The Gut-Skin-Connection Part 2- How your Gut Microbiome can boost your Skin.

How Your Gut Microbiome can boost your skin!

Are you concerned with breakouts? Have you been labelled with ‘hormonal acne’, or ‘hormonal issues’? Perhaps you have been advised that Roaccutane or topical antibiotics is your only option? Or maybe you’re experiencing red, flushed skin? Has the colder weather made your skin more dry, and more prone to flaking and scaling compared to normal?

Whilst we’re often quick to try a new treatment or cosmetics to help treat the skin, much of our skin concerns may be a result of an internal imbalance or inflammation.

Here are a few tips you can implement which will help to support you on the inside, and show on the outside!

                                      
Inflammation is our body’s natural response to protect us from foreign invaders and pathogens in the body. However, if our body has been exposed to too much bacteria or inflammation, this can lead to an over production of inflammation, which is a driver for problematic skin.

Gut health, our microbiome and our skin has become a hugely popular topic in recent times, and here I will explain these and how it impacts our health.

As the skin is the most topical organ of our body, any imbalance internally shows up externally. Our gut microbiome is basically a host of microflora made within our gut, playing a major role in our overall health and wellbeing.
Therefore, the importance of having a healthy gut microbiome goes beyond just digestion; it also helps your immune system, your mental health, weight control and skin health.
Just like our gut has its own microbiome, so does our skin. The increase in research over gut-skin axis over recent years has become largely popular, showing the health of our skin is directly related to the health of our gut. 

Here I have listed the key nutrients to assist gut healing, helping reduce inflammation, leading to these conditions, as well as the key ingredients to help maintain and maximise optimal, glowing skin!

Fibre
Fibre helps to increase the growth of beneficial or “good bacteria”. It helps to reduce inflammation within the gut, which in turn helps to support and improve your skins microbiome and complexion. It also helps to support and protect the integrity of our gut lining, which is essential for reducing any inflammation within, that can lead to inflammation externally.

Essential fatty acids
Essential fatty acids are just that, essential! As our body cannot synthesise these by themselves, we must obtain them from our diet. These play a vital role in protecting our cell membrane and maintaining the integrity of our gut lining. They are also an anti-inflammatory, which helps to reduce inflammation internally and topically. 
Omega 3 fatty acids particularly provide a vital role in supporting our cell membrane and protecting our skin. As fats make up an important part of our skin cell membrane, it helps to protect the cell membrane, improving the texture and structure of our skin. Some sources of Omega 3 fatty acids include salmon, mackerel, chia seeds, flaxseeds and walnuts.

Zinc 
Zinc is a vital mineral which provides multiple benefits and functions within the body, particularly when it comes to wound healing, hormonal support and skin health!
Zinc is found in foods such as oysters, chicken, beef, nuts, seeds, chickpeas, oats and legumes. This is important for normalising the oil flow, and strengthening the skin integrity, which helps to protect against wound healing and reduces your risk of scarring. It helps support the lining of the gut by assisting cellular repair, which helps to reduce any potential internal inflammation. Zinc is particularly beneficial for hormonal skin conditions, as it helps with hormone production, reducing elevated androgens which is a common driver for acne. 

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant which helps to improve the skins tone and texture. Its functions help to support collagen production, providing an important component for both our cellular repair and structural integrity for the skin and gut lining. It is also vital for collagen production and synthesis, and is a potent antioxidant which helps to improve skin tone and texture. 

Glutamine
Glutamine is an essential amino acid which supports the integrity of our gut lining. This helps to reduce inflammation within the gut, helping to strengthen the integrity and improve the quality of our gut lining.  It supports the gut microbiome and helps to prevent any overgrowth of bad bacteria within the small intestine. Ensuring we have adequate glutamine, along with Vitamin C helps with collagen production and enhancing cellular renewal, which assists skin health repair! 

So, there you have the five foods to support your gut health, and in-turn reap benefits for your skin health. 
I hope you found this helpful, and if you’d love to hear more about how to maintain optimum skin, gut or hormonal health, please subscribe to the email to receive weekly tips on all things skin health and wellness weekly!

