Blood tests
What's behind your breakouts, and how to find out.
breakoutLabs Review: How Lindsay Cleared Her Skin Before Her Wedding
A breakoutLabs review in Lindsay P.'s own words. After 15 years of acne and a flare a month before her wedding, she tested instead of guessing. Her results showed low iron, low ferritin and vitamin D deficiency. Here is what changed, plus more breakoutLabs reviews.
Vitamin D and Acne: Can Low Vitamin D Cause Breakouts?
People with acne tend to have lower vitamin D, and lower levels go with more severe acne. Here's how vitamin D works in your skin, who runs low, why megadosing blind can backfire, and how to check your level at home.
Testosterone and Acne: What Your Levels Mean for Your Skin
Acne tracks the testosterone your skin can actually use, not the total on a lab report. Here's how free testosterone, SHBG, DHEA-S and blood sugar fit together in women and men, why TRT can trigger breakouts, and how to check your levels at home.
PCOS Blood Tests: The Full List and What Each One Shows
No single blood test diagnoses PCOS. Here's every lab the 2023 international guideline lists, what each one shows, when to test, how birth control skews results, and which ones you can check at home.
Accutane Blood Tests: What's Checked and an Easier Way to Test
Isotretinoin monitoring covers pregnancy tests, liver (ALT) and blood fats. Here's what each lab checks and how often, plus how to check your liver, lipids and the hormones linked to acne coming back, at home, before, during and after a course.
Can Low Iron Cause Acne? Why Your Iron Is Worth Checking
Iron feeds oxygen delivery, skin repair, hair and energy, and low iron is common. Acne drivers differ for everyone, so here's how iron fits in, why not to supplement blind, and how to check your levels at home.
Inflammatory Acne and hsCRP: What an Inflammation Marker Shows
hsCRP measures low-grade inflammation anywhere in the body, not just your skin. Here is what the research says about hsCRP and acne, what a high result means, and why one reading needs context.
Do Dermatologists Do Blood Tests for Acne? What to Ask For
Most acne is diagnosed just by looking at your skin. Here's when dermatologists do order blood tests, which hormone tests are typically used, and how to ask your doctor about them.
Low SHBG and Acne: Why Normal Testosterone Isn't the Full Story
SHBG decides how much of your testosterone is active. When it's low, normal testosterone can still behave like too much. Here's what the research shows and how to read the pattern.
Low Ferritin and Acne: What the Research Actually Shows
Low ferritin hasn't been proven to cause acne, but iron stores matter for skin repair and are easy to misread. Here's what the research shows and why testing beats guessing with supplements.
Normal Bloodwork but Still Have Acne? 5 Reasons Labs Miss the Cause
"Normal" bloodwork usually means the acne-related markers were never tested. Here are five reasons standard labs miss what is driving your breakouts, and what to ask for.
Blood Tests for Acne: The Labs That Matter and What They Show
There's no single acne blood test, but a few labs can show what's driving yours: hormones, blood sugar and metabolism, liver and kidney, and vitamin D. Here's what each marker shows and which ones are worth adding.