If you think that acne is only a teenage problem and shouldn’t affect you in your adult years, think again.
Acne can be an embarrassing and frustrating skin problem at any age, and understanding that acne is an outward sign of an inward problem allows you to focus on a long term solution – healing your gut.
As a nutritionist, I know that when it comes to reducing acne, what you put in your body is just as important as what you put on your skin. Understanding the gut-skin connection allows you to focus on using food to heal your body through addressing your gut health to improve your skin, reduce acne, and increase your confidence.
Here are a few ways your gut health can impact your skin:
1. BEATS INFLAMMATION
Cystic acne is common during the teenage years, but also affects adults, and is caused when there is a buildup of oil and dead skin deep in the pores, resulting in inflammation.
And all inflammation is rooted in the gut.
To reduce inflammation, focus on improving your gut health by removing some common inflammatory foods from your diet - like dairy, sugar, and fried foods.
Don’t worry, there’s still lots of great foods you can still eat like leafy greens, sweet potato, apples, nuts and seeds, fatty fish, and fruits and vegetables. They help to reduce inflammation through improving the health of your gut.
2. BOOSTS IMMUNITY
Acne is often a result of an immune reaction due to an allergy or intolerance. With over 70% of your immune system located in your gut, focusing on healing it seems like a no-brainer.
Keeping a food journal or taking an IgE food allergy test can be helpful ways to pinpoint foods that may be aggravating the gut and causing your acne. By removing the trigger foods, you should see a reduction in your symptoms, helping you to control your acne.
Eating immune boosting foods is important for strengthening your immune system to aid with healing your gut and preventing acne, not just managing it as a symptom. Try including berries, citrus fruits, red peppers, garlic, ginger, broccoli, and spinach into your diet to boost your immune system.
3. BALANCES HORMONES
We know that hormonal imbalances can trigger acne but, contrary to popular belief, it’s not exclusive to teenagers. Hormonal issues are becoming more common and can affect both men and women well into your senior years.
Start by working to naturally balance your hormones and control your acne by improving your gut health. You can do this by addressing any known issues like SIBO, parasites, candida, or leaky gut.
Adding a good quality probiotic into your routine helps to improve your gut flora, while also including fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha. Eating a diet high in hormone balancing foods like avocado, salmon, coconut oil, almonds, eggs, and quinoa is also important.
Understanding that a proper skin care routine using all natural products, like Emmaline’s Exfoliating Pearls, good quality sleep, exercise, and supplements are all helpful – but if you suffer from acne and want to beat it instead of just treat it, do some work on healing your gut and you’ll see the improvement you’ve been looking for!
About Sharisse
Sharisse is a Registered Nutritional Counsellor focusing on helping her clients find the link between their digestive and mental health struggles, and their gut - helping them heal using the power of whole foods.
Learn more at www.sharissedalby.com