I’ve had acne on and off since the age of 14. Now 30, it’s fair to say I’ve tried my fair share of both ‘natural/holistic’ and ‘traditional/pharmaceutical’ approaches to treatment.
Neither has been a long-term solution for me, and more often than not, my routine has been a mix of the two. Over time, I’ve come to accept my acne as more of a chronic condition – something that I’ll have to deal with to some extent. With that in mind, my routine will likely always involve a blend of both worlds.
This article was inspired by the black-and-white thinking I’ve noticed around acne treatment, especially on platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
On one side, you’ve got Camp A: nutritionists and lifestyle coaches who insist that medications like Accutane or Spironolactone are just ‘band-aid fixes’.
They argue that you’ll never truly be free of acne until you discover the elusive ‘root cause’. Sometimes, they take it a step further with guilt-tripping, warning that these meds will ruin your health – ignoring the fact that, for many people, they’re a last resort after years of struggle.
Then there’s Camp B: dermatologists and doctors who dismiss any connection between acne and your diet or lifestyle. They’ll often throw antibiotics at you at the first opportunity. If your acne is severe, their advice is often clear-cut: get on Accutane ASAP, or risk permanent scarring.
I should point out that this isn’t always the case, and I’m not suggesting that all nutritionists, dermatologists or doctors hold such black-and-white views. But this type of messaging is really common, and it’s left many of us feeling caught in the middle or even guilty about the approach we choose.
Here’s why I’m not okay with the guilt-tripping involved with taking acne meds, along with my experience of ‘natural’ vs ‘traditional’ treatments.
Everything I’ve tried: Natural vs pharmaceutical acne treatments
Honestly, I’ve tried a big mix of both in a bid to find something that finally works for me – and spent a ridiculous amount of money in the process.
This is going to be a long section, so click here to skip to why I’m not okay with people being so vocally anti-either-side on social media.
The early days: Antibiotics & every pill known to man
When I first started getting acne as a clueless teen, my GP put me on antibiotics – lymecycline, I think, though I’ve tried several over the years – and topical treatments like benzoyl peroxide. They told me it had nothing to do with diet and that I’d just have to keep trying treatments until I found something that worked.
A couple of years later, I was in my first relationship and got on the pill. After returning to the doctor with worsening acne, I was cycled through so many contraceptives I’ve lost count. Some I remember: Cilest, Yasmin, Dianette, and Gedarel.
The only treatment that worked was Dianette, a contraceptive pill prescribed specifically for acne. However, it’s banned in some countries due to links with mental health issues. While Dianette completely cleared my skin, it made me so depressed and, tbh, changed my personality.
During my first couple of years at uni, I was chaotic, sad and paranoid, but the second I stopped taking Dianette, I felt like myself again. The downside? My acne came back worse than ever. I eventually got back on the pill – this time Gedarel – and my skin improved, but was still worse than anyone else I knew. At that point, I sort of accepted being the spotty girl.
Early twenties: Post-pill acne & spironolactone
After uni, I moved to Vietnam with my boyfriend for a year and decided to come off the pill again, as I felt it was affecting my mental health. Huge mistake. My face erupted with the worst cystic acne I’d ever had. I barely left our flat for weeks.
Desperate to fix it, I became obsessed with diet and ‘natural’ treatments. I cut out dairy, gluten and sugar all at once, surviving on fresh veggies, fruit, chicken (I wasn’t veggie at this point) and anything unprocessed. I drank litres of turmeric water (literally turmeric powder mixed into water – as disgusting as it sounds) daily.
A couple of months in, it hadn’t helped. My sister told me the stress of being so strict with my diet might be making my skin worse, and she was probably right. But I was determined to prove – to myself and everyone else – that my acne wasn’t because I was unhealthy.
Eventually, I went to a hospital in Vietnam and was prescribed spironolactone. The doctor suspected PCOS or hormone-driven acne. It worked fast and saved me from severe scarring, though I do have some pitted scars on my cheeks from that flare-up.
