6 Ways To Beat Acne And Support Skin Health

When it comes to skin health and acne breakouts there are many things to consider – hormonal imbalance, digestive health, hydration levels, nutrient deficiencies, congested liver, poor dietary choices, inflammation, high stress and cortisol levels. It’s always important to get to the root cause of your acne in order to heal your skin for good.

Products you put onto your skin also matter; if you’re using commercial moisturizers, toners and cleansers, they often contain harsh chemicals, fragrances, parabens, and alcohol, which could do more harm than good. The toxins in these products can overload your liver, stirp the natural oils in your skin, leaving your skin really dry, so choose natural and organic brands when possible.

In clinic, I see many women and men who suffer from acne. They all have different root causes, but there are quite a few common culprits to take into consideration, which I wanted to share with you today.

1. Get hydrated!!!

Stayed hydrated is essential. Water helps to flush out waste products and toxins from the body and helps to keep skin hydrated.

2. Support your liver

Our liver is our main detoxification organ, which plays a HUGE role in skin health and balancing hormones. When the liver doesn’t function well, hormones can recirculate through our system, and waste products aren’t eliminated properly, this can cause hormonal havoc, leading to acne breakouts. One of the best dietary ways to support the liver is through increasing your intake of dark leafy green vegetable (rocket, kale, spinach, silverbeet), and increasing your intake of brassica vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts), along with staying hydrated. Liver support supplements are also beneficial (best to check with a health practitioner first before self-prescribing to find out which ones are good quality and best suit you).

3. Look after your gut health

It’s essential that you’re clearing your bowel daily to remove waste products and toxins from your system so that they don’t recirculate around your body. Also, if you’re taking an oral contraception pill (OCP), or have a history of taking the OCP, medication or antibiotics, your gut health may need support. Birth control, antibiotics, medications can lead to leaky gut and mess up your microbiome. Improve gut health by ensuring you’re getting enough fibre from non-starchy vegetables in your diet and supporting your gut with either a good quality probiotic or probiotic foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir.

4. Remove gluten, dairy and sugar from your diet

These foods are all common culprits with acne, as they can all trigger inflammation within the body. It may seem overwhelming at the start to remove all these foods, but have a look through the recipe section in my website, the majority of my recipes are gluten-free (except for a few recipes that contain oats and spelt flour), and all my recipes are dairy free and refined sugar free.

5. Eat a clean, anti-inflammatory diet

Eat a wholefood diet full of fresh seasonal vegetables, good quality protein (organic or free-range meat, fish, eggs, beans, legumes), healthy fats (nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocado, flaxseed oil), complex carbohydrates (brown rice, quinoa, sweet potato, pumpkin), and some fruit. This will ensure you’re giving your body the best chance at healing by boosting your nutrition intake and removing processed nutrient-depleted foods.

6. Key nutrients to focus on

Being on the OCP, stress, having poor quality sleep, drinking too much alcohol, can deplete your body of many skin-loving nutrients, making your skin symptoms worse. In fact, the birth control zaps a whole host of vitamins and minerals such as some B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, selenium. Key nutrients to support skin health are omega-3, zinc, vitamin A.

If you’re struggling with acne and have been for some time please ask for help! You don’t need to be a victim and suffer from bad skin. Skin health can have such a huge impact on our moods, mental health, and also our social life, so it’s worth reaching out for help from a qualified practitioner who can help you with a healthy diet, supplement, and/or lifestyle advice if needed. Once you understand what is the driving force behind your acne, you’ll be able better manage it for the rest of your life.