What has gut health to do with your skin? Lots!

As you’ve no doubt heard me say a gazillion times before, your digestive system is the engine that feeds all your cells – and that includes your skin cells.  If you have any digestive issues, eventually that will impact on your skin. You may remember little Kate in a previous blog: 5 years old with alopecia and eczema. That’s why her parents brought her along to see me, but through questioning, it was revealed that she had been constipated since birth. There! That was the trigger. I identified food intolerances, recommended some restorative supplements, including the correct probiotics,and Kate was a new child; fully functioning digestive system, clear skin and a head full of lovely hair 🙂 

Probiotics play a pretty important role when it comes to skin health, as they can not only  kill off the harmful bacteria resident in our gut, but also prevent overgrowth of harmful bacterias that live naturally on our skin.

Then we have those pesky parasites! Common cause for hives (as well as digestive discomfort and lethargy), so it’s well worth having a stool sample to determine if this is the reason for the unidentified and stubborn patches of hives or welts that you might be baffled by.

And what about those dark patches of skin under your arms or behind your neck?  Could be a sign that your pancreas is not liking the sugars you are consuming!  Insulin resistance can impact on the skin in visible ways like dark patches and skin tags. Sugar’s inflammatory reaction in the body destroys skin cells, and it attaches to proteins including collagen and elastin, which are essential for keeping skin cells healthy.

There are many ways to look after your skin, including a well-rounded diet and plenty of water but remember, it’s not only about the fuel……the engine matters too!