Mid-twenties: Accutane round 1 & tretinoin as maintenance
Back in the UK, I asked my GP if I could stay on spironolactone, showing photos of my skin pre-treatment. They agreed but referred me to a dermatologist to switch to Accutane as a more long-term solution.
I transitioned from spironolactone to Accutane with no purging and cleared up completely. For two years post-Accutane, my skin was better than it had been since I was 14. Those years were great – I actually felt confident about how I looked. And, side note, I got a cute dog called Buddy and a nephew called Henri, which both instantly made my life 10x better.
After finishing the course, I moved to maintenance treatments like Treclin and then Tretinoin.
Late twenties: Relapse & a switch to the ‘natural’ side
You know what comes next: I relapsed. My acne gradually worsened, always peaking during ovulation and before my period. Despite using Tretinoin religiously and sticking to a whole-foods-based diet, my skin just wouldn’t clear up.
I was sick of going to doctors and being handed more meds, so I decided to find the coveted ‘root cause’. I spent £1,400 on a DUTCH hormone test, bloodwork for nutritional deficiencies and thyroid problems, and consultations with a nutritionist.
The tests revealed low estrogen, possible gluten intolerance and low iron (something I’ve had for years, since way before going vegan). I was actually happy that we found something wrong, as I hoped addressing these issues would help.
I went gluten-free, started supplements for my estrogen imbalance (about £50 per month), and followed a diet of mostly whole foods with minimal carbs. My acne didn’t fully clear, but it improved enough for me to feel relieved and happy to be off medication.
The start of a new decade: Another relapse & acne burnout
By 2024, I was 30 and convinced I’d found a ‘natural cure’. I thought this would be my best decade yet – acne-free and able to focus on other things like friendships (which I’ve always felt have suffered due to my mental health) and my career (same again).
Then, my acne came back, a month after my birthday. It wasn’t severe, but it hit me harder than ever. I’d spent so much money and thought this was behind me. I spiralled into depression and was eventually diagnosed with BDD (read about that here).
I couldn’t fight it naturally anymore. I was already following a strict plan, spending a fortune on supplements and feeling guilty whenever I ate something processed. Let’s be real: treating acne holistically requires money, and I couldn’t keep up.
Now: Accutane & an anti-acne lifestyle combined
In the end, I started a second round of Accutane, despite vowing I’d never go near it again after reading so much hate and scaremongering about it online. Within months, my skin cleared, and combined with Sertraline, it pulled me out of depression. Honestly, these medications saved me, even if they’re controversial.
Currently, I’m still on Accutane and may stay on a low-maintenance dose forever – unless I want to get pregnant – to keep my skin clear.
But I’m not relying on meds alone. My lifestyle is entirely focused on preventing flare-ups:
- I eat majority gluten-free
- I eat a 90% whole-foods, high-protein, high-fibre diet and avoid ‘naked’ carbs to balance blood sugar.
- I take supplements tailored to my bloodwork (spendy)
- I prioritise gut health with Symprove (again, spend) and fermented foods
- I exercise
- I stick to a non-comedogenic, fungal-acne-safe skincare routine and prioritise my skin barrier
- I use an LED light, change pillowcases nightly and never use a towel on my face more than once
But it’s worth noting I was doing all this pre-accutane, and it didn’t work.
Obsessive? Yes. But in my experience, that’s another issue with pressuring people to take a solely ‘natural’ approach, and I’ll dive into that next.
Why taking sides on traditional vs holistic treatments doesn’t help
Hopefully, sharing everything I’ve tried will help explain why I hate the shaming culture around acne treatments. As you can see, I’ve desperately tried both traditional and holistic approaches, and neither has worked for me long-term.
1. Acne is hard – and shaming someone only makes it harder
Acne is already a tough condition to live with. To those who haven’t experienced it (or seen someone close to them struggle), it’s often reduced to stereotypes about poor hygiene or unhealthy habits. For years, I worried people thought I didn’t wash or take care of myself, even though I did.
