The Connection Between Skin Health, Detox, Hormones, and Gut Health

It’s often said that our skin reflects our inner health, and this is true in many ways. Our skin is more than just our natural clothing, it is by itself a unique organ. Most skin issues are a red flag telling you that there is something deeper in the body that needs to be addressed. So we want to take an approach that not only improves the skin issue, but also addresses the deeper root that your body is trying to tell you about.

If you want long term results for improving your complexion, you need to have a deeper understanding between the relationship of our skin, detoxification, hormones, and gut health. 

Skin: One of the Five Microbiomes

If you have been reading my blogs, you know that the skin is one of the five microbiomes: 

✔️ Gut

✔️ Skin

✔️ Oral

✔️ Vaginal

✔️ Respiratory

Each of these microbiomes has their own distinct composition of microorganisms to keep us healthy and balanced. The skin microbiome serves as a protective barrier against pathogens, helps in wound healing, and regulates inflammation. Taking care of our skin microbiome is one pillar to improving our skin health.

Skin as a Detoxification Organ

Your skin is the largest detoxification organ in your body!  It helps eliminate toxins through sweat and acts as a barrier to environmental pollutants. However, if detoxification is too aggressive, it can overwhelm the skin, leading to worsening of the rashes, acne, and other irritations. A gradual, balanced approach to detox is essential to avoid exacerbating skin problems.

You can support detoxification through the skin with saunas, exercise, or dry skin brushing.

For example: even though sweat is almost entirely water, studies have found that some toxins—including heavy metals and bisphenol A (BPA)—are excreted in sweat. 

Having adequate detoxification can ..

✔️ Improve skin (without rashes or outbreaks)

✔️ Improve bowel movements

✔️ Improve sleep quality (without waking at 3am)

✔️ Improve mental clarity (without the brain fog!)

Hormones and Skin Complexion

Hormones are another leg to the healthy skin spectrum. Hormonal imbalances are linked with: 

• Melasma: Often caused by hormonal changes, such as those during pregnancy or from oral contraceptives, melasma results in dark, discolored patches on the skin. Side note: I have seen melasma also have a root in mycotoxin colonization - link back to the gut microbiome and treat the whole ecosystem of the body!

• Rosacea: This chronic skin condition can be triggered by hormonal fluctuations, leading to redness and visible blood vessels in the face. Side note: I have also seen rosacea have a strong link to digestive inflammation and digestive insufficiency - link back to treat the gut as the root to your skin!

• Acne: Hormonal acne, common during puberty, menstruation, and menopause, is driven by androgens that increase oil production, leading to clogged pores and breakouts. Side note: If your gut ecosystem is imbalance, the microbiome can trigger your estrogens to recirculate back into your body, increasing the estrogen dominant symptoms and triggers more acne - link back to treat the microbiome as a root to your clear skin!

Digestive Health: The Root of Skin Issues

Digestive health is intrinsically linked to skin health. An inflamed gut can lead to inflamed skin. Here’s how:

• Leaky Gut: When the gut lining is compromised, toxins and undigested food particles can enter the bloodstream, triggering inflammation and skin issues.

• Microbiome Imbalance: An imbalance in gut bacteria can lead to skin problems like acne, eczema, and psoriasis. The recirculation of estrogen from imbalance microbiome is called ‘estrobolome’

• Nutrient Absorption: A healthy gut ensures proper absorption of nutrients essential for skin health.

5 Quick Tips to Improve Skin Through Digestive Health

Fortunately, there are some simple steps that we can do to improve those trillions of microorganisms that make up your biomes. Here are 5 everyday activities to keep your microbiome health:

1. Probiotics and Prebiotics: The Mediterranean Diet, fermented foods, fiber-rich foods, and polyphenols (colorful compounds in plant foods) have all been found to benefit the microbiome. Incorporate probiotic foods (kimchi, sauerkraut) and prebiotics (garlic, onions, bananas) to support a healthy gut microbiome.

2. Hydration: Drink plenty of water to support digestion and detoxification, keeping alcohol to a minimum

3. Get Regular Exercise: Exercise (as long as it is not training to exhaustion) benefits the diversity of the gut microbiome. Aim to exercise at least 30 min a day at least 3 days a week. 

4. Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Focus on anti-inflammatory foods like leafy greens, berries, and fatty fish to reduce gut and skin inflammation.

5. Limit Sugar and Processed Foods: These can disrupt gut bacteria and lead to skin issues.

Top 5 Skin Nutrients

Don’t forget that food is medicine, but when it comes to utilizing supplements to jumpstart skin healing, these are some top nutrients to focus:

1. Vitamin C: Essential for collagen production and skin repair. Found in citrus fruits, strawberries, and bell peppers.

2. Vitamin E: An antioxidant that protects the skin from oxidative damage. Found in nuts, seeds, and spinach.

3. Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Reduce inflammation and keep the skin moisturized. Found in fatty fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts.

4. Zinc: Helps with acne control and wound healing. Found in pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, and beef.

5. Biotin: Supports skin cell regeneration and overall skin health. Found in eggs, almonds, and sweet potatoes.

Research Update:

A recent review of 42 studies, published in JAMA Dermatology, found the top nutrients to support clear skin in acne-prone individuals:

• The highest quality studies showed potential benefits from vitamin D, green tea extract, and probiotics. 

• Other studies suggested benefits from vitamin B5, omega-3 fatty acids, and gamma linoleic acid. 

• Zinc was the most commonly studied nutrient, but it only showed benefit in half the studies. Higher doses were more helpful but were also associated with adverse effects. 

This review is limited by only looking at supplements rather than foods and dietary patterns, but it’s good evidence that nutrition can make a difference for skin health.

Top 5 Ways to Detox the Skin

Next to maintaining a healthy biome, improving our detoxification in a safe way (one that is not over aggressive that stimulates more skin concerns), is a great way to improve complexion while improving our detox status.  Here are 5 everyday activities to improve your detox to improve your skin:

1. Sweat it Out: Regular exercise and sauna sessions help eliminate toxins through sweatt

2. Dry Brushing: Stimulates lymphatic drainage and exfoliates dead skin cells.

3. Hydration: Drink ample water to flush out toxins.

4. Detox Baths: Soak in baths with Epsom salts

5. Clean Skincare Products: Use natural, non-toxic skincare products to avoid introducing new toxins to the skin. If you don’t know where to start, check out the Environmental Working Group.

Achieving clear skin for long term results requires us to look deeper and consider the balance between your detox, hormones, and digestive health as they correlate to your skin health. Remember that your skin is an outward reflection of what is going on in the inside. And through small changes in your diet and lifestyle you can have significant impacts in your long term skin health.

If you are looking for more ways to improve your skin health, fill out our short application to learn about how we can help you.