My Journey to Clearer Skin

When it comes to clearing my skin, specifically my acne, it has been one of my biggest struggles. After visiting two different dermatologists, testing multiple prescription medications, and attempting every face wash on the market, I felt completely defeated. It seemed like I had tried everything. One day I felt so fed up, I started researching all-natural remedies as a last resort. I made a list and began my trial and error process. I learned a lot not only about the health of my skin but also about my overall health.

While there was no magic pill or superfood that cleared my skin, I found one very important factor of skin health: relieving my “leaky gut syndrome.” After reading several articles, I essentially learned that leaky gut syndrome is what happens when there is a lot of inflammation in the stomach due to having more “bad” bacteria in the stomach than good. Taking care of my stomach health was ESSENTIAL to healing my skin! Here’s how I did that:

I originally eliminated dairy when I found out I was lactose intolerant. I didn’t eliminate it overnight either – I slowly reduced it day by day. Deciding to eliminate dairy was one of the best decisions I ever made. The hormones in dairy can cause extra inflammation in the body, and for me, there seemed to be a lot of inflammation in my stomach and in my sinuses. For years I had chronic sinus infections and sinus headaches – once I stopped eating dairy, I stopped having these sinus issues!

Probiotics are so important for stomach health. Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that your gut needs to stay healthy. I personally use Paradise Earth’s Blend Daily Superfood Vitamin because it is an all-natural vitamin containing superfoods, probiotics, and iron. I also drink Synergy Trilogy kombucha once a day for extra probiotics. It contains lemon juice and fresh pressed ginger juice which are also beneficial when reducing inflammation.

L-GLUTAMINE

Once I started really researching leaky gut syndrome, I found the most common alleviator to be l-glutamine. Glutamine can help with the immune system, inflammation in the gut, and gut function. When purchasing this product on Amazon, I found several reviews of people talking about how l-glutamine has helped with their IBS, gluten and dairy sensitivities, and especially with their skin. When taking this consistently, I also noticed I can eat dairy without feeling like my stomach is going to explode (although I still break out and feel the after effects in my sinuses).

OMEGA 3S

Fish oil pills are a fantastic way to get omega 3s, but I never wanted to take them due to the fishy after-burps. My friend, Katie, works for Plexus and introduced me to Omega 3s that contain superfoods in them rather than fish oil. I noticed the more superfoods, vegetables, and nutrients l I eat, the better I feel and the better my skin looks too!

This is the only part of my skin care I changed for the surface of my skin. I switched from Clean and Clear products, which often dried out my skin, to a tea tree vegetable soap bar from Trader Joe’s. Not only is it much cheaper, but I also noticed the all-natural soap bar is much better for my skin than any other product I’ve utilized.

SHOWER FILTER

While this one was not one of the most important factors of clearing up my skin, I noticed buying a shower filter did help my hair and skin health. I am currently on well water, which means there are extra minerals in the water. I bought a shower filter on Amazon for around $25 to help filter the water. Plus, the filter lasts 8-12 months!

Adding these to my regime, in addition to receiving my proper intake of fruits and vegetables, has forever changed my skin health. I hope this helps you too!

- Rebecca K.