SKIN DISORDERS
Did you know that problems with the skin are almost always the symptom of another underlying issue usually related to diet, gut health, or toxins in the body? This makes nutrition an important factor in healing the skin. It’s essential that you treat skin conditions from the inside out by getting to the root cause, which is exactly what I can help you with! Using the functional medicine approach, I will help you identify these imbalances in the body so that you can look and feel your best again. We will work together to identify nutrient deficiencies, heal your gut, detox, and have your skin glowing again by creating a customized nutrition and lifestyle plan based on your individual needs.
Skin disorders such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, and dermatitis are one of the most common health problems affecting approximately one-third of people in the U.S. Most people seek out a dermatologist who will treat the condition topically or with antibiotics. While this might temporarily relieve some of the symptoms, it can further disrupt your gut flora causing more dysbiosis.
A common trigger for skin issues is intestinal permeability, commonly known as “leaky gut”, which causes systemic inflammation. Studies have also found that stress and gut inflammation can affect the actual skin barrier (think “leaky skin”) impacting its natural defense system. According to research, here are some clinical manifestations of the gut-skin connection that we know of so far.
- Acne rosacea – study found it to be 10 times more prevalent in people with SIBO compared to controls.
- Dermatitis herpetiformis – also known as Duhring’s disease, is a skin manifestation of autoimmune diseases such as Celiac Disease (affects approximately 25% of CD patients).
- Acne vulgaris – a study of 13,000 adolescents found that those with acne were more likely to experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as constipation, halitosis, and acid reflux.
Choosing Safer Skin Care and Cosmetic Products
The skin is the largest organ in the body and it has an important role as a barrier and first line of defense. This means that it's exposed to the outside world including toxins and pollutants that can cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress not only causes inflammation and skin conditions, it also contributes to aging of the skin. The toxic herbicide Glyphosate not only disrupts the gut microbiome, it also is extremely difficult to detox and affects collagen production.What you put on your skin is equally important because most personal care and cosmetic products contain harmful chemicals that are known hormone disruptors, allergens, and neurotoxins.
Many synthetic chemicals may also be irritating your skin making your condition worse. Scientific studies over the past 40 years have fueled the consensus that exposure to toxic chemicals plays a role in the incidence and prevalence of many diseases and disorders in the US. “Toxic” meaning those chemicals that can harm cells or organs, cause neurological damage, and/or alter important biological systems. Identifying and removing these environmental toxins is an important step in restoring and maintaining good health.
It can be very overwhelming trying to figure out which products are safe and which ones may be toxic. Unfortunately, there is a lack of regulation when it comes to the beauty industry and companies are not required to test for safety or disclose those ingredients that may be linked to things such as cancer or reproductive health issues. The good news is that I can help you sort through your beauty and personal care products to determine which one’s may be impacting your health and can also recommend safer alternatives.
