Happy Hormones

Some insight into acne and skin issues.

Acne is multifactorial and has a firm connection with hormonal imbalance but its not the only factor. Actually hormonal imbalance is secondary to the real causes which can be multifactorial.

Let me just focus on the most common cause. The skin has been called the third kidney. So its an elimination organ. When the internal elimination systems are either weak or overloaded then the skin takes over some of the task. FYI the body will do anything it can to eliminate toxins and prioritise the process. (Most of our health concerns are linked to internal toxin load.)

Alcohol for example will be prioritised over all other bodily processes to be metabolised and eliminated as the body sees it as a toxin. So improving digestive health is always the best place to start with acne. If the elimination system, i.e liver bowel and kidneys are not working well then your hormones will not be broken down and excreted well. This contributes to a a larger hormonal imbalance and acne development. In teenagers there is a large surge in hormones and if the body does not deal with them then it leads to acne. So its critical to get the bowels working regularly, balance the bacterial balance while at the same time taking the stress off the elimination systems via a healthy, unprocessed diet.

In terms of diet, wheat, saturated fats, sugar and dairy are the main culprits that over burden the system. Dairy and wheat in particular congest the lymphatic system which assists in elimination. It takes a least 2 to 3 weeks before seeing the benefits as it takes this long for the lymph to clear.

There are other foods but it depends on individual reactions, however any food intolerance will contribute to congesting the lymph and hence the skin. Now in terms of treatment because inflammation exists, a focus in reducing the inflammation is important because one pimple will cause another. One tip I recommend is taking high doses of vitamin c for 2 weeks. This clears the bowels, raises antioxidant status and reduces inflammation and can have a dramatic effect on clearing the system, but its only temporary. At the same time make the diet changes and then after a few weeks I suggest B6, Zinc and Silica as nutrients specifically for the skin.

It is also a good idea to take a liver tonic with Milk thistle. Start on HH at the beginning to assist with the hormonal imbalance and then after 1 month introduce evening primrose oil as a hormonal balancer but also to provide healthy fats to reduce inflammation and balance the skin oil production.

FYI often oily skin is a result of either bad fats in the diet or no fats at all. The body will produce more oil production on the skin when it is dry as a protective mechanism. Another interesting topic is cleansing.

What should you use or do?

A new school of thought says the skin has its own bacterial balance and if you cleanse everyday you destroy this balance. Much akin to taking antibiotics. Its a fascinating idea. Studies where done on a primitive rural tribe in South America who had flawless skin and they found bacteria which is basically extinct in the western world which naturally prevents the bacteria linked with acne vulgaris.

Anyway my suggestion is don't be to overzealous with antibacterial cleansers. Look at natural based soaps and good microfibre cloths. I hope this helps but if you really focus on the GUT this is where you will get the best benefits and then secondary on your hormonal balance rather than just looking at hormones.