← Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark
Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark
Why a Dermatologist Can't Solve Your Acne | Acne Nutritionist Maria Marlowe
00:41:09
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- [00:00]
A
What's the craziest thing that's triggering acne? Poor dental health. Because that can be a sneaky source of inflammation. Acne is a disease of western civilization. Wherever the western diet goes, acne follows.
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B
No way. So is blood sugar the cause of people's serious Acne can be.
- [00:20]
A
Yes, 100%.
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B
That is crazy. I've never heard anybody say that.
- [00:23]
A
If your blood sugar is on a rollercoaster all day, you're never gonna clear your skin. The most important foundational piece of is really working on gut health. That is the key to clear skin. If you have a healthy gut, you will have clear skin.
- [01:02]
B
Have you tried everything to heal your acne? Dermatologists, prescriptions, expensive skincare. But nothing seems to work. What if the real solution isn't in your medicine cabinet but on your plate? Meet Maria Marlowe, certified nutritionist and founder of Kuma, the science backed ingestible skincare brand revolutionizing the way we treat acne. Known as the Acne Nutritionist, Maria has spent the last decade helping thousands of people around the world for finally achieve clear radiant skin by addressing the root causes through nutrition, gut health and lifestyle. She's the author of the Real Food Grocery Guide and Be Healthy Every Day, host of the Glow Life podcast and has been featured in Vogue, Good Morning America and more. This is a multi camera, beautifully shot episode that you can watch on the real Alex Clark YouTube channel or listen on Spotify under Culture Apothecary. You can follow the show on Instagram at Culture Apothecary or me at Real Alex Clark. And don't forget, join the cute servatives Facebook group. You can keep the girl talk going if you love this episode. Take 30 seconds to leave a 5 star review and tell everybody which one hooked you. Please welcome acne nutritionist Maria Marlo to Culture Apothecary. What is your acne story? How did you become the acne nutritionist?
- [02:14]
A
I had really bad acne for almost five years despite trying all the things. So when I had acne I started with all the drugstore, the clean and clear, the Clearasil, the topical stuff didn't work then. At the time, Proactive was really popular.
- [02:28]
B
Dude, I forgot about them. I never hear about them anymore.
- [02:30]
A
Yeah, yeah. And it was like a billion dollar company. They did quite well. But you don't hear about them anymore too much. They're still around. That didn't work for me. Then went to the dermatologist, tried the totem pole of medications from antibiotics to birth control, spironolactone and Eventually I was prescribed Accutane. So at the time, it was also harder to get an Accutane prescription than it is now. And when I finally got it, I remember filling the prescription and getting the bag and, you know, stapled to the front. There's the side effects and the dosage and all that. And one of the side effects was severe depression that could lead to suicide. And I was like, what, like an acne medication? And I had tried all these other medications and none of them had worked for me or they would work for a little bit and then once you stopped, the acne would come back. So I was like, that's a pretty serious side effect. You know what, I'm just going to be relegated to the fact that I'm cursed with acne. I must have bad luck. I must have bad genes, and that's it. I don't want to take this medication. A year or so later, I was in college. I was eating lunch with a friend complaining about my skin. And she said, you know, it might actually be caused by what you're eating. And I was like, what? I've been to all these dermatologists and not one of them asked me what I was eating. But I was desperate and willing to try anything at the time. So I was like, okay, just point me in the right direction. What do I do? And by the way, I was eating like two slices of pizza, Entenman's chocolate chip cookies, and a Coca Cola for lunch.
- [03:51]
B
You were all ultra processed food. Basically.
- [03:53]
A
All ultra processed food. Okay, exactly. So I drastically overhauled my diet and worked on improving my gut health. And in about three months, my skin cleared up.
- [04:03]
B
Whoa.
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A
Yeah. And I was like, wait a minute, why doesn't anyone teach us this? So I said, you know what? I'm going to set out to be that person.
- [04:10]
B
So you're eating a lot of fast food and stuff. And then what were you eating in those three months?
- [04:13]
A
It was a lot of wild salmon, a lot of vegetables. I was not really eating any vegetables besides for tomato sauce on pizza and french fries at the time. I mean, classic American standard, Standard American diet. So I added in a lot of vegetables, added in fruit, added in proteins, a lot of turmeric, anything that's anti inflammatory. Flaxseed, garlic, garlic, onions. I started cooking also because I wasn't really cooking, unless you count, you know, taking a frozen dinner out and putting that in the microwave.
- [04:40]
B
Yeah.
