You wouldn't believe how many of my clients come to me, unhappy with their skin, saying that they've tried so many different products for their skin issue and nothing has worked. It's easy to assume that since our skin is on the outside, tangible and ever so obvious, that what we put on it should automatically fix our issue. But quick fixes rarely last, and as someone wise once said "If we want to heal, we must first look inward"...or something like that.
Like all other body organs, our skin depends on internal organs and functions to maintain its health and perform optimally. Let's give a few examples:
The circulatory system provides the skin with oxygenation blood and nutrients, flushes away waste to the lymphatic system, and helps our skin regulate body temperature.
The respiratory system brings in oxygen in which the skin relies on
The digestive system uses Vitamin D absorbed from the skin to break down organic compounds to be used by cells (including skin cells)
The endocrine system secretes hormones that keep sweat and oil glands functioning to keep the skin healthy.
Okay so without killing you with boredom, you can see how important it is to maintain internal health while trying to improve your skin health. That being said, emotional well-being also plays a vital role in keeping the skin healthy. This is a hard one to manage for most of us. It becomes a vicious cycle- you're feeling stressed that you have a few breakouts, then you break out even more because your stressed, then you begin to stress even more, and then..well you get my point. When we are stressed or worried for long periods of time, our body releases inflammatory cytokines and cortisol levels rise leading to inflammation and excess oil production, amongst other things.
Many say to me, well if I can at least temporarily fix my skin, then at least my stress will go down and I'll stop breaking out due to stress. I think that's great, but what about other stressors in life? We all have them: work, family issues, financial issues, relationships, etc. As much as I love giving facials and recommending skin care products to help improve my clients skin, it makes achieving your skin goals so much easier when you do the work internally versus only starting from the outside. Why? Because without fixing the root-cause, we are simply providing a band-aid. And yes, there are exceptions, some skin issues are just genetics and DNA, and we have no control over what happens. Regardless, your physical and emotional health can and will affect your skin healing journey.
I am a firm believer in utilizing experts to help reach our goals. That can mean seeing an endocrinologist or your PCP to check your hormone levels, seeing a therapist to talk about your feelings and thoughts, trying acupuncture, or seeking help from a nutritionist to help you come up with a diet plan that works for you. If you don't know where to start or if you have an idea but need guidance and accountability, then I recommend starting with an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. They not only provide guidance on nutrition and lifestyle, but more importantly they help you to design a path to success and encourage you to reach your goals. I've personally worked with one and found the experience to be so personalized, so alleviating, and so helpful. Whoever it may be, I encourage you to find someone with whom you connect with and find helpful and encouraging in your journey to a healthier you.
If in fact you'd like some recommendations, I will look through my network of practitioners and happily refer you. That being said, I absolutely adore and respect the knowledge of health coach Micaela Giovannotti. She offers personalized integrative nutrition health coaching virtually and at an affordable rate. Everything from nutrition, mental health, exercise, spiritual well-being, and more. You can read more about her expertise and book with her by clicking here. Or, read more about her below. Whatever you decide your skin journey will look like or what it will entail, just remember that your body works as a total system, and we must always keep that system in homeostasis to achieve and maintain the skin we want.
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