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Can Drinking Kombucha Get Rid of Acne?

We put the theory to the test
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Ever since I can remember, I've been getting acne all over my face. I'd wake up to head to school, dust on some BareMinerals powder to "cover" my imperfections, then spend the rest of the school day avoiding eye contact with literally everyone.

I spent a lot of time (and money) testing out all the "best" skin care. The girls at Sephora knew me by name, because I'd stop in just about every month to complain that the product they recommended last month didn't do anything for my acne. I used to get so frustrated when my mom would tell me, "Stop using so much different stuff on your face!" and me responding, "But I'm a beauty writer, mom!"

It finally came to a point about a year ago that I realized that maybe my skin care routine wasn't the problem. I knew that I was using good products, so why the heck was I still breaking out? I mostly experienced angry, cystic pimples that hid under the skin -- usually until an important day -- then they'd come out to play (and embarrass the sh*t out of me).

That's when I came across an article that spoke about how much what you take into your body has to do with the things you see outside your body. I scoffed it off mainly because I knew that I ate like a 12-year-old (and couldn't even think about having to cut myself off of pizza and macaroni and cheese). In the back of my mind I could help but think, could this really be the issue?

Image Courtesy Kristen Bousquet

Thumbnail via Kevita

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A Trip to the Esthetician
In addition to using skin-care products for acne, I took monthly trips to my esthetician. My acne was always somewhat under control, but about four months ago, it went bazerk. I made a rush appointment to see her -- and that's when she started talking to me about my diet and health. Of course, I would rather have run out of there than confess to all the crap that I was eating regularly, but instead I gave her all the details that she needed. Her response: "Are you taking a probiotic?" I wasn't -- mainly because I thought they were for older people since my dad takes them (I know, clearly uneducated about this stuff).

After the facial, I went home and performed an in-depth Google search on probiotics and acne and was surprised to see that many other people had great results with their skin after they started taking probiotics. And if the Internet says something works, how could it not?

Image via Spaweek

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My Probiotic of Choice
Through my research, I found that there are many different forms of probiotics that you can take from pills to liquids to powders to tongue strips. I knew that if I chose to take a pill, I would likely skip a day or two and then completely forget to take them. I needed something that would keep me motivated to stay on track with my probiotics, and that's where kombucha came into play.

Across Instagram, I'd seen so many chic girls photograph their kombucha in a flat lay photo next to their favorite Dior lipstick and perfectly organized day planner. And what can I say, I'm a sucker for photogenic fad. Also, what did I have to lose? I decided to start drinking one 16 fl oz. kombucha every day to see what the hype was all about.

Image via Pinterest

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Getting Down With Kombucha
As it turns out, what I had to lose was a boatload of money. When I first walked into the grocery store and saw that a bottle of kombucha sold for $3.50 a pop, I basically turned into Kristin Wiig in Bridesmaids ("Help me, I'm poor!!"). Then I told myself that if I was paying $200+ for my monthly skin care routine, I could dig up the cash for this "magical cure" ... if it was actually going to work.

I purchased a bottle of Kevita and took my first sip. The taste? Let's just call it interesting. A friend told me that it tasted just like ginger ale. I have no idea what kind of ginger ale she's been drinking because it beared no resemblance to me.

Instead, it's like drinking alcohol without the benefits (you know, getting drunk). The fermented beverage has a fruity, boozy flavor, kind of like an old-school wine cooler, but with a decidedly vinegar-y punch.

Nonetheless, I promised myself that I would drink one full bottle every day for two weeks. Here's what it got me.

Image courtesy Kristen Bousquet

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My Skin Before
As you can see, I'm no stranger to acne. My complexion is full of acne scars from past pimples that wanted to leave their mark (literally). You can also see that I have a couple cystic pimples on my forehead. What you can't see is that there are also a few cystic pimples along the jawline and by my hairline.

Image courtesy Kristen Bousquet

BY KRISTEN BOUSQUET | OCT 10, 2017 | SHARES
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