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The infamous “Mirror Mirror on the wall”, from the Snow White fable, is actually reflecting what is happening internally. It is a window into our state of health.
The skin is the body’s largest organ. It is our barrier to the outside world and protects us from invading pathogens, like parasites, virus, fungus, or yeast, and damage by chemicals, preservatives, and toxic skin care products. Aging skin indicates that there are problems with our skin barrier. As the relationship with our internal microbes changes, there is an impact on aging and onset of chronic disease. We end up losing the barrier function of the skin and driving systemic inflammation.
A skin that is inflamed with acne, eczema, psoriasis, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and more, are all signs that the skin is unhealthy, and, you can be certain, so is our internal body. These annoying skin issues are actually a risk factor for chronic disease. In order to look our best on the outside, we need to be healthy on the inside.
Things That Impact Our Skin Health:
- Washing our face and body using soaps with parabens and pthalates, linked to hormone imbalances, cancers, respiratory issues, and more
- Anti-bacterial products that kill off the good bacteria and strip the oil mantle
- Hand/alcohol sanitizers which kill off the protective layer of the skin on our hands
- Too many chemical peels – anything “chemical” is a red flag and not pro health
- Toxic skin care cleansers and lotions that imbalance the skin’s microbiome
- Hand sanitizers, mouthwash, dandruff shampoos, cortisone, soaps, and even the detergents that we use to wash our clothes and linens. All of these things touch and are absorbed by our skin.
- In general, hormones, genetics, environment, cosmetics, personal care and household products, diet, stress, lifestyle, immune function, and gut health all impact our skin
Chemical skin care products and many esthetic treatments actually dry out our skin. The decrease in hydration and the shift in microbes signal the immune system to trigger an inflammatory response. This causes further aging and loss of skin barrier. The skin loses its resilience and the ability to protect itself from stress, the environment, and the blue light coming from the sun and our electronic devices.
Many of our personal care products disrupt the pH balance of our skin. A proper skin pH prevents fungal and yeast overgrowth and the free radicals that accelerate the aging process. Neither too acidic nor too alkalinic is prime for our skin, so as not to disturb the skin barrier. The pH of our skin should be around 5. If your products are not the right pH, you may experience redness, flakiness, wrinkles, or breakouts. A pH balanced skin maintains its youthful state; hydrated, glowing, and supple.
Our Skin Microbiome and Dysbiosis
We have up to 1000 species of microbes on our skin, more than its total number of skin cells. The majority of the bacteria are resident microbes on the skin which are beneficial or, at least, harmless. About 20% are transient and attach themselves to our skin as we have contact with people, pets, fabrics, surfaces, or chemicals; anything that we touch or put on our skin or into our mouths. If our immune system is healthy, many of these have no residual effects.
A major cause of all skin issues is dysbiosis – the imbalance of our skin microbiome. Yes, our skin has its own microbiome, similar to the gut microbiome and the oral microbiome. We have been led to believe that aging skin is simply due to getting older. It is actually accelerated by the environment, our skin care products, and the lifestyle and diet choices that we make. As the microbiome community of the skin changes, we see changes in our face and throughout our body. We are constantly disrupting the microbiome on our skin.
A healthy skin microbiome prevents the overgrowth of pathogens and toxic production meaning lower levels of inflammation. This means that the skin will be able to repair itself. The dead layer turns over and new fresh cells come up. The skin glows, maintains moisture and a strong barrier, is resistant to pathogens, and looks healthy. We need the oils on our skin. They trap the toxins that come through the environment leaving our skin moist.
The health of the skin is connected to the health of our body. This includes bone, cardiovascular, kidney, and brain health. Unhealthy skin has been found to be a factor in most age-related chronic diseases, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cardiovascular disease. The solution is not found in the latest and very expensive skin cream or esthetic treatment. We need to protect our skin, not with a cream that makes it look healthy, but make it genuinely healthy by cleaning up internally and balancing our skin microbiome.
It’s All About the Terrain – Our Internal Environment
The cause of all dysbiosis is a toxic terrain, one that supports the growth of the bad bugs. Dysbiosis is the overgrowth of pathogens that produce toxins and recruit an immune response, which results in inflammation. This results in red, sensitive, and irritated skin which is prone to eczema and acne, and the slow turnover of damaged skin cells resulting in dull, thin skin and an unhealthy appearance. Pathogenic bacteria and toxins drive the inflammatory response causing dry and irritated skin.
The body is self-healing and self-regulating but toxicity will eventually block enzyme systems at the cellular level, preventing the cell from functioning normally. Fasts only clean the external part of the cell but do not go deep enough.
How Does the Body Tell Us That There is a Problem?
The body communicates with symptoms. Symptoms indicate that something is wrong – out of balance. Unfortunately, we usually interpret these signals as things that we need to make disappear. We want to shut them up with medication, creams, ointments, and things that suppress them, but, alas, we end up pushing them deeper into our body, causing disease. The problem is not the rash or the acne, but what has intoxicated the body and what the body is desperately trying to eliminate. Unfortunately, if we don’t take heed, the end result is imbalance, followed by pathology.
Strategies for Healing
- Biotherapeutic Drainage: Our major exit routes are the liver and the kidneys. Once they are clogged, the toxins start to come out through the skin. Drainage, using complex homeopathic remedies, opens the body’s exit routes, our emunctories, that are safe for the removal of toxins.
- Rebalancing the skin microbiome. This is where probiotics come in. My favourite professional products are HMF Forte and HMF Intensive by Genestra and HSP Complete 50 by Integrity Health Naturals.
- Hydration: 8-10 glasses of good quality water, preferably Reverse Osmosis
- Sleep: 7-9 hours of good quality sleep every night
- Good Fats: Efamol Primrose Oil – a major protector of the skin – and other essential fatty acids
- And more…
For more information about the skin and healing protocols to improve skin health by cleaning up the terrain, eliminating the toxins, and rebalancing the skin microbiome, check out our NPP Skin Webinar: https://www.nppwebinars.com/the_skin.html
*Audio for those in need or who prefer to listen to our blogs:
Are your drainage pathways congested? Your body’s terrain and level of toxicity impact your skin. How can we open the routes of elimination in a gentle and safe manner? How do your liver and kidneys impact your skin? Does an imbalance in bacteria, aka Dysbiosis, affect your skin? Is there a difference between Drainage and Detoxification?
In North America, many of us are obsessed with cleanliness. Actually, we need to be exposed to bacteria, fungi, and viruses in order to have a healthy, strong immune system. By killing off our good bacteria with antibiotics, stress, cortisone, and chlorinated drinking water, we leave the field wide open to pathogenic, dangerous bacteria. Too many hand sanitizers and anti-bacterial soaps can change our PH and, in turn, mess with our immunological balance. Also, chemicals in plastics, cosmetics and clothing may negatively affect our microbiome which in turn affects the integrity of the small and large intestines.
Organic Cucumbers, actually members of the fruit family, have a high water content (95%) and are packed with B vitamins, vitamin A, and antioxidants. They were once thought of only as a great addition to green salads, or a side to a meal, adding variety, colour, and a light, pleasant taste. They are now seen as helping with weight loss, constipation, blood pressure, skin, eyes, and bones while, at the same time, keeping you hydrated. You will derive even more benefits if you eat the entire cucumber, including the seeds and skin, after a thorough scrub and wash.
