recommendations and referrals where appropriate, with follow-up sessions to track progress. Read more about naturopathy at Plump.
Your skin work continues with your Dermal Clinician. Where there are signs that something systemic is contributing, you can be referred internally to naturopathy, and the two run in parallel rather than one replacing the other.
Nothing here is a guaranteed outcome. Acne is multifactorial, results differ between individuals, and any plan depends on your own history, your results and your clinical suitability.
Not always, but where acne is persistent, inflammatory or not responding to well-executed topical care, baseline blood work gives us information that a consultation alone cannot.
Low iron is not recognised as a cause of acne. Iron is required for collagen synthesis, so it is relevant to how skin repairs after breakouts, particularly where marking or scarring is a concern.
Research has repeatedly found lower vitamin D levels in people with acne, and an inverse relationship with severity. That is an association rather than proven cause and effect, and supplementation is not a treatment for acne. Testing tells you whether it is worth addressing in your case.
No. They work together. Topical and in-clinic skin treatment continues while any internal contributors are investigated.
No. Naturopathic care at Plump is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. Findings such as raised liver enzymes should be reviewed by your doctor.
Start with a free Clarity Express Consult with Alida, our naturopath, or go straight to a one hour initial consultation. The free call is a low-commitment way to find out whether naturopathy and baseline testing suit your situation. If you are already seeing one of our Dermal Clinicians, they can also refer you internally.
If your acne is not responding the way you expect it to, start with an assessment rather than another product. Book a free clarity call with Alida to talk through testing and naturopathy, book an initial naturopathy consultation to get started, or book a skin consultation with our Dermal Clinicians. Both are at Plump, 525 Chapel Street South Yarra, or call or text us on 0478 844 048.
Plump Aesthetic Clinic acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we live and work, and pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
Plump is a safe and welcoming space for people of all cultures, bodies, abilities, genders and sexualities.