If you would like further support for your skin health, gut health or even hormonal support, I can assist you further. Simply send an email enquiry, or get in contact below and I will be in touch to help you on your health journey!

Till next time,

Dominique,

Skin Nutrition Co. X

Contact@skinnutritionco.com.au
http://www.skinnutritionco.com.au
Instagram: @skinnutrition_co

An Introduction into the Gut-Skin Connection


Our skin is a barometer for our inner health, meaning, many symptoms or inflammation externally is often a reflection of our internal health. 
If you are experiencing mild or chronic skin issues, such as acne, hormonal breakouts, redness, rosacea, eczema or dermatitis, this can be an indication of an imbalance internally. 

What is the ‘Gut-Skin Axis?’

There has been a large increase in studies over recent years in regards to the impact our gut health has on our overall internal health, and particularly its role with skin. 
In fact, our gut health has a bio-directional link with our skin, known as the gut-skin axis. Similarly, more research has shown that as our gut has its own microbiome, so does our skin!

Therefore, if we want to get to the root cause, and properly treat inflammatory skin conditions, whether it’s a recent flare up or a chronic skin issue, we need to look at the gut!

Here are five key ways to optimise and improve the integrity of your gut health, and in turn, support the health of your skin.

1. Increase Fibre
Fibre helps to support the growth of beneficial bacteria within the gut, which is essential for reducing any inflammation and supports optimum health.
Fibre helps to increase the removal of waste products and prevents accumulation of toxins in the body. It helps reduce the harmful bacteria within the gut, and helps increase the clearance of toxins from the body, as it binds them up and ‘flushes’ them out of the body/

2. Include Fermented Vegetables
Fermented foods are high in prebiotics, which help to support the growth of the good bacteria. This is particularly beneficial for gut health as it helps to support the increase of healthy bacteria, essential for providing a healthy foundation for our gut health to thrive. This is key for optimal health, and particularly vital for the health of our skin!

3. Reduce Inflammatory Foods
Common inflammatory foods include processed foods, pre-packaged foods, or foods high in refined sugar. These often contain high amounts of additives and preservatives, which can impair our cellular integrity and cause oxidative stress within the body. If these are being consumed in a high amount, it can lead to inflammation both within the body and our skin, and quite often is a large trigger for breakouts, acne and redness in the skin.

4. Include Cruciferous Vegetables 
Cruciferous vegetables in particular provide an array of health benefits, with multiple benefits for the gut and our skin! Their high fibre content helps to support digestion and detoxification, they also contain an active constituent called indole-3-carbinol, which helps with clearing out elevated hormones, which is particularly beneficial for hormonal skin issues. 
They also are high in phytonutrients vitamin C and vitamin A which are beneficial for skin cell turnover and cell renewal, as well as strengthening the cell lining of the gut. 

5. Increase Hydration
Lastly, but definitely not least, hydration! Often it’s the simplest things that are often overlooked, yet they provide a significant difference!
Hydration plays multiple benefits for our internal health and skin.
Ensuring we are drinking enough water helps to keep our cells nourished, it assists with flushing out toxins from the body and helps keep our skin hydrated.
Ensuring we are drinking enough water is particularly important for our digestive system, as it helps to bind with the fibre to flush out and excrete any waste within the system, helping supporting the detoxification and removal of toxins within the body.
Tip: If you find it hard drinking plain water, add a squeeze of lemon or lime, or try herbal teas. This will help with increasing your nutrients and other health benefits by adding in the polyphenols, and helps make water more appetising to ensure you are drinking enough throughout the day.

So there are the key foundations for maintaining optimum gut and skin health! 

I hope you found this helpful, and if you’d love to hear more about how to maintain optimum skin, gut or hormonal health, then please subscribe to the email to receive weekly tips on all things skin health and wellness weekly.

