Please note: A number of other websites refer to using bentonite clay. Please DO NOT substitute their guidelines or product for ours. Our clay is stronger in its action than a lot of other clays, different in its texture and the way it behaves. Our guidelines are designed to work with our products.

This guideline has been written by our practitioner Sarah Beesley (MHD Hons) to provide a comprehensive approach. The best result is gained when the whole guideline is followed. The best result is gained when the whole guideline is followed. Please be aware that results may vary and that if you have any pre-exisiting conditions, we advise working with a trained practitioner. 

The following information is not intended to diagnose any condition or to replace the advice of your doctor.  

What is Acne Roscaea?

Rosacea is a skin condition that affects parts of the face and/or neck. It is sometimes called Acne Rosacea because it can look similar to acne. It is however, a different condition from acne vulgaris which is the typical teenage or “hormonal” acne. Symptoms of Rosacea include one or more of the following:

  • Frequent flushing of the face, similar to blushing. This is often the first symptom and may be the only symptom for months or years before anything else develops.
  • Redness of parts of the face. This can look similar to sunburn.
  • Small lumpy red spots and small cysts on the face. The spots and cysts look similar to acne. These may come and go in some cases but in others, remain long-term unless treated.
  • Telangiectasia on the face. These are tiny blood vessels under the skin, which you can see and can become quite prominent on the face.
  • Eye symptoms (also called ocular rosacea) occur in about half of cases, but are often mild. They can include:
    • A feeling of something in the eye.
    • Burning, stinging or itchy eyes.
    • Dryness.
    • Sensitivity to light.
    • Eyelid problems such as cysts, styes or eyelid inflammation (blepharitis).
  • Inflammation and infection of the cornea (the front of the eye) is an uncommon but serious complication that can affect vision. See a doctor urgently if you develop eye pain or visual problems.
  • Thickening of the skin on the nose occurs in some cases. The most well known example of this is called a rhinophyma (a bulbous, bumpy nose). This is uncommon.

The symptoms of Acne Rosacea are due to inflammation and infection. There are several things that can exacerbate this such as eating foods that don’t agree with you or eating spicy foods and drinking alcohol, but they are not the root cause.

The Causes of Rosacea

Research has shown that a large percentage of Rosacea cases may be the result of a mite called Demodex living in the skin. Demodex are related to spiders and are drawn to the hair follicles of eyebrows and eyelashes and to the oily pores on the nose, forehead and cheeks. They are known to feed on yeast and the oil, or sebum, in the skin. Their life cycle involves them crawling coming out of the pores at night to mate, and then crawling back into the pores where they lay their eggs and die. The death of the mite results in their fecal matter being released into the skin which can then set up an inflammatory reaction and a secondary bacterial infection in the skin, which then results in the pimples and cysts that we know as Acne Rosacea.

Standard treatment usually involves antibiotics which work while they are being used because they address the secondary bacterial infection. However, the condition often returns after the antibiotics are stopped because the yeast and the mites are still there and the conditions that supported their growth and the growth of the bacteria haven’t changed.

Rosacea can also reflect a disturbed gut flora and is often reactive to foods which upset the flora balance and therefore the immune system. A first step is to remove dairy and sugar from the diet which alters the gut flora and the sebum levels and therefore the flora on the skin.

The First Step

  • Pack the affected areas generously with Purely Earth Clay every day for 10-14 days and then twice a week or as needed. Each time, apply a thick layer of clay paste to the skin and leave on for 20-30 minutes. Remove the bulk of the clay with paper towels and then wash the rest off with a flannel and warm water. This will assist with the removal of excess oil and waste in the skin and helps to unplug the pores. It will assist in reducing the bacteria on the skin. For how to make a clay pack Click here. 
  • Follow with Purely Earth Vitamin E Cream. This is a non-chemical natural cream that nourishes and feeds the skin and will help to soothe and heal any stressed areas of the skin surface. Add 2% strength Lugol’s Iodine to the cream at a rate of 1 Tbsp to 1 tub of cream.
  • Use Purely Earth Clay internally to improve the health of the digestive system.

Support the Digestion and Remove Any Inflammatory Triggers

  • Use Purely Earth Essential Detox Minerals. We have found these to be invaluable in treating Acne Rosacea alongside the clay because they support the digestion and detoxification systems. They are a unique ionic mineral formulation that provides all of the most commonly deficient minerals required to run the digestive enzymes and liver enzymes, and they are in a highly bio-available form. Use 2-3ml of the liquid per day for adults.  Put into water or diluted juice.
  • Get our Food and Chemical Sensitivity Test done to identify and enable removal of inflammatory foods and substances.  In our experience this is a must. Leaving inflammatory foods in the diet will hinder the immune system recovery and prevent it from doing its job on killing off the yeasts and fungi.
  • Address any signs of weak digestion such as bloating, gas and indigestion. This can be done by using Betaine HCL or 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar (ACV) in water before each meal and increases the uptake of minerals through the digestive system. For those with a history of reflux, stomach or bowel ulcers or who are using antacid medications, we recommend an appointment with our practitioner Sarah before you try either of these.
  • Take activated B vitamins to support enzyme function.
  • Use 1500 – 2000 mg of Vitamin C.
  • Take 1-2 Tbsp of Hemp seed oil daily for omega 3 content.

Address the Bacterial and Fungal or Yeast Infections

Acne Rosacea occurs on the face but the microbial issue will most likely be a systemic one and needs to be worked with accordingly. Please ensure your bowel is moving every day before you start the following. Seek help from a practitioner to get your bowel moving daily if necessary.

