By Bri Mesenbring, MS, CNS, LDN | Last Updated: April 27, 2025

Jennifer’s acne has healed through seven months of dedication, dietary and lifestyle changes, and staying proactive.

This is her story.

Initial Consultation: 

Jennifer came to my office in September of 2024. 

Her main complaint was persistent acne, oily skin, and chronic constipation with bloating from certain foods.

She reported that acne began in 8th grade or early high school. She also had a history of irregular bowel movements and constipation since childhood.

Jennifer experienced bloating after foods like kombucha, beans, pizza, but she didn’t experience bloating after garlic and onions. (Reactions to garlic and onions are common in patients who have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth [SIBO]). 

She tried several interventions to help her acne, including birth control pills, various skincare products like Neutrogena Oil Day/Night, and Elta MD Recovery Serum. 

Her supplement routine consisted of acne-specific probiotics, called Serene Skin, Omega-3 fatty acids, Acnutrol, and an adaptogenic blend called Adrene Vive. She reported starting this regimen after she read through the Acne Supplement Guide. 

But, you can read more about what the research says about which supplements help with acne in the article titled Top 5 Supplements for Acne Relief. 

Moving on… 

She had a simple skincare routine consisting of the Neutrogena gentle cleanser, along with Elta MD Recovery serum and sunscreen in the morning. 

Family History: 

Unremarkable family history. No known food allergies, but she had self-reported environmental allergies. 

Lifestyle:

Jennifer slept for around 6 hours per night and drank around four cups of coffee per day. 

Her dietary recall consisted of the following: 

• Breakfast: Veggie scramble with turkey sausage
• Starbucks or meal-prep soup or Uncrustable 
• Bread; noodle, Uncrustable 
• Meal prep (protein and veggie), lamb shank, green beans, or fast food 

Her Medical Symptom Questionnaire total was 52.

• GI Symptoms: 11
• Mental/emotional: 17 combined
• Skin: 4 

Short-term goals: 

• Address hormonal/diet triggers for acne
• Improve digestion and eliminate specific foods

Long-term Goals:

• Create a sustainable plan to reduce acne

Assessment

• Acne vulgaris (chronic, partially hormone-related; improving with current nutrition and supplement interventions)
• Constipation (functional, lifelong history; improved post-surgery but remains irregular)
• Bloating (food-related; likely FODMAP sensitivity or gut dysbiosis)
• Mild caffeine sensitivity (GI and hydration response)
• Nutrient concerns: Low B12, inflammation (elevated hs-CRP, a marker of inflammation), iron storage high (elevated ferritin)

The following were the initial interventions we discussed based on her goals, health history, and past lab history. 

Initial Intervention/Nutrition Counseling: 

• Discussed and encouraged Jennifer to follow a 3-4 week Elimination style diet that removed dairy, gluten, red meats, eggs, and refined sugar 
• Educated Jennifer on blood sugar balancing
• Discussed and educated on meal support: attached several meal plan options to her treatment plan and discussed meal delivery services such as Daily Harvest to help with plant-forward elimination diet

Lifestyle:

• Use Squatty Potty and develop daily BM routine
• Practice pelvic floor exercises to promote bowel regularity
• Encourage 7-8 hours sleep/night and stress-reducing hydration habits

Supplements:

• Continue Omega-3, Serene Skin, Acnutrol
• Continue Adrene Vive
• Consider B12 supplementation (sublingual or methylated form) due to low serum levels
  

Skin Routine:

• Gleanser (Prequel)
• Elta MD Recovery Serum
• Moisturizer with hyaluronic acid
• Sunscreen (AM only)

Jennifer suggested that she didn’t want to change up her skincare routine too much, so we kept it as simple as possible by bringing in a gentle cleanser like the Gleanser from Prequel. 

She loved her other products, so we kept them in her routine. 

Her next follow-up was scheduled for three weeks. 

1st Follow Up Appointment:

At her next appointment, Jennifer reported improvements in multiple areas:

Anthropometrics (body measurements):

• Weight decreased from 143 lbs to 133 lbs since starting elimination diet

Digestive Patterns:

• Bowel movement frequency increased from 1-2x/week to 3-4x/week
  No current gas, but past bloating with certain trigger foods

Skin Changes:

• Acne redness reduced
• Lesion count reduced

Energy and Cognition:

• Reports increased energy and reduced brain fog

MSQ: 19

• GI Symptoms: 5
• Mental/emotional: 12 combined
• Skin: 2 

She had completed the Elimination Diet and we discussed moving forward with food reintroductions to help her understand which, if any, foods were triggering her acne. 

Jennifer had mentioned that she thought dairy and eggs triggered her acne. She chose to continue to remove those food groups from her diet. 

Fast forward several months to April 2025, Jennifer continues to enjoy reduced breakouts, smoother skin, less brain fog, better bowel habits, and overall more energy in her life due to the changes she made. 

Although we are still working on her hormonal breakouts, she is satisfied with everything she has learned and how great her skin is doing. 

From Jennifer: “I Googled “dermatologist nutritionist” and you came up. I knew there had to be someone out there who was helping people with skin issues in a more natural way. I wanted to find someone who would help me exhaust the natural options before considering going to see a dermatologist who would most likely just put me on medication. From the results I have seen, I now don’t need to go to the dermatologist. I am so happy with the results. It was just a bonus that your services were covered entirely by my insurance! Thank you, thank you!” 

Jennifer has been an ideal patient. She came in determined to put in the time and effort needed to see these changes. She has continued to take pictures of every meal and upload them to her patient portal. She says it helps with accountability. 

It’s been amazing to see how her skin has calmed down. 

I believe it is a combination of lowering inflammation, supporting proper elimination and bowel movements, supporting the stress response, and overall promoting a healthier gut. 

Acne turns into a thing of the past once you understand its main root causes, which we saw put into action by Jennifer!

Ready to take the next step in your acne care? Jump into a call with Bri to discuss your personalized natural acne treatment protocol today!