My acne journey began in March 2017, when I noticed my skin becoming increasingly blemished with spots that I could not get rid of. They caused irritation, discomfort, and embarrassment, and over time, they began to affect my confidence.

Below is my personal story of how I eventually improved my skin after three years of struggling with acne by learning how to support my body from the inside out.

March 2017: The Start of My Acne Journey

Before this, I had never really struggled with acne. I thought I had somehow avoided it and, looking back, I never truly appreciated having clear skin.

Then, in 2017, spots started appearing and disappearing constantly. It felt like as soon as one blemish began to heal, two more appeared. After around three months of my skin not improving, I had to accept that this was no longer just the odd breakout.

I was dealing with persistent acne.

Every morning, I hoped my skin would look better. Instead, I would often wake up to new spots, more redness, and the same sinking feeling that my skin was out of my control.

Spring–Summer 2017: Trying to Fix My Skin from the Outside

My first thought was that my skincare routine must be the problem. With so many products marketed specifically for acne-prone skin, it made sense to start there.

I wondered whether my makeup, cleansing routine, hygiene, or clogged pores could be contributing to the breakouts, so I started experimenting with different skincare options.

Stage 1: Acne Skincare Products

Late 2017: Switching to Non-Toxic Skincare

I then researched skincare products with more natural ingredients, balanced pH levels, and fewer harsh chemicals.

Skincare Summary

After trying different skincare products and seeing little lasting improvement, I felt deflated. I began to feel as though I had no control over my skin.

At that point, I decided it was time to seek help from my doctor.

2018: The Next Step Was Conventional Acne Treatment

At this stage, I was hoping the doctors would be my saving grace. I did not know what else to try, and I desperately wanted something that would help.

Stage 3: Prescription Creams

Throughout this stage, I used multiple topical acne treatments, including creams and gels that were applied daily.

2018–2019: Birth Control and Hormone Questions

After a while, I was advised to try a different form of contraception as part of my acne treatment.

At the time, I was not trying to conceive, so I was open to exploring this option. However, after experiencing side effects, I began to question whether synthetic hormones were helping or making things more complicated.

Hormonal factors can play an important role in acne, which is why some conventional approaches use hormone-based treatments such as certain contraceptives.

2019: Coming Off Birth Control

I then decided to come off birth control altogether.

This was not an instant fix. My body went through a period of adjustment as it worked to rebalance naturally. Although I noticed a slight improvement after around six months, my hormones were still not where they needed to be.

My periods were irregular, my gut health was poor, and I was also struggling with IBS and constipation. I had been told it could take around three months for hormones to return to normal, but in my experience, it took much longer.

Doctor Summary

After finding that prescription creams were not providing lasting results, I eventually stopped using them.

I also did not want to rely on the contraceptive pill to manage my acne because, for me, that felt like putting a plaster over the problem rather than understanding the true cause.

At this point, I realised I needed to look deeper.

Late 2019: The Moment My Perspective Changed

During the final years of struggling with acne, I became increasingly interested in health, nutrition, and understanding how imbalances within the body can affect the skin.

Instead of only asking, “How do I get rid of acne?”, I started asking a different question:

“Why does my body keep producing acne?”

That question changed the direction of my life.

I wanted to understand the underlying science. This led me to spend four years studying the human body, nutrition, lifestyle, and the role that nutrients and diet can play in supporting health. I later qualified as a nutritional therapist.

Emerging research into the gut-skin axis has highlighted how the gut microbiome, inflammation, and immune function may influence acne development and skin health.

This made so much sense to me because I was not only struggling with acne, but also with digestive symptoms, hormone imbalances, irregular periods, low mood, and poor energy.

Early 2020: The Approach That Finally Worked

Throughout this journey, I used testing, symptom tracking, and a personalised nutrition approach to understand what my body needed.

The aim was to support my body from the inside out by focusing on areas such as:

Research has suggested that nutrition-related lifestyle factors may play a role in acne, with one study showing improvements in acne symptoms and insulin sensitivity following a low-glycaemic-load diet.

Within three to four weeks, I began noticing changes in both my skin and my body. I had more energy, felt more alert, and noticed fewer new spots appearing. My skin also felt less inflamed and irritated.

I did not want to get ahead of myself, but I felt genuinely excited.

After six months of sticking to my personalised nutrition and lifestyle plan, my skin was clear, my confidence had returned, and I finally felt like I understood what my body needed.

Mid 2020: My Personal Result

My acne journey was frustrating, emotional, and at times incredibly difficult. But it also became the reason I do what I do today.

I learned that acne is not always just a skin problem. For many people, it can be connected to internal factors such as gut health, hormone balance, nutrient status, inflammation, stress, and lifestyle.

Skincare can absolutely play an important role, but for me, the biggest transformation happened when I stopped only trying to treat my skin from the outside and started supporting my body from within.

If you are interested in learning more about the connection between gut health and skin, you may find it helpful to read about the gut-skin axis, or explore Beth’s Complete Gut Repair 3-Month Programme.

Why I Created VitaminBeth

I did not create VitaminBeth because I wanted to simply talk about food or supplements.

I created it because I know how lonely acne can feel. I know what it is like to try product after product, to feel embarrassed by your skin, and to wonder why nothing seems to work for long.

I also know how powerful it can be when someone finally helps you look at the bigger picture.

That is why my work now focuses on helping clients understand what may be driving their symptoms, including gut health, hormones, nutrition, inflammation, stress, digestion and lifestyle.

Looking Back

If I could go back and speak to the version of myself who had just developed acne in 2017, I would not tell her to buy another cleanser.

I would not tell her to scrub her skin harder.

I would not tell her to hide behind makeup.

I would tell her to start listening to her body.

I would tell her that clearer skin would not come from fighting her skin, but from understanding it.

What This Means For You

If you are struggling with acne, you may feel like you have tried everything on the outside: cleansers, creams, prescriptions, skincare routines or supplements.

But if your skin keeps flaring, it may be worth asking a different question:

“What is my skin trying to tell me about what is happening inside my body?”

A root-cause approach does not mean ignoring skincare or medical treatment. It means looking at the whole picture, including digestion, hormones, nutrition, inflammation, stress, sleep and lifestyle.

For a broader starting point, read How to Get Rid of Acne. You may also find Can Gut Health Cause Acne? helpful.

If You Are Feeling Like I Once Did