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A
So I actually started cooking as well.
- [04:43]
B
Yeah, I think a lot of Americans do that. They're like, oh, I cook at Home. And it's literally putting something frozen in the oven.
- [04:48]
A
Yeah. And it's like, no. Yeah.
- [04:50]
B
What would your opinion now be on Accutane for like a teenage girl?
- [04:54]
A
I would say you need to get to the root because Accutane doesn't get to the root. I feel like all of these medications are really a band aid approach without getting to the root. We know that acne is caused by inflammation, so we need to figure out what is causing inflammation in the particular individual and then remedy it that way. Could be nutrient deficiencies. Like vitamin A, for example, is a very common nutrient deficiency amongst acne patients. Typically, the worse the deficiency, the worse the severity of acne. And isotretinoin or accutane is a derivative of vitamin A. So if you eat the foods with vitamin A, that would be like my first, you know, the first thing. If you're considering Accutane, go get your blood work done, go get your gut tested, go get your nutrients tested and see where you're falling short and see what we can fix that way. Where are sources of inflammation in your diet and lifestyle? How can we remedy that it naturally? And you're likely going to find that you don't actually need the Accutane.
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B
So then what are the tests or steps that you're doing to determine what the root cause is for each individual?
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A
It starts with a detailed health history and also a food diary. Because as a nutritionist, if you give me a week's worth or even three days worth of what you're eating on a regular, I can look at it and kind of get an idea of like, okay, well, you're not really eating any foods with this particular nutrient or that particular nutrient. Or, you know, maybe your blood sugar's not balanced because I can see the, you're eating more refined carbohydrates or whatever the case may be. So once I see a food diary, then I can say, okay, why don't you get this tested, these nutrients tested? Maybe you need to get your blood sugar tested and maybe you need to get your gut tested because a lot of times inflammation that's showing up on the skin is also starting in the gut. So we also need to check the gut health and the health of the gut microbiome.
- [06:39]
B
What are the three most common foods triggering acne flare ups?
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A
Okay, you're not going to like the first one.
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B
What?
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A
Dairy?
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B
Oh, no.
- [06:47]
A
Yes.
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B
So no raw milk if you struggle with acne.
- [06:50]
A
So here's the thing, here's the thing. The studies on dairy are done on conventional pasteurized dairy. Right. So there aren't. I have not seen any studies that are looking at acne and raw milk, so I will just preface it with that. But in terms of foods that can trigger acne, dairy is way up there on the list. So there was a study, I believe in 2018, it was a meta analysis study. So basically, researchers pull the data from multiple studies was 14 different studies, and in total, it was about 80,000 subjects. The conclusion was that any dairy in the age group of, I believe it's like 7 to 30 increases the risks of acne.
- [07:27]
B
When people talk about hormonal acne, do you believe it's truly hormonal or is it often more an issue with their gut?
- [07:34]
A
So I always say with hormonal acne, don't blame your hormones. Blame whatever is causing your hormones to become imbalanced.
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B
Oh, there you go.
- [07:43]
A
Because hormones are messengers and they are just reacting to the environment, to the diet. Right. To whatever is going on. And so if there is an imbalance, then we need to understand why are they imbalanced. There is definitely a gut component, especially to hormonal acne. There's a big link to constipation. So a lot of people with hormonal acne tend to be constipated because the way that we get rid of excess hormones is actually through the stool. If we are not eliminating regularly, daily, completely, those excess hormones can actually get reabsorbed back into the bloodstream, contributing to imbalances.
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B
Okay, I did not know that. That's super interesting.
- [08:21]
A
Yeah, you have to poop every day.
- [08:23]
B
Do you think that there are people that are always just prone to struggle with acne? Like, they're always just going to have to live with this? Or do you think, like, no, it is curable for everyone?
- [08:31]
A
I believe it's curable for everyone. You know, we've been looking for an acne gene for decades. It's never been found. You say, oh, well, my parents had acne, I'm doomed to acne. No, it's likely because you're still eating and living similar to the way that your parents are eating and living. That is the connection. Acne is a disease of Western civilization. So if we look historically in America and even cross culturally, we can see that wherever the Western diet goes, acne follows.
- [09:01]
B
No way.
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A
Yes. Here in the United States in 1970, there was a study done on inmates in the US male inmates. The researchers found that the white inmates were 10 times more likely to have acne compared to the black inmates. Now, what's even crazier is that the rate among the Acne patients in 1970, the white males was 5%. If you fast forward to today, it would be 90 to 95% amongst all races. So at the time, the researchers thought there was some genetic component. They actually thought that African Americans had some gene or had something that made them more immune to, to getting acne. But America was just desegregated. So the white Americans were eating, you know, milkshakes and hot dogs and hamburgers and Coca Cola and all those kinds of things, whereas the African Americans were.
