Most of us thought that being at home for most of 2020/2021, make up free with all the time in the world to do an elaborate skincare regime would give us the skin or our dreams! However that has not exactly been the case and with my most commonly treated condition in clinic being acne, let’s discuss what may be driving your skin troubles.

Over the last 18 months, I have seen a significant rise in women coming to see me for support with skin troubles, with acne being the most common. A large proportion of this happened around the introduction of masks, however when I dig a little deeper, I have found that underlying that ‘maskne’, clients will present with a combination of 3 main underlying drivers.

These are commonly stress, hormonal imbalances and/or gut issues. It is important to decipher what YOUR underlying driver/s are so you can work out what the best plan of attack is when it comes to treating your acne. This individualised plan is what is getting my clients the best results when it comes to healing their skin from the inside out.

Let’s go through these top 3 underlying drivers so you can work out the best way to heal your skin naturally.

Stress

The biggest cause of skin issues for most people at the moment is stress. Stress wreaks havoc on our skin. When we are stressed, we release stress hormones such as cortisol into our blood. Now cortisol is great when we need a short boost (like when we needed to run away from a tiger back in the caveman days) but when exposed to large amounts of cortisol over a long period of time (like trying to live through a pandemic) it can start to impact our body in negative ways, one being our skin. Cortisol not only increases the production of oils in our skin (sebum) but also makes it thicker and stickier so it more easily clogs our pores causing breakouts. Try managing stress levels with relaxation techniques such a deep breathing or supplementing with herbs and nutrients such as passionflower and magnesium (check out my favourite stress-busting supplement here) to lower cortisol levels and reduce the overproduction of sebum.

Hormone Imbalances

Our hormones play a vital role in our skin. During times of stress, the delicate balance between our reproductive hormones can be easily thrown off. This is due to the communication between our brain and our ovaries. When we are stressed, our brain tells our ovaries that it is unsafe to have a baby at this time and stops our body from ovulating (releasing an egg). However, the release of an egg every month helps to keep our hormones in balances and keeps our skin healthy. Stress can not only be mental and emotional but physical as well. Too much exercise and/or not eating enough calories throughout the day can also instruct our ovaries to shut down the production of our hormones. If you think your hormones may be causing your skin issues, I would recommend booking in a consultation to have your hormone levels checked.

Gut Issues

The digestive system is our main system of elimination. When our primary elimination system is not working properly, the body finds alternative ways of eliminating waste products from the body. With the skin also being a system of elimination, it then compensates for an under-functioning digestive system . This is what can lead to skin troubles such as acne and congestion under the skin. If your gut isn’t functioning optimally and you are getting symptoms of bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and indigestion, these are all tell-tale signs that your gut needs some extra love. Try temporarily eliminating foods that trigger any gut symptoms and include lots of gut healing foods such a fresh fruits and vegetables (for their high fibre content), sauerkraut and coconut yoghurt (for their gut loving probiotics) and foods high in zinc and protein such a pumpkin seeds and nuts (for their gut healing nutrients).

If you have tried everything and are needing some extra support to find and treat your underlying drivers, book yourself in for my New Client Wellness Plan Package so I can set you up with your individualised plan of attack to get you the glowing skin you deserve!

Kayla

xx