You’ve probably come across buzzwords like detoxes or detox for clear skin before—at least on social media or through your favorite lifestyle magazine. It’s the latest fad and one that’s taking over the world of beauty and wellness. And it seems like everyone is doing some skin detoxing.
But what exactly is skin detoxing? And what are the benefits of this bonafide trend? Have you ever wondered if your body could benefit from detoxing? Is detoxing something related to acne?
Despite detox being a trendy term nowadays, it’s still a word that remains mysterious to many people. But don’t worry…
In this article, I’ll explore what detoxing is, the signs that it is the right time for your skin to undergo detox, and how you can go about detoxing to clear acne. Read on to learn more.
First Things First…What is Detox?
In simple terms, detox is a way to get rid of built-up toxins that can be detrimental to your body and overall health.
These toxin built-ups can be released into your system through the food you eat, your environment, your lifestyle choices, or even from your body’s natural biological process imbalances.
Even though our bodies can naturally filter out these harmful chemicals through the lungs, kidneys, liver, and colon from leaking into our bloodstream, many people have embarked on clear skin detox diets as a way of resetting the body to its normal state.
Why Do You Need A Detox For A Clear Skin?
Your skin is one of the largest organs in the body. It’s a protective barrier against germs, bacteria, viruses, and environmental pollutants. All these factors affect the keratin layer of your skin, which plays the critical role of protecting the skin from harmful substances that can cause skin damage.
According to Traditional Naturopathy Philosophy, if your body doesn’t get rid of these toxins on its own adequately, maybe through the bowels, kidneys, or liver, the body will look for avenues to release these toxins, and often, skin is that avenue.
While the skin has a detoxifying ability through sweat, if these toxins overburden the body, it will release the overload in the form of skin disorders such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis rashes amongst others.
So if you experience these red flags, then you need to take care of your body detoxification mechanism, acne included.
To give you an overview of how toxic loads look like, there are 80,000 different harmful chemicals out there, and the FDA has only looked into 500 of them, meaning there are tonnes of toxins out there, and we don’t know what they are doing to our body.
A recent study spearheaded by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in collaboration with Commonweal found an average of 200 different toxins in the newborn babies’ umbilical blood.
So, what does this tell us? There are many toxins everywhere, and we can’t avoid them, meaning the higher the levels of the toxins, the higher the chances of acne breakouts. And since our genetics haven’t evolved to manage the increased toxic load of the environment, the body may stop working optimally.
That’s why it is essential to maintain and prevent this damage from happening to your skin by supporting toxin elimination in the body that can lead to acne — skin detoxing being an option.
Signs That Your Have A Toxic Overload
Toxic overload is a severe threat that lurks behind every corner. In fact, a wide range of symptoms related to chemical exposure could all result from these toxins.
Considering these toxins enter your body in different avenues, a toxic overloaded body may manifest symptoms such as;
- Fatigue
- Itchy nose
- Itchy foreheads
- Headaches
- Sinuses
- Insomnia
- Foggy brains
- Bloating
- Skin disorders such as psoriasis rash, eczema, and acne flare-ups.
Researchers also found certain genetic polymorphisms in acne patients in recent research, preventing the body from detoxifying as efficiently as possible. Thankfully, there are plenty of Naturopathic detox tips you can incorporate to give your skin the glow you want.
But before we discuss the pillars for a successful clear skin detox, let’s have a quick rundown on what you must absolutely avoid if you’re going to detox.
What You Must Avoid If You’re Going To Detox Your Face (and Beyond)
We all have our way of detoxing. Some people admit to drinking green juices, some go on juice fasts, and others like to do a good old-fashioned detox with the help of a Lemonade diet (Master Cleanse).
However, these detoxification methods are generally not guaranteed to clear blemishes, anyway.
It is true that doing cleanse a few times a year is essential. Personally, I feel like my entire life is a cleanse (LOL), and that’s what I have to do to ensure my skin is clear. But when you have acne, you have to do detox in a particular way.
