Acne might be thought of as a hormonal problem that teens grow out of, but studies have shown that it can continue well into women’s 30s, 40s, and even 50s, according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association.
For many women suffering from the skincare condition, they’re told their only options are prescription medications like Spironolactone and even Accutane, which is controversial for its whole slew of side effects.
Danielle Gronich and Kayleigh Christina founded the clean skincare brand Clearstem in 2017 after battling acne for much of their lives – Danielle was even on Accutane three separate times.
Kayleigh was dealing with severe cystic acne in her mid-twenties. She repeatedly visited specialists and even considered Accutane before seeking treatment from Danielle at the San Diego Acne Clinic, and later teaming up with the expert.
‘Acne is a genetic predisposition, but then your lifestyle factors, your diet and the products you use determine how bad it gets,’ Danielle told DailyMail.com over Zoom.
Danielle struggled with grade four cystic acne into adulthood, which is highly inflamed and leaves scars, spreading to multiple parts of the body.
At the same time, she was studying cellular biology and genetics and gearing up to go pre-med.
Danielle would ask her dermatologist why she was breaking out and found they weren’t able to answer, other than asking which prescription she wanted to try.
She ended up going on multiple birth controls that were tweaked every three to four months to try to clear up her breakouts – although some made them worse.
‘I did all that, and three rounds of Accutane, but it came right back because of pore-clogging ingredients in my products,’ Danielle revealed.
After her third round of Accutane at 29 wasn’t successful, she decided not to attended medical school because she was ‘disenchanted’ with her ‘experience in our medical system’ and didn’t want to be ‘a prescription writer’ for the rest of her life.
Instead, Danielle enrolled in aesthetician school, and then started her acne clinic.
Kayleigh, who’s now a holistic nutritionist, met Danielle a decade ago after she decided to get off of birth control and the antidepressant she had been taking since she was 14.
Kayleigh said she dealt with ‘classic teenager acne’ when she was younger, trying all the quick fixes at the time, like the celebrity-endorsed Proactiv and ‘harsh creams’ like Differin.
In her twenties, Kayleigh began dealing with aggressive acne and couldn’t find answers about how to heal her skin.
In her twenties, Kayleigh began dealing with aggressive acne and couldn’t find answers about how to heal her skin.
‘At this time, obviously TikTok didn’t exist, which I’m grateful for, because I would have been so inundated with information, but no one was talking about acne or holistic health,’ Kayleigh said about the social media landscape.
For ten months she didn’t want to leave her house and found herself ‘caking on makeup’ and feeling ‘so self-conscious, like everyone was staring,’ leaving her isolated.
‘Then, the dermatologist said the only solution was Accutane,’ Kayleigh said. She even started the process, including taking pregnancy tests and signing the paperwork – but right before she was about to start, she did one last Google search and found Danielle.
When it comes to Accutane, Danielle described it as a ‘band-aid’ for acne and clarified, ‘We don’t want to come off like we’re bashing dermatologists, the doctors – that’s not it – it’s our medical system that’s the problem.’
Instead, Danielle found twelve surprising triggers that were causing Kayleigh’s acne, including dairy and eggs, as well as supplements, including excess amounts of B12, zinc and biotin.
Kayleigh ended up using four products Danielle recommended which helped transform her skin and have since inspired their cruelty-free and gluten-free skincare line, which is geared towards acne, anti-aging, and healing scars.
‘In two months, my skin was completely clear,’ Kayleigh revealed, adding that in another two months all of her scar damage was gone.
Now, Clearstem works to educate people on supplemental and dietary triggers so they can regain control over their skin, with guides on their website, classes held in major cities, and a podcast that’s constantly making the rounds on social media.
Kayleigh told FEMAIL she’s most proud of reprogramming ‘how people look at acne’ by ‘making sure that people understand it’s internal and external.’
Over the years, Kayleigh has seen how people approach acne change, especially online as influencers like Alix Earle share vulnerable stories.
Kayleigh explained that these stories bring people together, so they know they’re not experiencing it alone, explaining, ‘no one’s trying to get acne, but they’re also not feeling like they’re the only ones that have it anymore.’
‘I think that the younger generation is aware now that your doctor doesn’t have all the answers, and that prescriptions are not all the answers,’ Kayleigh said.
‘I think they’re more aware that whether they know what the right next step is, they need to get the full picture of internal and external. At least people are questioning for themselves.’
