Many people who suffer from problem skin – acne, pimples, rashes – often resort to medication. Although medication may offer a quick fix, it does not address the root cause of the problem. This means that problems could manifest into something else later on.

Here we look at what could be causing your skin issues and suggest ways in which to set things right, naturally.

Things To Consider if You Have Problem Skin

• Food

Have you heard of the gut-skin axis? There is a strong interaction between your gut and the health of your skin. For example, if you eat processed foods, you may find you have a skin flare-up. Poor food choices can lead to inflammation, the body’s inability to detox, and may also help to feed something unsavoury in your gut (like bad bacteria or yeast).

You can create a happy gut bug environment by removing inflammatory foods such as gluten – which causes leaky gut and inflammation. Sugar is another culprit. Parasites, yeast and bad bacteria all love and thrive on sugar, resulting in the production of toxins in your gut. As the body starts to detox these from your skin, you may notice spots and pimples, or other skin issues.

Bad fats like trans fats and fake fatty acids (like those found in margarine) are another no-no when it comes to good gut health. Replace these bad fats with skin-loving good fats – each cell membrane in the body is comprised of 50% saturated fat and we need saturated fats for good skin. Good fats include butter, ghee and coconut oil.

If you are looking for healthy skin, you should also avoid unfermented soy. The body sees it as an estrogen, which can lead to hormonal imbalances, resulting in skin problems. Fermented soy, such as tempeh, is generally considered okay for gut bacteria.

Nourishing and healing your microbiome is a huge first step to glowing skin from the inside out.

• Nutrient Deficiencies

There are some vitamins and minerals that have an important role when it comes to healthy skin:

Vitamin A – This balances your hormones by decreasing androgen (the male hormone steroid). It also promotes new skin growth and helps the skin to heal more quickly. It is also immune enhancing, can lower inflammation and helps the liver to detox. Vitamin A is found in cod liver oil, Changing Habits Nature’s Vitamin C (Camu Camu Powder), other good fats and liver.

Zinc – Zinc increases the vitamin A content in your blood. It is also wound healing and fights against infections in your gut.

Sulphur – This is a great detoxifier. It is found in foods like broccoli, brussels sprouts, garlic, cabbage and onion.  

Apple Cider Vinegar – This is antimicrobial, nutrient-rich and great for optimising stomach acid. Around 40% of people with acne have low stomach acid due to a microbial imbalance. For general health, start by taking a tsp in water each morning on an empty stomach, building up to a tbsp.

• Topical Skin Care

Our bodies don’t do well when we eat foods laced with chemicals and the same goes for skin care. Use chemical-free products on your skin, and always look for sneaky worded vegetable oils in the ingredients such as ‘grapeseed oil.’

Did you know, Inca Inchi Oil, like many oils, is not only good as a food to take internally but is also a fabulous oil to use on your face and skin? The oil is pressed from the seeds, which have higher essential fatty acid and Vitamin E content than Rosehip, Inca Inchi’s fine molecular structure means it also penetrates the skin faster than Rosehip. The Inca Inchi oil has the potential to give you glowing skin and stay better protected, compared to taking weeks to get from many other oils.

Bentonite clay is also good at drawing out toxins. Mix it with a histamine-lowering cultured yogurt or kefir (such as those available at Kultured Wellness), or some apple cider vinegar, apply it to your skin and leave for 20 minutes. You could also add a spoonful to your bath with a drop of apple cider vinegar. This will help change the pH of your skin. Microbes create a pH they love – this bath will create an environment they don’t thrive in, resulting in improved skin.

So how do we get glowing skin?

• Nourish your gut with real foods
• Make sure you aren’t lacking any skin-supporting vitamins or minerals
• Ditch chemical-laced skin care products.