How does gut health relate to skin care? What does the gut have to do with beauty? Most people already know one of the main jobs of the skin is to keep all the toxins in the world out of the body – the gut is the same way. It is an extension of skin that gets folded into a tube, regulating the things going in and out – very few things actually getting into the body.

Now, imagine if the skin had holes in it. What would happen? Most likely pain, swelling, and infection. Yet, for many, the small and large intestines have accumulated so much damage that they have holes that allow small food particles, bacteria, toxins, and more to get into the bloodstream. What happens when these toxins get into the body’s system?

INFLAMMATION

Inflammation is the secret killer and skin is very sensitive to it, so it sounds the alarm by displaying a host of things like acne, rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema. 

What can be done if the root cause of a client’s skin issue is their gut? The three R’s must be enforced – remove, reinoculate, and repair.

REMOVE

Clients must remove the things they are putting in their mouth that are the cause of the holes in their gut. Gluten is the worst offender. As an indigestible protein, the body has no enzymes to break it down. The first step is for the client to eliminate it from their diet. But what about pizza and other favorites that clients cannot resist? Thanks to advancements in science, nutritional companies have made supplements with enzymes in them that digest gluten, for the occasional cheat day or cheat month. 

The next big offenders are NSAIDs, like Advil. These pesky little pills are like swallowing a live grenade – they create gaping holes in the intestines. Instead, clients should find the root cause of their pain and fix it, and, in the meantime, use herbs like turmeric and ginger to fight the inflammation. Antibiotics can also be a source of poor gut health.

REINOCULATE

Next, clients must reinoculate the gut with probiotics. Lactobacillus salivarius is a specific strain of bacteria that has shown to help repair the tight junctions, or holes. This probiotic is like a spider that puts a webbing between the holes of the gut to limit toxins from entering the bloodstream, while also closing those holes back up. 

REPAIR

The last and final step is repair. With help from supplements rich in nutrients, like glutamine and vitamin D, clients can replenish the mucus lining in the intestines and keep everything sealed up.

If a client follows these steps for a month, they will be amazed at how they feel because when the source of inflammation is shut off, their energy will increase, their mood will improve, and their skin will begin to glow. When clients come to the spa with acne, rosacea, psoriasis, or eczema, offering them solutions that address the gut will help them achieve the results they are looking for, as beauty is an expression of a healthy body.