Gut health for clear skin.

It seems like we’re doing all the right things when it comes to skincare…washing our face several times a day, using expensive skincare that promise to clear our skin and getting facials and other treatments. And yet, our skin can still be inflamed and having acne. This can be extremely frustrating like we were destined for a life with bad skin. This happens because we often forget the truth: skin quality is what we eat.

Believe it or not, almost all skin conditions can be traced back to gut health. Unfortunately, skincare companies don’t focus on this, because if our guts are healed and our skin is naturally glowing, big food and cosmetics companies won’t make money off us. If you are curious whether the state of your gut health could be the reason of your skin problems, there are a few things to look out for:

1. You have inflammatory skin conditions : eczema, psoriasis or rosacea. These have been linked to leaky gut syndrome and food allergies. If you deal with any of these issues, try test for any food allergies or leaky gut.

2. You’re constipated. When this happens, all the processed chemicals and toxins that you’re body is trying to excrete through your bowels are now getting reabsorbed into your body. In this case, the skin tries to help and starts to eliminate waste through your skin cells in the form of acne, unhealthy skin colour and a dull complexion.

3. Overdoing it. If you feel like your skin is reacting badly to every skincare you are using, try to give it a break. Give your skin time to heal and rest. Our skin is perfectly capable to maintain itself and to function on its own, sometimes all it needs is a little support. Sometimes, two or three natural, simple products are all you need to help your skin function properly without stripping it and damaging the skin’s barrier.

Try Mediterranean foods. Focus on a gut-loving diet. Think lots of plants, organic proteins and healthy fats. Try and focus on adding in nourishing whole foods like greens, vegetables, probiotic fibre-rich carbohydrates like sweet potatoes and root vegetables, fermented foods, berries, citrus, apples, raw nuts and seeds, extra virgin olive oil… If you can, minimize your intake of processed foods, refined sugars and alcohol, since these tend to irritate the gut, especially if consumed regularly. Beauty is much more than skin-deep, and a healthy glowing complexion truly does start in the gut.