This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health and Athletic Greens. Typically, the first thing we reach for to deal with acne is a lotion, potion, or cream to apply to the skin—and conventional medicine doctors frequently prescribe birth control pills. These approaches do not target the root cause of acne, however. A growing body of research suggests it’s not what we slather on our skin that matters most but rather what is going on inside our body. In today’s episode of my series I’m calling Health Bites, I talk about acne—the number-one skin condition in the United States—and its effects on not just millions of teenagers but an increasing number of adults. This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health and Athletic Greens. Rupa Health is a place where Functional Medicine practitioners can access more than 2,000 specialty lab tests from over 20 labs like DUTCH, Vibrant America, Genova, and Great Plains. You can check out a free, live demo with a Q&A or create an account at RupaHealth.com. AG1 contains 75 high-quality vitamins, minerals, whole-food sourced superfoods, probiotics, and adaptogens to support your entire body. Right now when you purchase AG1 from Athletic Greens, you will receive 10 FREE travel packs with your first purchase by visiting athleticgreens.com/hyman. Here are more details from the episode (audio version / Apple Subscriber version): Common causes of acne (4:16 / 1:16)  Foods to avoid if you have acne or are trying to prevent a breakout (5:34 / 2:34)  The gut-skin connection (7:22 / 4:45)  Considerations for using the birth control pill to treat acne (8:30 / 5:37)  Dietary and lifestyle changes for reversing acne (9:30 / 6:30)  Choosing skin-safe topical products (13:00 / 10:03)  Mentioned in this episode Milk and Health Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database