Achieve Healthy Skin Holistically
Essential foods & nutrients for skin resiliency
November is National Healthy Skin Month, and let’s kick it off with ways to support healthier skin holistically AND naturally
As a licensed naturopathic doctor, I am an expert in both holistic & integrative medicine. And, I focus on holistic & integrative medicine for people with acne, eczema, and other skin issues.
When patients first see me in-office, I always let them know that I see their skin health as a reflection of their inner health.
I also let them know that I am going use my expertise in holistic medicine to identify the underlying causes and triggers of their skin issues. And once identified, I aim to use that information to treat their skin & the underlying factors with integrative medicine - which means that I am trained in both natural & conventional treatment options.
There are some major themes that I tend to see with my patients that start them on the journey towards healthier & clearer skin.
And, those themes include:
Skincare routines to support skin from the outside-in
Skin nutrition & lifestyle practices to support skin health from the inside-out
So, let’s talk skin nutrition this week and skincare routines another week!
DISCLAIMER: This article does not constitute as medical advise; is not meant to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any conditions or disease; and is meant for educational purposes only. Speak to your provider before starting anything new.
Skincare from the inside-out
The skincare products someone uses are only as effective as the foundation it sits on.
The foundation of skin health is determined by how we nourish it from within. And, the foundational aspects of skin health (and health overall) are diet/nutrition and lifestyle. There are several studies that have connected gut health to several skin issues. So, I feel that supporting gut health is fundamental when holistically supporting skin health.
Support the gut = support the skin
When looking at gut health, it’s all about supporting the gut microbiome and supporting optimal digestion.
The gut microbiome is described as all of the living microorganisms in the gut, and studies have linked gut bacteria imbalances to acne, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, and more. And, science says that supporting optimal digestion is one of the factors that play a role in changing gut bacteria. So, where do people start? Someone can do both at the same time.
Gut-supporting foods:
Gut bacteria love fiber, and our gut cells love the products that gut bacteria make from that fiber. Postbiotics are bacteria byproducts essentially made from fermentation. Gut bacteria can eat and ferment fiber to form a byproduct called short-chain fatty acids, which our gut cells love. And, interestingly enough, science shows that people with eczema have been shown to have depletions of gut bacteria responsible for the production of short chain fatty acids!
Important gut bacteria species love antioxidants. Akkermansia muciniphilia is considered a "keystone” gut bacteria species as it reduces inflammation in the gut to support gut health. And, Akkermansia loves antioxidants - specifically concord grapes, cranberries, and more.
Digestion support:
Suboptimal digestion could potentially lead to gut bacteria imbalances, therefore potentially disrupting skin health. The whole entire point of digestion is to break big food particles into small food particles for out gut cells to absorb into our blood stream.
If food particles are not broken down enough, it could potentially lead to the overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. This is an issue, as gut bacteria are supposed to be only found in the large intestine.
And, if gut bacteria overgrow in the small intestine, it can lead to gas, bloat, and changes to bowel movements - which can look a lot like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). These gut bacteria changes could also increase somebody’s risk for developing food intolerances and sensitivities, nutrient deficiencies, and skin issues.
So, mindfully chew and taste food to help start the digestion process in the mouth. And, don’t eat while stressed or busy doing something, as this may disrupt optimal digestion.
Testing for gut health:
When patients see me for different skin conditions, and I suspect that gut inflammation might be playing a contributing role to their symptoms, I may recommend some dietary recommendations to understand what is triggering gut inflammation and their symptoms and/or may recommend testing to understand what is going on with their gut microbiome populations that may be contributing to gut inflammation and skin issues.
When patients complete gut microbiome testing, we have a better understanding about their gut health picture, and I can recommended targeted natural options to help them achieve optimal gut health.
From what I’ve seen with most of acne, eczema, and rosacea patients who have completed gut health testing and gotten treatment, they have started to achieve healthier & clearer skin after 1 month! But, everybody has different skin journeys, and some people may need more time to achieve healthier skin.
