Here, I discuss the main imbalances in the body, the skin issues they manifest as and what to do about them:
Acne
Internal cause: Toxic buildup, leaky gut, bacteria imbalance, hormonal imbalance
Acne often appears when the body is dealing with more toxins than it can handle. If the liver is overloaded and can’t process the toxins coming in, it will often push those toxins through the skin.
Acne is also a sign of an unhappy gut. Food intolerance and a leaky gut can lead to blemishes because the body is sensing toxins in the blood that have leaked through your gut lining. Many studies have found that acne sufferers have imbalances in their gut bacteria, with more bad bacteria and yeast in the body than healthy, cleansing bacteria. Acne that appears around the mouth and chin is usually a sign of hormonal imbalance.
Wrinkles and/or dry, dull skin
Internal cause: Nutrient deficiencies
Although our skin will change as we grow older, wrinkles and dry dull skin are often a major sign of dehydration and nutrient deficiencies. I often tell my clients to drink at least 70 ounces of filtered water and incorporate healthy fats like avocado, coconut products, olive oil, fish and nuts every day for 30 days and they’ll notice a significant difference in their wrinkles and skin tone.
Rosacea
Internal cause: Toxic buildup, leaky gut, bacteria imbalance
Similar to acne, rosacea has also been linked to toxic overload and bacterial imbalance in the gut. Conditions like Crohn’s, celiac disease and bloating often come along with rosacea. Healing the gut with diet and probiotics often improves and eliminates the rosacea.
Eczema
Internal cause: Allergy, leaky gut, toxic buildup
This condition is often triggered by an allergy, food sensitivity or stress of some kind. I always recommend doing an elimination diet to determine what your trigger foods are. Keeping a food journal also allows you to see how the food you eat is effecting your skin as you might notice more breakouts around the time you eat certain types of food.
Many people struggling with eczema also have intestinal permeability or leaky gut and the body is responding to the food and toxins that are slipping through the gut lining. I’ve also found that many of my clients with this condition also have high levels of stress. I often recommend clients go on a gut healing diet, incorporate daily stress relieving techniques such as deep breathing/meditation and address any bacterial infections and their eczema dramatically improves.
Thank you to Nutritionist, Yvonne O Shaughnessy for sharing her knowledge with us on gut health.