- [09:55]
B
They were doing home cooked meals.
- [09:56]
A
Home cooked meals, Exactly. They were eating meats and beans and vegetables and whole real foods. And they were actually very skeptical of all our processed western foods initially. If we look at Japan, for example, Pre World War II. Pre World War II, the rate of acne was very, very low in Japan. Once westernization started happening Post World War II and McDonald's and all our fast food restaurants started opening, it shot up. So it was, I think around 60 at that time. And today it's, it's above 75%.
- [10:31]
B
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- [13:10]
A
Sometimes people will come to me and they'll be like, I eat so healthy. I don't understand why I still have acne. And they're eating things like oatmeal and ASAI bowls and all sorts of like whole foods, but foods that are mostly carbohydrates and they're not eating enough protein or healthy fat, and so their blood sugar is imbalanced. So even though these are healthy foods, the order in which they're eating them or what the whole meal looks like, their blood sugar is imbalanced.
- [13:35]
B
So how important is the amount of protein somebody struggling with acne is eating or the amount of fat that they include in every meal?
- [13:41]
A
It is important that you have a balance plate 100%, because we need, we need everything. We need protein, we need carbohydrates, we need healthy fat, whole carbohydrates. So it's really important. I know now we tend to get caught up on one macronutrient, like, everything's protein, protein, protein. We also need fiber, especially for anyone with hormonal acne. But everyone in general needs fiber. We need to keep our bowel movements regular. We need vegetables. They have a wide abundance of nutrients, antioxidants. So we need everything on our plate. It needs to be balanced.
- [14:12]
B
Sometimes during my luteal phase, I will get, like, one super painful pimple, like, deep under my skin that I can never pop. It just has to go away on its own over time. Why does that happen?
- [14:25]
A
Every woman's hormones are fluctuating during her period. But why do some women get luteal breakouts or period breakouts and some. Some people don't? It's the way that our body is dealing or processing with the hormones. And so it could be a constipation thing. It could also be a liver thing. If the body is not breaking down the. The hormones efficiently, sometimes our liver can get sluggish from modern life. So that could be. That could be part of the reason. The gut and the liver. I would look there first.
- [14:51]
B
But doing, like, liver support, maybe sometimes during my helpful o. Okay, I like that tip. Is skin purging normal or is that just a myth that skincare brands use to explain breakouts?
- [15:02]
A
Yeah, I don't think we need to purge. I'm all about gentle. I think the gentler the better. When I was breaking out really bad, it was really popular to use things like the St Ive scrubs and all these very harsh acids and things.
- [15:15]
B
Do that apricot scrub. It was like scrubbing your face with glass shards. That was so bad. Nat if you had acne, was tearing open your.
- [15:24]
A
Your acne disaster, absolute disaster. My philosophy is, if we use gentle products on the outside and we use our diet and lifestyle to do the heavy lifting from the inside, you don't need to purge. Your acne doesn't need to get worse before it gets better. It could just get better.
- [15:38]
B
Is face mapping for acne actually accurate or is that a gimmick?
- [15:43]
A
So face mapping comes from traditional Chinese medicine. And I will say I really like Chinese medicine. It's thousands of years old. They really study the entire body and how everything kind of works together. And there are no studies that have actually looked at face mapping to see is this accurate or not accurate. So we don't know for sure. Face mapping is a good tool. Like, it's a good starting point to start looking under and start seeing the connection between things like your gut or your hormones or your liver and Your skin. But whether your acne is hormonal or whatever it is, typically your gut is going to be the foundational piece that you need to fix.
- [16:21]
B
First, what is your opinion on using beef tallow or castor oil on acne prone skin?
- [16:27]
A
Castor oil, love castor oil is amazing. Beef tallow, acne prone skin, you need to be careful with, it can clog your pores. Everyone's different. So beef tallow is great for some people, but those with acne prone skin, you want to tread carefully.
- [16:39]
B
Can making out with your significant significant other cause breakouts?
- [16:43]
A
If he has a beard and scratching you and kind of things are getting hot and heavy, it's possible. It is definitely possible. He's irritating the skin. Okay, so tell him to shave before.
- [16:52]
B
Maybe saliva and stuff.