If you would like further support for your skin health, gut health or even hormonal support, I am here to assist you further, and am here to support you! Simply send an email enquiry, or get in contact below and I will be in touch with you to help you in your health journey!



Dominique,

Skin Nutrition Co. X

Essential Fatty Acids and Your skin

Essential fatty acids play a vital role when it comes to the health and integrity of your skin.

As titled, these really are ‘essential’ for supporting the quality and health of our skin!
These are called essential, as the body cannot synthesise them by itself, therefore we need to obtain them from our diet.

The benefits include reducing inflammation, supporting cell membrane integrity, and helping to keep a healthy ‘plump and hydrated glow’ for our skin, and even assisting in slowing the ageing process within the skin!

Here are 5 reasons we need them for our skin health, and ways to boost our intake to help our skin.

1. They are naturally anti-inflammatory.
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are composed of omega 3 fatty acids, which provide anti-inflammatory benefits, and help to reduce inflammation in the skin.
Ideally, within our diet we need a balance of omega 3 to omega 6, however due to most modern and westernised diets, being higher in processed and takeaway foods, more people are consuming foods higher in omega 6 which can lead to increased inflammation within the body and skin. Ensuring we have an adequate intake of these omega 3 essential fatty acids will help to reduce internal inflammation, and in turn reduce any external inflammation.

2. Reduces the bacteria within the sebum
Often acne skin types or overly oily or breakout prone skin have a higher amount of p.acnes bacteria, (the bacteria within the sebum) which leads to inflammation. Omega 3 actually helps to ‘clean out’ this oil production, and balance the oil flow into essential ‘healthy’ sebum, which helps to reduce the acne formation and bacteria within the sebum. The oils within EFA help to reduce oxidative stress within the sebum as well, which can help reduce the p.acnes bacteria.

3. Helps to strengthen and support the integrity of the skin
The epidermis; the most outer layer of our skin is composed of its own microbiome, pH and acid mantle which are all a part of our skins barrier function. Omega 3’s helps to strengthen the skin barrier function and formation, reducing oxidative stress within the cell membrane. While its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce inflammation associated with acne and dry, flaking skin types such as eczema, and psoriasis. Studies have shown supplementation of omega 3 can help reduce the severity and occurrence of these conditions, due to its work supporting the barrier function of the skin.


4. Helps support slow and healthy ageing!
Essential fatty acids are actually essential building blocks for our cell membrane, as we need good fats in our diet to support our cellular integrity. The structure of these cells is similar to our skin cells, both composed of lipids, which help maintain volume and a healthy coating over the skin, the body can naturally begin to lose moisture and the natural lipids within the skin, decreasing volume within the skin. These are composed of healthy fats, which are actually a structural component for our cell membrane. Composed of polyunsaturated fatty acids, these help to reduce inflammation and nourish the cells, helping hydrate and aid the skins coating and integrity.

5. Helps keep cell membranes plump and hydrated
When coming from its purest and natural form, EPA/DHEA, they help to support our cell membrane and maintain the structural integrity of the skin. The polyunsaturated fatty acids provide the healthy fats that our body needs to maintain a healthy coating of the skin!
These healthy fats help to hydrate and nourish the skin integrity, and support the lipid structure within the skin. Helping to provide a youthful, plump and hydrated skin!

As you can see, these omegas play a vital role for the health of our skin, and are key in our diet for the health and long term integrity of our skin.

Highest sources of omega 3 fatty acids include salmon, walnuts, mackerel, herring, sardines, flaxseeds, chia seeds.

For more information on skin health and how nutrients can help your skin, please subscribe to the email below to receive weekly updates on all things skin health and nutrition!

If you found this helpful, or know someone that would benefit from this ,please share this with them. If you feel you may be experiencing a deficiency in essential fatty acids, or are unsure if this is triggering your skin condition, we’d love to assist you!

Simply send an email or give us a call to discuss how essential fatty acids may be beneficial for you!

Till next time, take care!

Dominique
Skin Nutrition Co. X

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Your Beauty Benefits of B Vitamins!