On top of that, acne is often dismissed as ‘just’ a cosmetic issue. But we live in a society obsessed with appearances, so having something deemed ‘ugly’ so visible on your face every day is hard. It may not be life threatening, but the stats don’t lie: people with acne are at a significantly higher risk of depression and taking their own life.
So, here’s the point: shaming someone already in such a vulnerable place for their choice of treatment – especially when you don’t know what they’ve been through or already tried – is not helpful. And if you’re shaming them to sell your own service or protocol, even worse.
2. Holistic acne treatment requires money
Treating acne holistically often isn’t accessible to everyone. In the UK, it’s nearly impossible to access testing for things like hormonal imbalances under the NHS if acne is your main symptom. I’m lucky to have been able to afford private tests and the necessary supplements that followed, but it’s not sustainable, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep it up once I have a family to provide for.
For many people, it’s entirely out of reach financially. So, is it fair to shame someone for taking Accutane or another medication if they can’t afford to explore the elusive ‘root cause’? No. Sure, improving your diet and lifestyle can be helpful, but for those with chronic acne, it’s often not enough. It certainly wasn’t for me.
3. It’s perfectly okay to want a ‘band-aid fix’
Some of those offering holistic treatments seem to throw around the term ‘band-aid fix’ to criticise medications like antibiotics, the pill and Accutane. They argue these options only treat the symptoms and not the underlying cause, meaning the acne will return.
I don’t entirely disagree. Antibiotics and the pill didn’t work long-term for me, and my acne often came back worse. That said, Accutane does provide a more permanent solution for many people, even if it’s not always a cure-all.
But here’s the thing: what’s actually wrong with wanting a band-aid fix? Why is it anyone else’s place to tell someone it’s the wrong choice? For those dealing with severe, scarring acne – or who’ve already exhausted every ‘root cause’ avenue – medication can be a lifeline.
When I burned out from chasing natural solutions, I turned to medication, knowing it might not be a forever fix but would give me much-needed relief. And that’s okay.
4. Diet & lifestyle does matter in treating acne
To be clear, I’m not taking sides here. This whole piece is about avoiding judgment, regardless of which path someone chooses. So in defence of camp A, I also don’t agree with doctors or derms who dismiss holistic approaches outright.
Improving diet and lifestyle can absolutely help. Some people see cystic acne improve after cutting out dairy. Others improve their gut health and notice significant changes. Some find that addressing allergies, intolerances or deficiencies makes all the difference.
That’s why, if you have the resources, it’s worth exploring these areas before turning to strong medications like Accutane – even if that’s just making small, sustainable, healthy changes to your diet.
5. Shaming acne sufferers can lead to disordered eating/OCD tendencies
That said, the ‘natural’ route has its pitfalls. I’ve spoken to so many women who’ve tried to treat their acne holistically and ended up with disordered eating as a result. A lot of the time, they’re not even aware of it until it’s become embedded into their life (and brain).
The rules pile up: cut out this, avoid that. No sugar, no gluten, no dairy, no processed foods. Eat raw garlic. Drink lemon water. Balance your blood sugar. Avoid nightshades. Take 15 different supplements. Eat low-histamine.
Improving your diet is a good thing – for both your skin and overall health – but can you see how extreme restrictions could lead someone to believe they can’t eat anything without sabotaging their skin? It’s easy to end up thinking that one ‘unhealthy’ meal will undo all their progress and blame themselves for every new spot.
Balance is key. Claiming that clearing your skin naturally requires total restriction and sacrificing all joy isn’t sustainable or fair.
6. Ultimately, it's none of your business
This might feel like a long rant, but I hope it comes across as balanced. Having experienced acne myself, I’m tired of seeing people shamed for the treatments they choose – whether that’s medication or not. No one knows what someone else has tried, how their acne affects them emotionally or how much spare money they have to put behind it.
So, to wrap up: it’s their body, their face, and ultimately, none of our business.
2 responses to “The big debate: Traditional vs holistic acne treatment”
thanks for info.
Thank you for posting your acne story! <3