- [16:53]
A
Oral care, I feel like is the new gut care. Right. Everyone's obsessed with gut health, which is really important. But soon, more and more you're going to see people are going to become obsessed with oral health. Why? Because first of all, our digestion, our gut microbiome, it's starting in our mouth and whatever bacteria you have in your mouth, you're swallowing and it's going into your gut. So you want to make sure everything's clean in here. This can be a source of inflammation.
- [17:17]
B
Dude, flossing.
- [17:18]
A
Yeah. You have to do it.
- [17:19]
B
You've got to floss. You've got to floss. I know that annoys everybody when your dental hygienist is asking you. It is such a real thing. It's one of the best things when I got like super disciplined on making sure I floss every single day.
- [17:30]
A
Yeah.
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B
Because we all like. I feel like people are just not doing that. When I started doing that, oh my gosh. The inflammation in my body just tenfold. So much better.
- [17:39]
A
Yes. So your question before about what's the craziest thing that's triggering acne? Poor dental health.
- [17:45]
B
Whoa.
- [17:46]
A
Yes. Because that can be a sneaky source of inflammation. So if you have bleeding gums, you have inflammation. And the thing with any sort of inflammation that's coming from your mouth like that, it's traveling, it's going into your bloodstream. So you're getting body wide inflammation.
- [18:00]
B
Is it ever okay to pop a pimple or do we always have to leave them alone?
- [18:03]
A
It depends on the type of pimple.
- [18:05]
B
That's what I'm saying.
- [18:05]
A
Yeah.
- [18:06]
B
I don't understand this camp of never ever pop a pimple. If it has a white head, pop.
- [18:09]
A
Have to do it. Yes. Especially if you're going On a date or something?
- [18:12]
B
Yes.
- [18:13]
A
Yeah, you can totally pop it, but you got to do it properly. So you need to first make sure that it's a whitehead and make sure it's there. Do not try this with a cyst. It's going to just be a disaster. Those ones that are under the skin, don't try it. Take a hot shower. Make sure your hands are clean. Put two tissues and lightly press on the side of it. Don't push in. You just want to press the side so that it pops out.
- [18:34]
B
What is your opinion on washing your face in the morning? Is it necessary?
- [18:39]
A
No way. No. We don't need to wash our face in the morning. You didn't do anything to make it dirty overnight so your face is clean. You don't want to over wash because that just strips away all of the good stuff that our skin needs.
- [18:49]
B
What about this new trend of double cleansing?
- [18:52]
A
So double cleansing could be okay at the end of the day if you have makeup on and you're using like an oil cleanser as well. I think. I think that's totally fine.
- [19:00]
B
I'm using micellar water to take all my makeup off and then I cleanse twice with my cleanser.
- [19:04]
A
As long as your skin doesn't feel dry afterwards. You know how sometimes when you wash your face and then your skin feels tight, that cleanser is too drying for you. Your skin should not feel tight after washing.
- [19:15]
B
Do you think that everybody needs to be washing their face with filtered water? So either having a filter system or using bottled water to wash their face with?
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A
No, not necessarily.
- [19:26]
B
So you're fine with tap?
- [19:27]
A
I think yes. Okay.
- [19:29]
B
I've heard other estheticians say things like, you know, it needs to be filtered or it needs to be bottled water.
- [19:35]
A
My opinion is that acne is really coming from the inside. And I'm not talking about a comedogenic product that causes a pimple. I'm talking about chronic acne that's coming from the inside. It's best treated from the inside. So is it nice to use filtered water? 100%. But do you have to? No. I think what's going to move the needle the most is focusing on the inflammation from the inside.
- [20:02]
B
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- [22:14]
A
Yes, because I'm a big fan of using really simple natural ingredients. I don't think we need a ton of ingredients and when you go to the drugstore they're not really selling anything natural or that have just minimal ingredients. So I'm a fan of just using.
- [22:31]
B
Minimal ingredients if somebody had a hundred dollars to spend on skin care.
- [22:35]
A
Yeah.
- [22:35]
B
What products and brands are a definite must in your opinion if they struggle with acne?
- [22:39]
A
Okay, I would say first and foremost go to Whole Foods and spend your money on food first.
- [22:43]
B
Yep.
- [22:44]
A
But if we have to talk skincare, then I would say I really like probiotic skin care. So there are a few probiotic cleansers that I find are really gentle on the skin. Like Eminence Organics makes a really nice probiotic cleanser.
- [22:56]
B
I love Eminence Organics.