Your Beauty Boosting Benefits of B Vitamins!

If dehydration, dullness or dryness comes to mind when it comes to your skin concerns (especially in winter) then the Bs are for you!

Whether you are wanting to help alleviate inflammatory skin, such as flaking skin, reduce excess oil flow, even out skin tone or even reverse signs of ageing by boosting collagen formation and strengthening cellular integrity, then it may be time to consider your intake of B vitamins!

There are 8 different types of B vitamins, all of which play a vital role in the care and benefit to your skin. B vitamins are a water soluble nutrient, which means that they must be obtained from our diet, as they are readily excreted and cannot be stored within the body.

Here I will break down how the functions and benefits of each nutrient can support our skin health!

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)​ is involved in energy metabolism and the growth, development and function of cells, all of which help to support wound healing and prevent scarring. Deficiencies in this can lead to weakness, dryness, craped or flaking of the skin.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)​ plays a vital role for achieving healthy, glowing skin. This helps with maintaining the growth of tissues to encourage a healthy cell turnover, helping to support a clearer complexion, as well as the maintenance of collagen production which protects the structural integrity of the skin. Vitamin B2 is particularly beneficial for acne sufferers as it also assists maintaining the oil flow of the skin, helping to prevent breakouts.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) ​is one of the most popular skin vitamins as it helps to boost the complexion of the skin and provides multiple factors which assist in skin healing. This helps with the production of ceramides and fatty acid barriers, which assists with retaining skin moisture and plumpness; preventing dry, sensitised skin and ageing skin. It has also been shown to assist skin conditions including helping with acne, eczema, dermatitis and pigmentation.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid)​ helps to maintain a plump, hydrated skin tone, and improve the elasticity of the skin. This can be applied topically, which acts as a humectant (which helps to retain the moisture in the skin). This also assists with healing and protecting the skin, helping to reduce inflammation and redness and strengthen the skin's barrier. Vitamin B5 has also been shown to help to provide benefit in reducing excess sebum production and regulate the oil flow production.

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)​ works within the nervous system, and helps to regulate sleep by producing serotonin (our happy hormone), and melatonin. This also helps to reduce cellular inflammation and supports cell regeneration.

B7 (Biotin)​ is utilised for the metabolism of fatty acids and protects cells from damage and water loss, which helps to keep your cells hydrated. As biotin helps prevent water loss, this is also beneficial for protection against acne, fungal infections and rashes.

B9 (Folic Acid​) actually provides similar properties to antioxidants, helping to promote cell turnover and fight against free radical damage. It is particularly key in supporting sun damaged skins and preventing premature ageing skin.

B12 (Cobalamin)​ helps promote cell production and can be applied topically for skin benefits as it provides anti-inflammatory benefits, and supports the skin strength and integrity, which is particularly useful for conditions such as dryness, acne, psoriasis and eczema.

So here you can see the multiple benefits and vast array of ways your B vitamins can boost your beauty routine! So, you may be thinking, how do I apply this?!

Let’s take it back to basics.

Aim to consume a highly plant based and whole food diet, rich in dark leafy green vegetables, and include lean poultry and proteins, such as fish, chicken and eggs, legumes such as chickpeas and lentils and healthy fats such as avocados, nuts and seeds. This is the best way to increase your intake of these nutrients.
Also, variety is key! Fill your plate with a variety of different coloured vegetables to ensure you get a wide variety of nutrients and vitamins into your day, and reap the benefits of your B vitamins!

I hope you found this helpful, and if you know someone that would benefit from this, please share this with them.
Also, please leave me a comment below on your thoughts,or anything you found interesting. I’d love to hear

from you!
Thank you, Till next time,

Dominique,

Skin Nutrition Co.

Did you know that our skin health is largely affected by our hormones? Have you noticed particular breakouts along the lower jawline, chin or upper neck area?

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According to Chinese facial mapping these are the key areas that indicate hormonal imbalances of the skin.