First of all, don’t want to do anything that will spike up your blood sugar. For instance, if you enjoy juicing your blood sugar is likely going to shoot up, and that’s going to make your acne worse.
The same applies to fasting cleanses and master cleansing. Insulin levels spike, causing inflammation and leading to more acne flare-ups. If you watch any of my videos, you know that blood sugar is a critical part of healing acne.
The 4 Pillars For A Successful Clear Skin Detox
As explained, skin detox is more about shelling what is on the inside rather than clearing the outside.
You can do some things for an immediate detox, but if you want long-term results–and who doesn’t?–then, here are a few detox principles you should note.
1. Avoid Toxins
The key to efficient detoxing is avoiding toxins in your food and environment. Most sources agree chemical ingredients are toxins, while others further include genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and heavy metals.
But did you know drinking water from plastic bottles or food stored in plastic containers can contribute to the body’s toxic load?
Heating foods in the microwave while in plastic containers, especially foods that contain fat, like meat and dairy products, can lead to the leaching of phthalates into the food. These plastic containers release BPA chemicals into the food or the water you drink, leading to hormone imbalances, the primary culprit of acne.
A good rule of thumb is avoiding plastic containers and using glass, ceramic, or microwave-safe plastic containers.
According to Naturopathy medicine, stress is another cause of toxicity load in the body. Thus, managing your stress will help your body to eliminate toxins naturally.
2. Support Your Liver
While the liver is the main avenue to toxicity elimination from our body, when overburdened, you may end up having eruptions in your skin, which is the alternative avenue of elimination.
So when dealing with acne breakouts, remember to support your liver with detoxification. Keeping this busy little organ detoxified is a fantastic way to prevent the body from pumping out the harmful toxins through your skin.
If you’ve been watching my videos or following my 7-week Clear Skin Program, you will notice that I talk about this a lot. Naturopathic medicine excels in supporting the liver.
One tip I love is drinking a glass of water with freshly squeezed lemon juice first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. This will help the liver produce bile and stimulate a bowel movement.
Remember, the liver uses bile to transport toxins out of the body. Thus, promoting liver detoxification will go a long way in ensuring your clear skin detox journey is successful.
3. Support Your Lymph
Lymph acts as a magnificent network of vessels throughout the body, and it is one of the most overlooked yet crucial detoxifying systems in the body. It acts as a drainage system that transports clear liquid throughout the body.
If your lymph stagnates — just like when your toilet or sink drain clogs, you can’t eliminate the waste properly — the same thing with your body. If your lymph stagnates, this leads to toxic accumulation, hence acne eruption.
Moving the lymph is critical, and I love to keep the lymph moving through and staying hydrated by drinking enough water.
Exercises also stimulate lymph detoxification. I have a lot of videos specifically dedicated to lymph drainage. So be sure to check it out.
4. Make Sure Your Bowels Are Moving
Constipation leads to sluggish digestion. This increases the likelihood of the toxins staying in the system a little bit longer.
So keeping your bowels moving helps release excessive toxins from your body because a cleansed colon will allow waste to pass quickly.
And how do you make sure you have constipation control?
Before you kick-start your day, all you need is a glass of freshly squeezed lemon water, lots of veggies, and lots of fiber.
Drinking at least 2 liters of water in a day to increase your metabolism and cutting off sensitive food from your diet is also a great deal to keep things going. If you still have trouble you may need to check in with your gut and microbiome health!
The Bottom Line
The body depends on the organs of elimination – such as lymph, kidneys, and the liver to flush out toxins. So, if you want unblemished skin free from acne, you’ve got to regularly incorporate clear skin detox in your lifestyle to prevent the body from eliminating the toxins through your skin, leaving you vulnerable to acne nightmares.
Remember, when the eliminating organs are overworked, the body uses the skin as an avenue of toxin elimination. To find more about how to clear your skin by detoxifying and balancing your hormones and gut, join my FREE Clear Skin Masterclass!