- [22:57]
A
Yeah, Eminence Organics is really nice. They make of really great products. So I like that. Kovo Essentials is another brand that makes very gentle skincare. They have a probiotic and turmeric cleanser that I really like, is really nice. And tea tree oil is a must have. If you have acne pure 100% tea tree essential oil, it is gentle enough to use on the skin. You can use it as a spot treatment on your acne. It helps reduce inflammation and if you popped it, it will help to prevent any infection.
- [23:28]
B
What makeup and skincare brands for acne prone skin do you like?
- [23:31]
A
For clean beauty, I really like Ilia, I like Lawless, I like rms. Beauty is really good, but for coverage, if you have bad acne and you have scarring and active breakouts, sometimes these brands don't cover really well. So I also like it cosmetics. I feel like they have good coverage. And Charlotte Tilbury as well is a dermatologist.
- [23:54]
B
Actually the right person to see when you have persistent acne.
- [23:57]
A
I think the first place to start is with a nutritionist 100 because acne is really diet and lifestyle related. You can send any person to me with acne and I promise you I will find the diet and lifestyle root cause. I've been doing this for like two decades at this point and acne is coming from the gut, it's coming from our diet, it's coming from stress, it's coming from our diet and lifestyle. And that is the only way to fix it.
- [24:22]
B
Okay, so give an example of somebody that has severe persistent acne or, you know, breakfast, lunch and dinner a day in the life, what are you telling them to eat?
- [24:30]
A
Starting with something that's going to keep your blood sugar balanced is absolutely key. If you start breakfast with something sugary, like a cereal for example, or a croissant or baked goods, your blood sugar is going to be on a roller coaster all day long and you're going to crave more sugar all day long. So that has to be Stopped right away. We need to have a well balanced breakfast. Some people find that eggs trigger breakouts from that for them, but not everybody. So if you're someone where eggs don't trigger breakouts, then start day with three eggs. I like to do a veggie omelette. Throw some baby spinach in there or whatever veggies you have on hand just chopped up quickly. Have that on the side to bump up the protein. You could have some grass fed or pasturized sausage, something like that or something just to get you to 30 grams of protein. I do think that's really important or 20, 20 to 30 grams of protein is really important in the morning. And also having some source of fiber ideally. So maybe you have a piece of fruit or a cup of blueberries afterwards if that's too much to cook in the morning. I do have a blueberry smoothie recipe on my website. I call it my complexion perfection smoothie.
- [25:35]
B
I'm a big fan of the protein smoothie in the morning. That's my number one thing.
- [25:38]
A
Yeah, so it's a cup of blueberries. It's a banana frozen banana protein powder. I really like pumpkin seed protein for acne prone skin because it's rich in zinc and magnesium which are two minerals that are chronically depleted in people with acne.
- [25:54]
B
So what protein powder brand does that sprout?
- [25:56]
A
Living has a really nice pumpkin seed protein powder.
- [25:59]
B
Interesting. I've never even heard of that.
- [26:01]
A
Yeah, it's really good. Okay, so I love that. And then I also like to add a scoop of collagen.
- [26:05]
B
Which collagen do you like?
- [26:06]
A
I like further food. Okay, I like that. And also Agent Nator. See, yes, I tell them all.
- [26:13]
B
Agent Tour. Holy main. Yes. Ride or die. I just had Adeline, my assistant, I had her go yesterday to the store. I said we've got a clean beauty store locally. And I said I need you to go in there and get me two bags because I'm out. I live for that stuff.
- [26:26]
A
For lunch and dinner it's pretty similar. Half your plate should be vegetables, ideally cooked because raw is typically going to be harder to digest for most people. And if you have acne, you probably have compromised digestion. So have some roasted or steamed vegetables. You could do a soup however you want it. About 50% of your plate should be vegetables. You need the fiber, you need the nutrients, then you want to have a piece of protein. I love wild salmon. It's a rich source of omega 3 fatty acids which is another common deficiency in acne patients. Then on top of that, you could have some whole grains, you could have some beans or legumes. If you want some healthy fat, dress it in olive oil. You could use some anti inflammatory spices like turmeric, for example, and have some water to drink. And that's, that's your lunch and dinner. You could swap in different sources of protein, but that's kind of the idea.
- [27:14]
B
Is there ever a case, especially those that have deep cystic breakouts, where it's not your gut and it is the products or a product that you're using.
- [27:22]
A
Every day, products could trigger breakouts. But if it's those deep ones that are coming that are bubbling up for weeks or days or weeks, that's almost 100% going to be coming from inside.
