Acne & Breakouts

What Is Acne?

Acne is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that develops when pores become clogged with oil (sebum), dead skin cells, and bacteria. It can range from blackheads and whiteheads to painful cystic breakouts.

What makes acne difficult to treat is that it is rarely caused by just one factor. Hormones, diet, gut health, stress, genetics, and skincare products often work together to trigger breakouts.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, acne is the most common skin condition in the United States, affecting up to 50 million Americans each year: https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/acne/what-is-acne

Despite the wide availability of products and prescriptions, acne rates continue to rise— especially in adults—highlighting that surface-level treatments alone are not enough. At Celebrity Skin, our goal is to identify and correct the underlying causes so your skin stays clear long-term.

What Causes Acne & Breakouts?

Acne is not caused by a single factor—it is a chronic inflammatory condition driven by interconnected internal and external triggers.

At the center of this process is inflammation, which disrupts normal skin function, increases oil production, slows cell turnover, and creates an environment where breakouts can form and persist.

Internal Factors (Inside-Out Triggers)

Insulin Resistance & Blood Sugar Imbalance Elevated insulin levels—often driven by high sugar and high-glycemic diets—can increase androgen activity, stimulating excess oil production and clogged pores. Over time, this contributes to metabolic dysfunction and increased inflammation. Metabolic Health & Weight Insulin resistance and metabolic health play an important role in acne. Research shows that higher insulin levels and metabolic dysfunction—often associated with excess body weight—can increase inflammation, disrupt hormonal balance, and contribute to breakouts.

Hormonal Imbalances

Hormones such as androgens, estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol directly impact oil production and breakouts. Hormones are influenced by diet, stress, and metabolic health—meaning acne is rarely just a hormone issue.

Diet, Nutrition & Inflammation

Diet affects acne by increasing insulin, driving inflammation, and contributing to poor gut health. A randomized controlled trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a low-glycemic diet significantly improved acne compared to a high-glycemic diet. A systematic review published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology also found that high glycemic diets are associated with increased acne severity

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Nutritional Deficiencies

Low levels of nutrients such as zinc, vitamin A, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants can impair healing and increase inflammation.

Toxin Exposure & Detoxification

Toxins from food, environment, skincare, and household products can increase inflammation and overwhelm detoxification pathways.

Sources include:

• Processed foods and additives
• Pesticides
• Skincare ingredients
• Cleaning products and fragrances

Lifestyle Factors: Alcohol, Smoking & Vaping

Alcohol, smoking, and vaping can all contribute to acne by increasing inflammation and placing stress on the body.

• Alcohol can disrupt blood sugar balance, impair liver detoxification, and negatively impact gut health
• Smoking and vaping increase oxidative stress, reduce oxygen delivery to the skin, and impair healing

Over time, these factors can worsen breakouts and slow the skin’s ability to recover.

Stress, Sleep & Cortisol

Stress and poor sleep increase cortisol, which raises blood sugar, disrupts hormones, and increases inflammation.

Medical Conditions & Medications

Conditions like PCOS, insulin resistance, and hormonal imbalances—and medications such as steroids or birth control changes—can trigger acne.

External Factors (Outside-In Triggers)

Incorrect or Pore-Clogging Skincare Products

Heavy products, pore-clogging ingredients, and layering too many products can contribute to breakouts.

Over-Treating the Skin

Over-exfoliating, using too many actives, or overly frequent/aggressive treatments can damage the skin barrier and increase inflammation.

Over-Stripping → Over-Compensating Cycle

Over-cleansing and drying products → inflammation → increased oil production → overmoisturizing → clogged pores → breakouts

Environmental Exposure

• Heat and sweat
• Pollution and airborne toxins
• Dry climate conditions
• Extreme cold (barrier disruption and irritation)

The Big Picture: Why Acne Becomes Chronic

What makes acne so frustrating is that these factors don’t act independently—they feed into each other:

• Poor diet → increases insulin → disrupts hormones → increases oil → triggers acne

• Toxins in food, skincare, and environment → overwhelm detoxification pathways → increase inflammation → contribute to acne

• Poor gut health (often driven by diet, stress, antibiotics, alcohol, and processed foods) → increased inflammation → impaired nutrient absorption → worsens acne

• Stress → raises cortisol → increases inflammation → worsens breakouts

• Nutrient deficiencies → impair healing → prolong inflammation → slow recovery

• Over-stripping or over-drying the skin → damages the barrier → increases inflammation → triggers excess oil production → breakouts

• Over-moisturizing or layering too many products → clogged pores → acne

• Too many or overly aggressive treatments → barrier damage → irritation → more breakouts

This is why treating acne at only one level often leads to temporary results.

Types of Acne

• Blackheads
• Whiteheads
• Papules
• Pustules
• Nodules
• Cysts
• Hormonal acne
• Body acne

Who Gets Acne?

Acne affects all ages and skin types. Adult acne is increasing—especially in women. If you’re dealing with pigmentation, check this out.

