Healthy skin comes from the inside out

While there are many supportive treatments that can help to address skin concerns such as facials, microdermabrasion, and a variety of skincare products, if the underlying cause of your skin condition is not addressed, these treatments can only do so much. Many of us believe a break-out is a sign that there is something wrong with our skin. However, like many symptoms, it is our body’s way of showing us there is a problem internally.

There are 3 internal conditions that commonly affect the health and appearance of our skin:

Hormone Imbalance

Imbalances in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone can all play a role in a variety of skin concerns, particularly acne. Additionally, insulin resistance, the inability for our cells to respond to insulin, can lead to an increase in androgens such as testosterone. This can cause an imbalance in our hormones and an increase in acne and oil production. Insulin resistance is brought on by eating a diet that includes an excessive amount of carbohydrates. Certain foods such as hormone treated meat, poultry, and dairy, as well as components of plastic such as BPA can also influence our hormones and in turn, affect our skin.

Digestive Issues

Acne and other skin disorders are much more common in industrialized countries than more traditional hunter-gatherer cultures. This illustrates a connection between a modern diet and lifestyle and unhealthy skin. Increased intestinal permeability aka ‘leaky gut’ (hyperlink to previous article) often contributes to skin concerns and can be the result of a variety of components of modern times such as prescription medications, alcohol, toxic and inflammatory foods (such as sugar, GMOs and gluten), mold, and gut infections.

High Toxin Load

The skin is a major detoxification organ that enables the clearance of toxins through perspiration via tiny holes in our skin called pores. Additionally, our skin absorbs everything we put it on it. Exposure to toxins via pesticides on our food, toxic beauty products, smoking, unfiltered water, and urban pollution as well as things that interfere with detoxification such as lack of nutrients and minerals, dehydration, and constipation can all affect the health of our skin. For these reasons, a treatment plan for your skin concerns should treat your internal health, and take into consideration your hormones, digestion, and toxin exposure, while also considering health conscious topical treatments and skincare products.

Book an appointment with an Integrative Naturopathic Doctor to find the root cause of your skin health concerns!