- [27:33]
B
Is it sometimes like somebody has a food allergy they don't know about?
- [27:37]
A
It's possible, yes. Because if you have a food sensitivity or a food allergy that could be creating inflammation in your gut, which will ultimately show up on your skin, I will say if it's just a sensitivity, like if you find that you're reacting to so many foods and you go and get tested and it's not an actual allergy, you probably have leaky gut. So I would get my gut checked. You can do one of these comprehensive gut microbiome tests that test for leaky gut or increase intestinal permeability and see and if you're reacting to a lot of foods, you most likely have leaky gut. And if you remedy the leaky gut guts and you improve your gut microbiome, you will likely find that down the line in a few months, three months, six months, however long it takes, you may actually be able to tolerate those foods again.
- [28:24]
B
When you're diving deeper into the gut health of an acne patient, what are you finding in their guts that is different from somebody who's not acne prone?
- [28:33]
A
So what the research shows is that acne patients tend to lack certain lactobacillus and bifidobacteria strains in their gut compared to healthy controls. We also know that acne patients are more likely to have leaky gut, which is why they're also reactive to more foods. And so adding back in those beneficial bacteria can actually help to improve the skin from the inside out. And this is really interesting. We talk about the gut skin connection now, and it's kind of like a new thing, but actually it's been studied for over almost 100 years. Two dermatologists, John H. Stokes and Donald M. Pillsbury, back in the 1930s, disease what they found was that their acne patients tend to be really anxious and they tend to be the ones that are more stressed out. And they hypothesized that their negative thoughts were actually disrupting their gut and creating inflammation, which was leading to breakouts. And through their own testing and even in the decades since, we've found that that is actually true. So negative thoughts disrupt the gut, create inflammation and leads to inflammation of the skin or breakout. And we now know also that anything that disrupts the gut can actually disrupt the skin. And so there are certain bacteria strains like L. Rhamnosis sp. 1, which has been found to reduce acne in about 12 weeks. L. Acidophilus is really helpful. L. Pericase. So there are specific strains that are really supportive of that gut skin connection. I find that gut health is so pivotal to clear skin that I actually formulated a probiotic called Globe Biometric with six clinically validated strains that specifically target that gut skin connection to help support clearer skin from the inside out. Because if we're not balancing the gut microbiome and we're lacking that good bacteria, our modern lifestyle is really seems like it's designed to disrupt our gut, right? We're stressed, we're eating sugar and packaged foods, drinking alcohol. All this stuff is disrupting our gut. So it's really important that we're receding our gut with good bacteria.
- [30:28]
B
Is alcohol one of another big trigger of acne that people don't think of?
- [30:32]
A
If you're drinking a lot, yes, it for sure could be it's increasing inflammation.
- [30:35]
B
Is it certain types over others? Like is beer worse than wine for example?
- [30:39]
A
Hard to say. I mean clear liquors are generally better than anything that's darker in terms of, you know, your body metabolizing it. And anything sugary is obviously going to be worse. So any sort of mixed drinks are, are not great. But what the research shows is anything more than two, two drinks can actually increase your markers of inflammation.
- [31:03]
B
So here's a little wake up call that you may not know you need if you're breaking out like you're 16 again. And you've tried changing everything, cleansers, diet pillowcases, but things still aren't improving. Try your makeup. Turns out a ton of popular products are loaded with poor clogging junk and endocrine disrupting fragrance. I got my friend switched to Adele Natural cosmetics and wow, what a difference. For her, their products are minimalist, holistic and completely toxin free. The cream blush is a dream. I love the shade petal and the moisturizing foundation is a total game changer for dry skin. Lightweight, but with serious seamless and natural coverage that doesn't clog pores. Adele's commitment to clean skin loving ingredients is what makes them stand out. If you want to switch things up, go to Adele natural cosmetics.com use code Alex for 25 off your first purchase. That's adelenaturalcosmetics.com code Alex for 25 off your first purchase. Okay, let's talk movie snacks. I know you're not going to see Snow White, but maybe you want to see something else. I bring my own snacks every single time because there is no way that I'm eating popcorn drenched in mystery seed oil sludge. So, so instead I toss a bag of masa chips into my purse, which is chef's kiss. Crunchy, salty, satisfying, and absolutely seed oil free. These chips are made with only three ingredients. Organic nixtamalized corn, grass fed and finished beef tallow, and redmond sea salt. That's it. No industrial oils, no preservatives, no fake flavor powders. Just real ingredients that your body knows what to do with. Plus, masa chips are super sturdy. Like they don't break in guac. They're built different, they taste amazing, they're good for your body, and they're made by a small family business actually trying to change the snack industry. Go to masachips.com use code real Alex Clark for 20% off your first order. That's masachips.com code real Alex Clark for 20% OFF your first order. So I've never struggled with acne, but I do keep getting weirdly breakouts, only underneath my jawline, like right on my neck. I keep getting like little breakouts there that are poppable. What's going on with them? Coming up on my neck, basically.