How We Treat Acne & Breakouts

We use a treatment stacking approach for faster results:

Acne Treatments

Chemical Peels

LED Light Therapy

Microdermabrasion

Microneedling

Acne & Scarring: What You Need to Know

One of the most frustrating consequences of acne is the marks and scars it leaves behind. The good news is that many of the professional treatments we use to clear active acne — chemical peels, LED therapy, microdermabrasion, and extractions — also work to soften and minimize early scarring and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation at the same time.

Treating your acne proactively is one of the most effective things you can do to prevent scarring from getting worse. However, for moderate to severe acne scarring — including pitted or atrophic scars, rolling scars, or deep hyperpigmentation — more targeted and aggressive treatments are needed.

These include microneedling, medium-depth chemical peels, and combination therapies that go deeper into the skin to stimulate collagen remodeling and resurface the skin more significantly.

If you’re dealing with existing acne scars alongside active breakouts, we build a comprehensive plan that addresses both simultaneously — clearing your skin while progressively improving the texture, tone, and appearance of scarring over time.

Why Choose Celebrity Skin Scottsdale for Acne Treatment?

At Celebrity Skin Scottsdale, acne is treated with a results-driven, integrative approach— combining advanced treatments with a focus on internal and external causes for long-term results.

✔ 25+ Years of Expertise & Certified Acne Specialist Led by Jennifer Swink, with advanced certifications in acne, laser, medical aesthetics, and nutrition, and author of Getting Clear: Everything You Need to Know to Cure Acne Quickly, Easily, and Naturally. Root Cause Approach (Inside + Outside)

✔ We address hormones, diet, inflammation, and skincare triggers—not just breakouts.

✔ Customized Treatment Plans Personalized care for teens, adults, men, and women.

✔ Advanced Treatment Stacking Multiple therapies combined for faster, more visible results.

✔ Safe for All Skin Tones Expertise in treating all Fitzpatrick skin types, including deeper tones.

👉 Book your New Client Acne Consultation

Out of Town? Get the Book Getting Clear: Everything You Need to Know to Cure Acne Quickly, Easily, and Naturally

How we educate our acne clients – acne care for your skin

My goal as a professional is to help you Get Clear on what is causing your acne so you can cure it at its source. Accomplishing this will require an integrative approach that addresses all the underlying causes at the same time. The key to healing your acne is to attack it at root level, holistically, not solely with superficial solutions like topical products and treatments or prescription medication like birth control pills or antibiotics.

A combination of dietary and lifestyle modifications with a proper skin-care regimen will provide the best result of success in eliminating your acne. Topical skin-care procedures and products are extremely effective in helping to reduce breakouts, hyperpigmentation and acne scarring. However, as a stand-alone treatment for chronic or serious acne, skincare products are not usually successful long term. When deciding which products to buy, you must first identify the variables affecting your acne. Keep in mind, what works well for your friend’s acne may be different from what will work well for yours. Acne care is not one-size fits all.

Acne & Breakouts FAQs

Ready to get to the root cause of your acne?

top 19 tips to help cure acne

Printable reference sheet: Top 19 tips to eliminate acne

1. No products with artificial fragrances, dyes, sulfates, phthalates or parabens.
2. No oil cleansing. It is just too risky, skip it.
3. No to face wipes and makeup removers. Makeup removers should only be needed to take off waterproof mascara. No waterproof mascara.
4. Don’t over wash your skin! Wash no more than two times per day on average and never go to bed without washing your makeup off.
5. No picking pimples.
6. No picking dry skin or flakes.
7. No electronic scrub brushes, as they stimulate oil production and drive already stripping/dehydrating acne products further into the follicles causing increased inflammation.
8. Don’t use too many stripping ingredients and products. Use only one or two stripping products in your home routine (at most), depending on all the previously mentioned variables.
9. Don’t use too many layers of products on the face. Less is more no matter how good the quality of products
10. Don’t over moisturize!
11. No primers. No heavy foundations.
12. No chemical sunscreens and be discerning of physical sunscreens. Last month, we discussed how sunscreens contribute to acne and since we published that article, the Journal of the American Medical Association published the results of its study on the absorption of sunscreen, and the FDA launched an investigation into the safety of sunscreens.
13. No waxing or shaving the face (if you’re a woman). If you are a man, do not shave if you do not have to. If you can, choose an electric razor over a double-edged razor. If you have to use a razor, use a single blade.
14. No dermaplaning. It irritates acne prone skin and can cause breakouts
15. No department store advice and self-prescribing. Do not rely on your local department store, your best friend, the internet, a magazine or television for your skincare advice.
16. No spa facials. They usually cause breakouts. Only get clinical facials that are specifically customized for your acne-prone skin.
17. No cortisone injections for cystic acne. The potential for scarring is devastating and usually doesn’t show up until a year or so later. Avoid it if you can.
18. Do not get microneedling if you have active acne. Microneedling causes too much inflammation and trauma to your skin, increasing risk for breakouts. You must wait to be acne-free. No home rollers/home microneedling, as you can tear your skin easily.
19. No laser treatments if you have active acne. Light therapy is ok, but no laser resurfacing or Fraxel! They cause too much inflammation and trauma. The potential for hyperpigmentation and more break-outs is way too high. Darker skin tones should never have laser therapy.