Skin problems explained

Skin problems explained
By Tamara Sturtz-Filby | 24/07/2006

Changes in your skin, from spots to rashes, can be caused by a host of evils such as environment and pollution, stress, hormones and, most importantly, diet. But why is it when you start a new healthy eating plan - just when you thought your skin would be thanking you for all the good ingredients you're pumping into your body - it breaks out into an array of zits?

"When you change your diet for the better and stop eating fried food, too much salt, fat, and sugar, the body starts to clean itself out," explains naturopath Max Tomlinson.

Definition : A system or method of treating disease that employs no surgery or synthetic drugs but uses special diets, herbs, vitamins, massage, etc., to assist the natural healing processes. (italic is my additions) [Source : Dictionary.com]

"The body releases all the toxins into the lymphatic system which works rather like a vacuum cleaner, pumping them through the blood to the liver to be expelled. However, if the lymphatic system is sluggish and not working properly, usually due to lack of exercise, the body has to find another way of expelling these toxins."

Spotlight on spots
The skin is the body's largest organ of elimination, and if the lymphatic system isn't working well, the body uses the skin as a backup every time, usually resulting in spots. This also happens if the body is so overloaded with toxins due to a previous diet of takeout, processed foods and too much alcohol that the liver just can't cope.

However, not all spots and pimples are the same, and they all tell a different story about the state of your health.

Spots around the hairline and under the jaw line indicate a hormonal imbalance, which could be anything to do with your monthly cycle or even stress. But spots on the chin relate to the bowel, and those around the smile line (from the nose to the corners of the mouth) are connected to the liver. To keep the bowels functioning properly, include plenty of fibre in your diet, such as fresh fruit and vegetables. To keep the liver healthy, try the herbs milk thistle (aka St Mary's thistle), nettles or red clover in tea or tablet forms.

"You want to make sure your bowels are working properly," Tomlinson explains. "So drink plenty of fluids such as herbal teas and hot water with lemon, which is cleansing. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and do some regular exercise."

Painful under-the-skin spots that seldom rise to the surface but can be rife when you change your diet indicate the body is low in energy. If you haven't exercised for a while, start off with gentle walking, at least three times a week, taking the stairs instead of lift and if you take a bus, getting off one stop early and walking the rest of the way.

Treatment tips
To get rid of these spots, don't touch them. If you touch or squeeze them, you'll damage the skin, but if you leave them alone they'll go down much quicker. Try massaging your skin every day to keep everything moving through your lymphatic system. Using firm circular movements, massage for only five to 10 seconds while you're cleansing or moisturising, and any spots will go down much quicker, and you'll get fewer too.

There are also a host of mineral supplements that will help save your skin, including zinc, which is both anti-bacterial and healing, and selenium, which is important for the turnover of skin cells. Remember that minerals are stored in the body, so after taking these minerals for a month you should see an improvement for a number of months.

Spots that have come to the surface of the skin, or whiteheads, are a sign that the body is expelling the toxins, but that the lymphatic system and liver could do with a boost. Eating plenty of green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, cabbage and snowpeas, as they contain chlorophyll, which is also very cleansing.

Tomlinson's final piece of advice is to take it easy. "When you make a lifestyle change such as changing the way you eat, be patient with your body," he says. "Let your skin breath by getting plenty of fresh air, exfoliate regularly and don't touch your face with dirty hands. But most importantly, be kind to yourself."