  • We recommend the use of Purely Earth Diatomaceous Earth internally. Take 1 generous tsp of powder mixed into water just before bed, preferably on an empty stomach. You can take it along with the clay. This is an important part of the solution because yeasts will form colonies in the bowel within a sugary film called a bio-film as part of their protection mechanism. This powder assists with breaking the bio-films up and is easy to use.

In Addition

  • It recommended to use Dr. Wilson’s Inner Healing to assist in healing the gut lining. Yeasts and fungi make holes in the gut lining when they anchor themselves to the gut wall. The resulting damage can allow the bowel contents to leak from the gut into places they shouldn’t go and this can increase inflammation.
  • Remove dairy products and sugar from the diet for 4 weeks and see what the improvement is.
  • Eat lots of green and colourful vegetables and a good quality protein at least 2 times a day. We do not recommend protein-deficient diets because protein is an essential nutrient required for repair, digestion and detoxification. If you choose to go vegetarian, get some good advice about how to get adequate protein within your diet changes. The World Health Organisation Standard is 1 gm of protein value per kilo of body weight. This means a 60 kg person requires a minimum of 60 gm of protein value per day in their diet. A palm size piece of fish for example, contains around 25 gm of protein content.
  • Avoid food that comes in packets. Eat food that is as close to its natural form as possible. This means it contains more nutrients and less added toxins and a better resource base for your body to use.
  • Minimise any form of grain foods as these contain compounds which can interfere with nutrient absorption.
  • Avoid alcohol and spicy (hot) foods. These tend to make the flushing worse.
  • Make sure you drink adequate water. Your body needs this to make digestive juices and to clear acidic wastes.
  • Include a small amount of Celtic or Maldon salt as part of your diet. Your body needs the chloride it provides to make digestive juices. Do not use table salt – it is high in aluminium and is lacking in trace minerals.

Stress

Do not underestimate the effects of stress on your body. This can be stress due to a chronic inflammatory condition (think pain, tenderness, redness, swelling or aching), being over-busy, not breathing properly, eating foods that cause you problems, a lack of sleep, dehydration, infection, loneliness, or feeling emotionally vulnerable or unsupported.

Take Steps to Nourish Yourself

  • Assess what must stay in your life and what can go.
  • Assess whether the things that you think must stay, nourish you or deplete you and reassess if necessary.
  • Provide a quiet space in every day that does not involve electrical devices. This allows your nervous system time to unwind.
  • Seek out things, animals or people that make you laugh.
  • Eat mainly food that does not come in a packet. Nature knows best how to provide balance; manufactured food does not.
  • Eat regularly through the day and make good food a priority, not an inconvenience to be squeezed in amongst other activities.
  • Avoid inflammatory foods – things you know you are intolerant to, or which make you feel sluggish, moody, affect your bowel or cause flare-ups of a health condition.
  • Move your body without the exercise stressing it further. Exercise in a way that makes you feel good, not tired. Increase the exercise level gradually as your energy level builds.
  • BREATHE DEEP. Breathing deep sends a signal to your body that you are safe. Shallow or fast breathing does the opposite. Your stress glands and nervous system will respond accordingly.
  • Go to sleep before 10pm and get up before 7am. Your body clock requires this of you even if your head says otherwise. 1 hour of sleep prior to 12am is worth 2 hours after 12am in terms of the rest it provides. Avoid interaction with electrical devices (phones, computers, TV, play station, X Box, iPad, iPod and the like) for 1 hour prior to sleep and remove as many electrical devices from your bedroom as you can. DO NOT sleep with a light on and cover all digital light displays in your room, or even better, remove them.

Toxicity and Why it is Often the Start of the Breakdown

Mercury, excess copper ,cadmium and some chemicals will cause disruption to stomach acid production because they block the correct use of zinc, B1 and B6, so even if you take these as supplements they may not work as well as they should. When zinc, B1 or B6 is low or blocked, stomach acid will be low which will then affect the release of digestive enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver. This results in poor digestion throughout the gastro-tract and less efficient clearance of toxins through the production and release of bile from the liver.

When insufficient stomach acid and enzymes are produced, the minerals required for healthy digestion are not absorbed as well, food is not digested properly and can start to ferment and putrefy in the stomach and digestive tract. The resulting fermentation and putrefaction can cause symptoms such as food intolerances, indigestion, reflux, irritable bowel, bloating and gas due to an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria and yeasts in the intestinal tract. These can then cause inflammatory responses, increased permeability of the intestinal walls and abnormal immune function which may then lead to a myriad of complaints including acne rosacea, hay fever, aches and pains, oestrogen dominant hormonal conditions such as fibroids and endometriosis, an overloaded detoxification system, food and chemical sensitivities, eczema, asthma, erratic bowel function, IBS, lowered immunity, yeast infections outside of the gastro-tract, mood imbalances, headaches, brain fog and fatigue.

If the above treatment outline does not clear the problem for you, we recommend you contact our practitioner Sarah to help you dig deeper.

Note:

Using the above information may result in a reduced need for medication due to improved nutrition. We advise that appropriate monitoring be put in place. For example: If you have high blood pressure which is being controlled through mediation, get a cheap blood pressure cuff and monitor any changes at home. If your blood pressure drops, ask your doctor to reduce your medication accordingly. If you are on thyroid medication or cholesterol lowering medication, get your blood levels tested regularly.

© Purely Earth Ltd. This document may be copied and used as a patient handout in its entirety but is not to be replicated on any other websites or publishing media either in full or part without our permission.