Skin disorders and sensitivities are a daily and ongoing occurrence for millions of people. These conditions are not only unsightly, but can cause significant discomfort. Common skin conditions such as Acne, Dry skin, Eczema, and Psoriasis can be caused by specific triggers and can, therefore, be minimized or altogether, avoided.

ACNE

Blackheads or pimples and redness? Common triggers include sugar, refined carbohydrates (which are turned into sugar in your body), fried foods, and hormones in processed dairy products. Sugars and carbohydrates stimulate an insulin surge in your body – which is known to cause increased sebum production from sebaceous glands. Sebum is the oily secretion on your skin. Excess sebum contributes to acne. Dairy products frequently contain hormones that cause dysfunction of the sebaceous glands which results in acne.

Skin care specialists recommend using an elimination diet to step by step cut out sugars and diary to identify your specific triggers and improve skin condition.

DRY SKIN

Scaly or dull skin? Common causes include dehydration, hormone imbalances, and thyroid disorders. As simple as it sounds, drinking enough water should be the first step to maintaining healthy skin. Most people don’t drink enough water and/or ingest high levels of caffeine each day and can experience skin conditions due to lack of sufficient hydration. The average individual needs at least 64 ounces of purified water to maintain healthy skin. Each cup of a caffeinated beverage should be replaced with 1-2 cups of water. Hormone imbalances can also cause dry skin. Estrogen, progesterone and testosterone should be kept in appropriate ratios for optimal health. Dry skin can also be an early symptom of thyroid imbalances.

ECZEMA

Itchy or painful rash? Look to the cause of eczema (and most skin conditions) in your digestive system. Food allergies and/or bacterial overgrowth in the intestines are the most frequent source of skin eruptions. The offending food causes a “Leaky Gut” syndrome within your body that results in a skin irritation. Inflammation in the stomach, small intestine and/or colon can prevent sufficient absorption of nutrients from food. In addition, dysfunction in the liver or pancreas or other metabolic organs can prevent appropriate metabolism of nutrients and many times cause skin conditions.

PSORIASIS

Autoimmune or hyper-immune type of rash? Chronic skin problems can also arise from imbalances in your digestive system microflora. Much of your body’s immune system is controlled by the bacteria and other organisms in your gut. When the microflora in your digestive tract becomes out of balance, you can experience more allergic type skin conditions as your immune system struggles to adapt.

Your skin is actually the largest organ of your body! Skin conditions are symptoms of an underlying imbalance. If you or someone you know suffers from a skin condition, ask your healthcare provider to investigate underlying imbalances to help formulate a care plan that is right for you.