What your bloodwork can tell you that your skincare never could
Skin Insider

You've tried enough skincare. Maybe it's time to find out what's actually driving your breakouts.

If you've been dealing with acne for years, you probably know the routine by now.

A new cleanser.
A new serum.
Another supplement.
Cut out dairy. Cut out sugar. Drink more water. Stress less.

Something works for a few weeks, you get excited… and then the breakouts come right back.

I talk to women going through this every day, and there's one thing I wish more of them heard sooner:

You might not need another product. You might need better information.

Because skincare can show you what helps your skin.

Your bloodwork can help show you why you may be breaking out in the first place.

You already know the pattern.

It works. Until it doesn't.

You already know the pattern.

Your skin starts clearing and you think, finally, this is the thing.

Then a month later you're standing in front of the mirror again, pulling your chin toward the light and trying to figure out what changed.

Was it something you ate?
Your period?
Stress?
That new supplement?
Did you use too much retinol?
Not enough?

So you change something else and start the experiment all over again.

That cycle is exhausting.

And it's not because you haven't tried hard enough.

It's because you've been asked to solve a problem without being given enough information about what's causing it in the first place.

And that guessing adds up.

$540+spent every year, on average, trying products that may never address what's driving the problem
1 in 2have avoided dates and pictures because of their skin
2 in 3say acne has had a major effect on their confidence
And that guessing adds up.

After years, that's more than $1,000 spent testing products on your face…

…without ever testing what's happening underneath it.

And the money usually isn't even the worst part.

It's getting your hopes up.

Thinking maybe this is finally it.

Then waking up with another breakout anyway.

Here's something else most people never think about.

Sometimes the things you're taking for your skin can be part of the problem too.

We hear this from customers constantly.

Among women who tell us a supplement seemed to make their breakouts worse, one name comes up again and again:

Biotin.

Yes, the ingredient inside countless bottles labeled Hair, Skin & Nails.

Another one we hear about?

B12.

That doesn't mean everyone taking biotin or B12 is going to break out.

It means blindly adding supplements because they're supposed to be “good for skin” is still guessing.

If you don't know what your body actually needs, more isn't always better.

This is why we look underneath the skin.

Persistent acne often isn't just about what's sitting on the surface.

Your skin responds to what's happening throughout your body.

Hormones.
Stress.
Blood sugar.
Nutrient status.
Inflammation.

And those systems can interact with each other in ways that another cleanser simply can't measure.

That's why we look at biomarkers across four major areas.

This is why we look underneath the skin.

Hormones

Hormones can influence oil production and the type of breakouts you experience.

Free TestosteroneTotal TestosteroneSHBGDHEA-SAlbumin

Stress & inflammation

The stress response can influence inflammatory pathways and help explain why certain people notice flare-ups during stressful periods.

CortisolhsCRP

Nutrients & recovery

Your skin needs the right nutritional environment to repair and function normally.

Vitamin DB12FerritinCreatinine

Blood sugar

Blood sugar and insulin-related pathways can interact with hormones and inflammatory signaling.

HbA1c

And this is the part that finally clicked for a lot of our customers:

A cream can't tell you any of this.

It can help your skin.
It can calm inflammation.
It can unclog pores.
It can absolutely be part of the solution.

But it cannot tell you whether something happening inside your body may be contributing to why the acne keeps returning.

That's what testing is for.

“But I already had bloodwork. My doctor said everything was normal.”

“But I already had bloodwork. My doctor said everything was normal.”

I hear this one all the time.

And it's one of the biggest reasons women assume there's nothing left to investigate.

You get your labs back.
Everything is technically “in range.”
Your doctor says things look fine.

And yet…

You're still breaking out every month.

Here's the important distinction:

Being inside a laboratory reference range doesn't automatically explain what's happening with your skin.

Most routine bloodwork also isn't designed specifically around persistent acne.

You may not have had Free Testosterone checked.
Or DHEA-S.
Or SHBG.
Or HbA1c.

And even when several markers are tested, they're often looked at individually rather than together.

That matters because your hormones, blood sugar, stress response and nutrient status don't operate independently.

The pattern can matter just as much as the individual number.

★★★★★“They just look like, ‘Oh, you fell in the right range, move on.’”Cathleen D.

Imagine finally getting an answer that feels specific to you.

Imagine finally getting an answer that feels specific to you.

Not: “Try another cleanser.”
Not: “Maybe stop eating dairy.”
Not: “Your labs look normal.”

An actual report showing your biomarkers.
What they mean.
How they may relate to your skin.
And where it makes the most sense to focus first.

Maybe your androgen markers stand out.
Maybe your Vitamin D is low.
Maybe your blood sugar markers deserve more attention.
Maybe stress appears to be playing a bigger role than you realized.

Or maybe the thing you were convinced was causing your acne looks completely normal.

Either way, now you know something you didn't know before.

And that changes the entire way you approach your skin.

You stop throwing things at the wall.

You start making decisions based on your biology.

★★★★★“It's amazing when you know what it is. It's easy to fix. You just have to know what it is on the inside going on.”Verified customer
Reviewed by board-certified physicians
Dr. Akash A. Patel Dr. Akash A. PatelBoard-certified dermatologist
Dr. Mi Hye Elisa Song, MD, FAAD Dr. Mi Hye Elisa Song, MD, FAADBoard-certified dermatologist
Dr. Manhong Ma, MD Dr. Manhong Ma, MDBoard-certified dermatologist
4.8/5from 5,117+ verified customers
90.5%saw visible improvement
12 biomarkerslooked at together

You've spent enough time guessing.

Every breakout has you asking the same questions.

Is it my hormones?
Is it stress?
Is it something I'm eating?
Do I need another supplement?
Why did that treatment work for three months and suddenly stop?

At some point, trying more things isn't the answer.

Getting more information is.

See what your skin has been trying to tell you.
The Acne Root Cause Test

See what your skin has been trying to tell you.

A comprehensive at-home blood test designed specifically to help uncover biological factors that may be contributing to persistent breakouts. Test first. Then decide what your skin actually needs.

Get the test
HSA/FSA Eligible | At-home collection

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Laboratory services are performed by independent CLIA-certified partner laboratories. Individual results vary.