Is Your Gut Causing You to Break Out?
By Sheree Hannah Wellness
Gut health is all the hype at the moment, but what on earth has it got to do with the health of your skin? And more importantly why is it making you break out?
Well, your digestive health quite literally shows up on your skin.
There are a variety of skin conditions that can appear as a result of poor diet and lifestyle choices. If we take this to a deeper level, and look at your digestive health, we can start to understand why our skin might be behaving the way it is… particularly in relation to acne!
As a holistic nutritionist that specialises in hormone and gut health, I have seen so many clients try taking numerous medications like isotane, doxycycline, accutane, the oral contraceptive pill, and other antibiotics to try and clear up their skin (yet still have so many issues with it).
Honestly, I get it! This was me all throughout my teens, but let me tell you a little secret… It doesn’t solve the problem because you aren’t treating the ROOT CAUSE!
You see the gut is the cornerstone to your health, it houses around 70 – 80% of your immune system, clears toxic build up and reduces inflammation. The only issue is, you may not have been giving your gut the love it needs to be functioning in a way that not only makes us healthy on the inside; improving energy and mood, but radiant on the outside with healthy awe-inspiring skin.
Your digestive system allows you to break down and absorb the nutrients from your food, however, if your gut microbiome (the bugs in your intestine) is out of balance (dysbiosis), you could be eating perfectly and still not have that beautiful glow.
Your skin is the second largest organ in the body (after the fascia) and also plays a role in detoxification. The reason acne and breakouts can occur is because the detoxification system (aka your gut and liver) are overloaded and/or imbalanced.
For example, you don’t have enough good bugs in your gut, so the bad bugs have a chance to take over, you can’t digest food and nutrients properly, your toxins build up and then the gut doesn’t move things effectively, and these toxins seep out into our bloodstream.
As a result, because the body can’t eliminate these toxins through its normal route of bowel movements, the body pushes these toxins out of the skin (hello acne)!
This is why the key to healthy glowing skin is to create a healthy internal environment (gut), so that it is reflected in a healthy external environment (our skin).
So let’s help you with that… The good news is, it’s not a complicated fix!
You need to start by ensuring you are having regular bowel movements (daily), to eliminate the toxins and waste from your body. So, if you’re experiencing constipation or diarrhoea on a regular basis, you may need to do a little further investigation as to what might be driving this (food intolerances, stress, hormonal imbalances).
I suggest you start by including plenty of fibre, probiotic and prebiotic foods in your diet which will help to support your gut health and thus the health of your skin.
Nourishing your body internally and externally is the best combination for amazing results, so I recommend you pair this alongside topical skincare products (ideally medical grade) that are best suited to your skin type!
Below are some examples these as well as of my favourite foods that I use to heal and repair the gut-skin connection:
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Non-starchy vegetables: leafy greens, broccoli, cauliflower, capsicum, zucchini, mushrooms etc are all fantastic in providing the body with fibre to help make up our stools.
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Bone broth: particularly important for aiding in healing leaky gut as it is loaded with collagen, glutamine, gelatin and proline which help support the gut lining and integrity, as well as aid in digestion.
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Fermented foods: like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir are great sources of natural probiotics that help repopulate and introduce beneficial bacteria into the gut.
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Coconut oil: this is not only a great fat, but full of natural antimicrobial and antifungal benefits, you can even use it directly on the skin too!
Yours in Health & Happiness,
Sheree xo