You might notice an obvious difference in the health of your skin when you have eaten too much chocolate or after a weekend of overindulging, but did you know this can actually disrupt our cells and hormonal receptors as well?

Perhaps you may even feel that your skin is not improving, or won’t be able to properly improve due to a ‘hormonal condition’. Well, please know that you can naturally restore your skin and hormones to achieve optimal skin from the inside, out!

Our hormones are basically chemical messengers, which send messages to other organs, controlling the functions they perform. Think of these like a symphony in an orchestra. Each plays a careful and intricate role, and if one ‘key’ is out, this can affect the flow of the orchestra. Similarly, this is how our hormones function in our body, if one receptor is off, this can alter the functions of the organs in our body.

Our hormones are largely influenced by factors such as lifestyle, environmental toxins, sleep and diet. Please know there is hope and you can restore your hormones naturally, and in turn clear and improve your skin too!

Here are 5 ways to eat to support hormonal balance and help assist skin healing:

1. Increase your intake of dietary fibre rich vegetables.

   Particularly in the form of dark green leafy vegetables. This helps to naturally flush out excess toxins and elevated hormones, helping to increase the clearance of elevated hormones. Fibre is also important for skin health, as it helps to support detoxification, and provides a high amount of antibacterial properties.

2. Increase essential fatty acids- particularly omega 3s.

   These play an important role in our cellular membrane within the skin and are vital for maintaining and restoring the skin integrity, as well as keeping the skin structure hydrated and ‘plump’. Omega 3 fatty acids are particularly helpful for decreasing inflammation, and play an important role for providing a building block for supporting our hormones.

3. Reduce inflammatory foods including fried foods, sugar, and processed or takeaway foods.

   These cause inflammation within our body in a number of ways including, a breakdown of antioxidants, as these contain ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species), which oxidise our cells, causing a breakdown in the cellular structure. Also, having a high amount of inflammatory food disrupts our insulin levels, which can alter our hormonal response and increase androgens, leading to acne and breakouts in the skin. Sugars also creates a ’sticky’ like effect within our cells and blood vessels, creating a coating over our blood vessels, causing a restriction in the vessel formation, and break down of collagen.

4. Eat your greens!

   Include cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts and kale. These are not only high in fibre but also contain DIM (diindolylmethane) which helps to promote detoxification and supports oestrogen clearance, which is particularly beneficial for hormonal breakouts

5. Include Broccoli sprouts in your diet.

   Broccoli sprouts contain the active ingredient sulforaphane, which provides a higher concentration of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties than regular broccoli. It helps to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, helping to protect against DNA and cellular damage, as well as supplying oxygen to your skin cells, which is crucial for combating any oxidative stress and achieving healthy skin! So there are 5 easy, simple tips which, if implemented regularly over a period of 2-4 weeks, you will really start to see a difference and improve not only your skin, but support your hormones as well.

Tip: Please be patient with yourself, as our skin health can take at least 4 weeks to see a change as we have a new cell turnover every 28 days.

Also, particularly with hormones, they tend to change very slowly over time. However, taking small, gentle steps too help support and rebalance them. Implementing these changes regularly and consistently will help you achieve the best results, from the inside out, and for the long term! I hope you found this helpful!

Please let me know in the comments below how you found trying any of these steps helped! I’d love to hear from you and encourage you on your journey! Also, if you know someone you feel needs to hear this or would benefit, please share this will them.

And if you found this helpful and would like to receive more information weekly about all things skin, health and wellness, please subscribe!

Skin Nutrition Co. X

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How your gut health impacts our skin, and is the key to optimal health, inside and out!

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Did you know, much of your skin health is largely impacted by the health of your gut? In fact, your gut microbiome has a direct link to your skin, known as the gut-skin axis. Just like our gut microbiome, our skin has its own microbiome too!

As our skin is the most external organ of the body, it is often the first place to show any signs or indications of an imbalance within. Likewise, being the most external organ, it’s important to look not only externally, but internally as well for achieving healthy, glowing skin.