- [32:58]
A
It's hard to say exactly. What I would love to do, which I can do for you, is really look at your diet and lifestyle and see if there's any source of inflammation or there's any source of some, some, some imbalance because typically it's coming back to what is causing the imbalance. Is it the liver? Is it the guts? I feel like you eat pretty healthy. So I think your blood sugar symbol.
- [33:20]
B
It'S weird because it's never on my face. It's only now underneath my jaw. And it's just very, very teeny, tiny little pimples.
- [33:27]
A
Yeah. So those are kind of the ones that are related to the hormones. So. So there might be something there. But I will say, you know, it sounds crazy, but Even like stress could be, could be triggering it. Because what happens when we're stressed, it increases cortisol in our body and cortisol actually increases sebum. So sometimes it's these little, these little tiny things or little tiny changes that actually make a difference.
- [33:49]
B
Any tips for somebody who has acne but also extremely dry skin?
- [33:53]
A
So dry skin can be an omega 3 deficiency because omega 3 is used in the cell membrane and it helps our, our, our cells hold hydration, hold moisture. And so if we're not getting enough Omega 3, which is also a deficiency amongst acne patients, it could also cause our skin to be more dry.
- [34:11]
B
So we need to be eating seafood.
- [34:13]
A
Seafood, seafood, seafood, seafood, seafood and seeds. So things like flaxseed, chia seed, hemp seed, these are all also sources of omega 3. But of course the seafood sources are going to be more bioavailable.
- [34:24]
B
Well, my audience knows I'm always going to tell them, eat the oysters, eat the oysters.
- [34:27]
A
Love oysters. Oysters are also a really great source of zinc, which is another acne, common acne deficiency.
- [34:34]
B
Would you ever recommend Retin A or tretinoin?
- [34:37]
A
I'm not a fan.
- [34:37]
B
Why?
- [34:38]
A
I think it's too harsh on the skin. I think anything that causes our skin to peel or irritate, be irritated and red is, is not great for our skin. I'm a fan of the gentler the better.
- [34:48]
B
Let's talk about acne scars for a minute. Can the skin actually heal and repair on its own and regenerate or not? And if so, what are the most effective steps to help those scars start fading for good?
- [35:00]
A
So I will say the best way to fade scars is to prevent them. And what causes a scar Inflammation. So the more inflammation that's in the pimple and the longer that it lasts, the more likely it is to scar. So once you get a pimple, you need to go really heavy on all the anti inflammatory foods ASAP to bring that pimple down as quickly as possible. That is going to minimize your risk of getting a scar. Okay, that's number one. But let's say it's already too late. We're already scarred. In that case, I do believe that using topical methods are going to be the most effective way to get rid of scars versus food. There are certain foods that could help, like potentially astaxanthin for example. You can get it as a supplement, but it's also, it comes from algae. It's what makes shrimp and certain seafood, wild salmon, that reddish orange color. But for scarring Going to an esthetician who can really look at your scars and give you a tailored treatment plan, that is going to be the quickest way.
- [35:56]
B
Did you have any scars left over after you healed your acne?
- [36:00]
A
I did, I did.
- [36:01]
B
Do any lasers or anything like that?
- [36:03]
A
I never did lasers. I did micro needling.
- [36:06]
B
Okay.
- [36:07]
A
But that's, that's all I really did. And just skincare and time, they.
- [36:10]
B
Will you recommend it, the micro needling or no?
- [36:13]
A
I think the key is going to a really good esthetician who is also holistic minded and who can really look at your skin and give you a personalized plan. I think that is, is really the best thing to do. So I think micro needling could be, could be really effective for many people.
- [36:26]
B
Okay, go through again what your 90 day protocol is for healing acne.
- [36:31]
A
My 90 day protocol for healing acne deals with getting to the root of your inflammation. So we start, are there any nutrient deficiencies? If so, we rectify that. Are you eating any pro inflammatory foods? If so, we remedy that. And I'm all about the upgrades. So if you're eating cookies and chips, chips and Coca Cola and all the things that I used to eat will give you upgrades, healthier versions of your potato chips or whatever it is that you're eating. We need to get your blood sugar stable. If your blood sugar is on a roller coaster all day, you're never going to clear your skin. So that's really important. We need to check your blood sugar, your HbA1C levels and keep your blood sugar stable.