Essential Skin nutrients
Nutrient deficiencies & skin:
Food is the source of nutrients that our body (and skin) need to perform optimally. And there are several nutrient defifricneis that have been linked to different skin issues.
Starting off with acne, science shows that vitamin D deficiency and zinc deficiency have been linked to acne. And moving on to eczema, science shows that vitamin D deficiency and iron deficiency have both been linked to eczema.
So, what does that mean? Having a nutrient dense diet is helpful for optimal skin performance! But what if you want to take a supplement?
It is always worthwhile to speak to your doctor to get the necessary labs completed first IF you are considering starting a supplement. And, that’s because from what I’ve seen in-office as a licensed naturopathic doctor, when people take supplements without the supervision of a provider people are either:
Taking too low of a dose, and don’t see any changes
Taking too high of a dose where it could negatively affect health
Taking a supplement that could worsen pre-existing conditions
Taking a supplement that could interact with the medications that they are taking
I always let my patients know that it would be best to TEST, NOT GUESS. And, I let them know what their testing options look like when they see me in office for holistic skin treatment.
Essential Skin foods
Food-based antioxidants & skin:
Another cool scientific finding about dietary antioxidants is that it could potentially support youthful skin. A 2012 review suggests that there is a link between nutrition and skin aging, indicating that “fruit and vegetables consumption may represent the most healthy and safe method in order to maintain a balanced diet and youthful appearing skin.”
And more recently, a 2021 longitudinal study looking at the long-term effects of oral intake of foods with high antioxidant capacity on skin health showed that adults 45 years and older who ate foods with high antioxidant capacity “experienced approximately 10% less photoaging over 15 years than those who ate foods with low antioxidant capacity.”
To get my antioxidants everyday, I make it a point to put a cup of wild blueberries in my daily oatmeal smoothies. Other sources of antioxidants that I personally love are: blackberries, goji berries, turmeric, cacao nibs, black rice, broccoli, and salmon.
Stress resiliency = skin resiliency
Stress can be physical or emotional stress. Physical stress can look like pushing yourself when you have low energy or working out so hard you don’t feel good afterwards. And, I’m more than confident you know that emotional stress looks and feels like.
Stress & Acne:
In regards to both physical and emotional stress, the brain perceives it as just stress. Once the brain senses that we are experiencing some sort of stress, the brain sends a signal to the adrenal glands to activate it. Once activated, the adrenal glands will send out cortisol and DHEA. DHEA is an important hormone, as this androgen hormone can affect skin health by potentially triggering acne.
And, here’s some cool science about DHEA and yoga! Science shows that when females with PCOS did mindful yoga for 60 minutes 3 days per week for 3 months, it drove down their DHEA levels!
Stress & eczema
Have you seen that stress worsens your eczema? I did. When I was in medical school, I had eczema when I was stressed. And, there’s interesting science that says that stress might make skin itchier. And by making skin itchier, that could trigger an itch-scratch cycle that may trigger eczema!
When we talk about skincare topicals this month in another post, we will talk about environmental skin stressors & how that could affect skin health.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU WANT to achieve healthier skin NATURALLY?
The answer is simple: Work with a licensed naturopathic provider. As mentioned earlier, licensed naturopathic providers are experts in holistic and integrative medicine.
As integrative medicine experts, we are trained in both natural and conventional options. So, you will be able to capture a vast array of treatment options to help you achieve your skin goals when you work with a licensed naturoapthic doctor.
If you want to see me, I see patients in-person and virtually. The only caveat is that since I am only licensed in the state of California, I can only see patients who are physically in the state of California (especially for telehealth patients).
If you are outside the state a California, a great resource to find a licensed naturoapthic doctor in your state is the Institute for Natural Medicine’s directory: https://naturemed.org/find-an-nd/.
Want to learn about skin health from a holistic & integrative POV? Read my articles on:
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