“Our gut health is actually said to be the foundation for optimal health. Our gut hosts trillions of cells (more than our own bodies DNA), which is called the microbiome. ”

— Dominique - skin health co.

Within this is a balance of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria, which are both essential for optimum health. However, when we have an increase in poor bacteria, known as ‘dysbiosis’, this can lead to inflammation within our body, which shows up as inflammation on our skin. These often contribute to conditions like acne, breakouts, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, and rosacea.

Here are 5 key ways for repairing our gut health to support both optimal health and clear, glowing skin:

1. Reduce Sugar

   Sugar increases the growth of beneficial bacteria and increases inflammation within the gut. This overgrowth of inflammation and bacteria can lead to conditions like SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and candida. Sugar also increases insulin levels. High insulin levels can cause IGF-1, which is a common trigger for acne. In fact, acne is so closely related to blood sugar, it has been labelled the ‘diabetes of the skin’. Tip: avoid refined sugar and sweetened, processed foods, and opt for natural sweet foods like fresh fruit.

2. Increase Fibre

   Fibre (particularly in the form of green leafy vegetables), is vital for achieving optimum skin and gut health. It will help support the growth of beneficial bacterial, which will assist the clearance of any excess bacteria or pathogens from the gut. This is key for rebuilding the microbiome of the skin and gut, and is essential for optimum health. SCFA (short chain fatty acids) provide anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties as well, and is key for maintaining overall health.

3. Prebiotics and Probiotic Rich foods

   Again, this goes back to supporting and rebuilding the quality of the microbiome, and assisting rebuilding the health of the skin. This will help reduce inflammation within the body, and can actually assist in repairing a healthy gut lining. The use of probiotics has actually been found to be a beneficial treatment for inflammatory skin disorders including, psoriasis, dermatitis and acne.

4. Reduce Inflammatory Foods

   That’s right, there are some foods that cause a direct inflammation within the body! Refined sugar, processed foods, overly oily or smoked takeaway foods can cause inflammation in the body. Having a high amount of these in the body causes an increase in inflammatory compounds such as ROS (reactive oxygen species), AGES (aged-glycation end products) and lead to increased oxidative stress. These all literally affect and impair our cell membrane quality. ROS (reactive oxygen species) are oxidative compounds which literally disrupt stable skin cell membranes, and cause cross linking between collagen and elastin, leading to increased wrinkle formation. Consuming a high amount of sugar causes AGEs, which forms a ‘sticky coating’ over our collagen cells, and increases the breakdown of collagen and increases aging and free radical damage within the skin.

5. Maintain and Support a Healthy Intestinal Lining.

   The health and condition of your gut microbiome integrity largely impacts the integrity and health of your skin. If you feel you are struggling with digestive issues such as bloating, constipation or other issues like candida, SIBO, leaky gut (a term formally known as intestinal permeability), these will disrupt our bodies ability to breakdown and absorb nutrients properly. If we are not breaking down and absorbing foods properly, this can lead to undigested foods in the blood stream and increase stress within the body, again contributing to inflammation within the skin.

Tip: If you feel you may be experiencing either of these digestive issues, but not quite sure where to begin, I recommend working with a functional practitioner such as myself to help understand and piece together an individualised treatment plan to address and treat the root cause of your digestive issues.

This is why the health of your skin is so closely related to your gut health. To sum up simply, a healthy microbiome, free from any ‘gaps’ or damage to cell lining, adequate nutrient absorption and a healthy diet is key for optimal skin health, and really is the foundation for achieving clear skin from the inside, out.

I hope you found this helpful, and if you know anyone who you feel would benefit from this, please share this post with them.

If you are ready to get to the root cause of your chronic skin issue, and achieve optimal health from the inside out, or are ready to improve your health but not sure where to begin, then I’d love to help you!

Please feel free to contact me via the email form below, and we can have a chat on how I can help you.

I hope this was helpful, and look forward to helping you improve your health journey, from the inside, out. 

Skin Nutrition Co. X

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