- [37:09]
B
So is blood sugar the cause of people's serious.
- [37:14]
A
Acne can be. Yeah. Yes, 100%.
- [37:16]
B
That is crazy. I've never heard anybody say that.
- [37:19]
A
Oh, yes. There was a study that looked at, I believe There were about 3,000 participants with acne and they put them on a diet that was basically a low glycemic, low diet that keeps your, your blood sugar stable. So what we talked about before, lots of fiber, protein, healthy fats, whole carbohydrates. In 90 days, it was upwards of 90 of the participants cleared their skin.
- [37:45]
B
Whoa.
- [37:46]
A
Yes.
- [37:47]
B
Okay. More people need to be talking about this for sure.
- [37:49]
A
Yeah.
- [37:49]
B
Okay, so you're looking at the blood sugar in the 90 days. What else?
- [37:51]
A
We're also looking at stress. You can eat really healthy, but if you're chronically stressed, you're still going to be breaking out. And here's the really interesting thing. Our thoughts, if you have negative thoughts, fear, anxiety, worry, these thoughts actually disrupt your gut.
- [38:07]
B
Gut.
- [38:07]
A
They can wipe out some of the good bacteria, which allows the bad or the pro inflammatory bacteria to proliferate. And that's where a lot of this inflammation is coming from, the guts.
- [38:16]
B
Now, you know what really helps with inflammation, and I wonder if you've looked at, into this for acne at all, is red light therapy.
- [38:22]
A
Red light? Yeah. Red light is amazing and there's a lot of research on red light.
- [38:25]
B
Okay, so do you like that for people with healing acne scars and stuff as well?
- [38:29]
A
I do like red light, yes. And the most important foundational piece is really working on gut health. That is the key to clear skin. If you have a healthy gut, you will have clear skin. And in fact, if your skin is breaking out with acne, you're almost guaranteed to have some form of gut dysbiosis. So something's going on in your gut. Maybe it's leaky gut, maybe your gut bacteria are imbalanced. Something's going on in the gut. And that really goes for any chronic inflammatory skin disorder, including things like psoriasis and rosacea is really stemming from the gut. So that is key and foundational. We need to get you on probiotics. We need to heal and seal the gut lining, which we can do through different foods and supplements. We need to make sure that you're regular every single day and really supporting the gut and also having enough vitamin D. Vitamin D really supports healthy, healthy gut lining.
- [39:18]
B
For every girl listening who's covered in makeup just trying to hide her breakouts, what would you say to her to encourage her acne?
- [39:26]
A
I know it doesn't seem like it right now. It's really the biggest blessing in disguise because it's prompting us to look a little further. Acne is a communication from our body. It's a sign of inflammation and imbalance. So if you can get to the root of that, not only will you clear your skin, but you're also going to improve your overall health.
- [39:44]
B
How can people work with you directly to heal their acne?
- [39:46]
A
So my website is mariamarlo.com and Marlowe is spelled M A R L O W E. I work with people one on one and I also have a 90 day program that people can go through themselves.
- [39:57]
B
Health. If you could give one remedy to heal a sick culture and it could be physically, emotionally, or spiritually, what would your remedy be?
- [40:04]
A
You have to heal your gut. If you heal your gut, you're gonna heal your brain, your skin, your immune system, really your whole entire body. Gut health is the foundation of physical health.
- [40:16]
B
Where can people follow you on social media.
- [40:18]
A
On Instagram, I'm at Maria Marlowe. And on tick Tock and YouTube, it's Glow by Marlo.
- [40:23]
B
Maria, this is fascinating. Thank you for coming on Culture Apothecary.
- [40:26]
A
Thank you so much for having me.
- [40:31]
B
I don't know about you, but the dental and blood sugar tips for clearing acne. Mind blowing. If you've been stuck in the cycle of creams, pills and nothing working, this conversation, I hope, just gave you a whole new road map. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at Culture Apothecary and at Real. Alex Clark, if this episode spoke to you and you learned something new, please take 30 seconds to leave a five star review. It really, really helps the show. We're on a mission to heal a sick culture twice a week on Mondays and Thursday nights where new guests bring a unique remedy to do just that. I'm Alex Clark and this is Culture Apothecary.