Many people spend lots of time and money searching for the perfect, magic products to gain that “healthy glow” for their skin. Flip open the pages of any magazine and you will find ads for products that claim to do just that. Do any of these products actually work?

We need to understand the essential role of skin detox as part of the overall body detoxification process in order to understand that sometimes the exact products we use to try get that healthy look can actually be a major source of the problem, not a solution as these products address the symptoms and not the cause.

Your skin has so many functions, the most important one of course being to protect the inside of your body from the outside environment and keeping unwelcome compounds and microorganisms out and desirable substances in. Your skin plays an important role in your overall health by:

•    protecting you from bacterial infections and viruses
•    helping you sense the outside world, for example whether it is cold or hot, wet or dry
•    protecting your inner organs from heat damage by regulating your body temperature
•   acting as a waterproof barrier that protects against physical damage and infection
•    communicating warning signals associated with our health and well-being

Poor complexion and color along with a number of skin problems such as acne, rashes, and boils,  might point poor skin nutrition, which sometimes can be solved by using skin products but more likely it points to deeper health issues and can be triggered by, or made worse by toxins elsewhere in your body. For example, common skin problems such as eczema are generally caused by allergens but can be made worse by toxins in your system. Traditionally, it is recommended that you use something topical to address these types of skin conditions. Unfortunately, this is often a short term fix, as these issues are more likely symptoms associated with internal toxicity.

While there are many ways for you to have an excess of toxins in your body,

the skin itself can and does absorb toxic compounds.

Even though the skin is physically our biggest organ of elimination, the best way to detox is through other organs of elimination (ie liver, kidney, lungs, lymphatic system etc). However if these are overloaded or otherwise not operating optimally, the skin will have the job of freeing your body of excess toxins.

This is one reason why I consider regular, sweaty workouts a perfect assist to the detoxification process. Saunas can be helpful in this regard as well.

Our body’s organs of detoxification (the liver, kidney, lungs, lympatic system, skin, etc.) are overburdened due to offenders like highly processed North American Diets, air pollution and stress, to name a few.  We know that our bodies are brilliant at achieving homeostasis or balance, however, when the cup runeth over, as it does in this day and age, people end up with poorly functioning systems of  elimination, making it necessary for our detoxification systems to work that much harder, and occasionally become dysfunctional.

Your liver is your body’s main organ of detoxification. It has over 500 functions in the body. Your liver will assist with waste removal, hormone metabolization and digestion.

There are many clues to sluggish liver function. It can be responsible for issues such as acne, psoriasis, eczema and rashes. When the liver is sluggish,  it will offload the detoxification of excess toxins and chemicals to the skin.

Here are my top detoxification tips for a healthy liver:

• Ensure that you are drinking enough water– it helps to filter out toxins through your body – 8 glasses / day.
• Eat lots of fibre (ie. fruit, cruciferous veggies, whole grains, and flax) – fibre helps transport excess toxins out of your body through your stool.
• Remove processed foods and sugar from your diet – which impede the liver’s ability to detox
• Exercise (ie. sweat!) – one of the best ways to remove toxins!
• Clean up your cosmetic and skincare products –  ditch the chemicals and choose cleaner products
• Keep alcohol consumption moderate

If you struggle with issues like regular bouts of acne, excema you may want to consider a nutritional cleanse. It’s an excellent way to take some pressure off your liver, and give it a chance to reset and clear out the excesses that may be the root cause of your problem.

My popular ShiftShape 10 DAY ONLINE CLEANSE gives you an opportunity to do just that. This 10 day program gives you all of the tools and information that you need to get started and get the job done. The best part? You receive guidance and support from me, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist throughout the entire 10 days of your online program. Check it out here:

https://bonniewisener.com/shiftshape-10-day-online-cleanse/

xo