Achieving Truly Healthy Skin

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.
~ Kahlil Gibran

Pro-Aging

Traditionally, healthy skin is considered a sign of beauty, and our society generally equates aged skin with “unhealthy”, or deficiency, which is not beautiful. This standard is fundamentally inadequate and, thankfully, pro-aging concepts are slowly leaking into mainstream thinking. Older skin can certainly be beautiful.

And akin to how the romantic poets describe beauty as that which comes from within, skin is a reflection of our internal health. Imbalances inside our bodies quite often generate symptoms at the level of our skin. So, while a person may pursue beautiful skin with the understanding that they are supporting internal health, my wish for you is that it is also with the understanding that you are already beautiful, no matter how healthy (or unhealthy) your skin is.

Healthy Skin from the Inside-Out

Not only is your skin your largest organ, but it is metabolically active, which means that it works hard to protect you from harmful external influences. Your skin contains many of the same enzymes present in your liver for chemical detoxification, and it houses immune cells that ward off pathogenic bacteria. When an organ as complex as your skin is unhealthy, it’s worth paying attention to.

A general principle of many medicines is that the body is a self-healing unit which will succeed if all routes of waste elimination are maintained. In other words, if your organs are working efficiently to excrete unwanted chemicals, then most processes stay in balance and your body is healthy. Unhealthy skin is certainly linked to these processes, and many associations exist between suboptimal liver function, (your main excretory organ), and unhealthy skin. In this way, healthy skin requires healthy internal organs, and healing your skin requires more than topical symptom management.

For more information about how to support your liver and improve its efficiency, please refer to my articles on detoxification. We can also work together to develop a detoxification plan that supports exactly where your individual organs need support in their elimination efficiency.

…From the Outside-In

Up to 65% of what you put on your skin may be absorbed into your bloodstream and lymph system. Using natural skin care products free of known and suspected cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) could relieve some of the burden on your body’s elimination organs. Please refer to this detailed reference guide for more chemical-specific information: Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors: Chemicals and Synthetics to Avoid in Personal Care Products

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) also publishes a Skin Deep database that contains hundreds of brand names rated for safety by EWG researchers. (A sunscreen guide is also available here.) See how your favourite cosmetic brand was rated! Toxic Products Cosmetic Database.

Truly natural body-care products are hard to come by in Kingston! This is why I’ve researched and brought in two body-care companies, Rocia from Belleville, and Ferlow Botanicals, from Vancouver. For those individuals who would go a little bit farther to achieve changes in skin health, I’d like to introduce Mei Zen(TM) cosmetic acupuncture, also available at KIHC. Mei Zen(TM) is considered by many to be a healthy alternative to cosmetic surgery.

Cosmetic Acupuncture: Needles over the Knife

Traditional Chinese Medicine understands more than many other medical systems that beauty comes from the inside-out. Mei Zen(TM) acupuncture is a technique that combines an individualized whole-body balancing acupuncture treatment with a specific protocol to improve facial skin tone, comparable to cosmetic surgery, botox, or a “face-lift”. The treatment appears to improve blood flow to the face, which encourages the body to synthesize collagen and elastin for improved skin and muscle tone. More information about cosmetic acupuncture may be viewed here. You may also read a New York Times fashion article about Mei Zen acupuncture, here.

Mei Zen(TM) acupuncture is now offered by KIHC’s Traditional Chinese Medicine expert, Jennifer Foster. Jennifer offers complimentary 15-minute consultations for anyone requesting more information about this technique or Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis and treatment in general.

Finally, Clean Skincare Products!

Rocia(TM)

What Are You Feeding Your Skin?

Rocia is a new line of natural skin care and mineral makeup products developed by two local Belleville ladies known as The Leading Lady Image Consultants. Their products are free of suspected and known carcinogens such as parabens, phthalates, EDTA, and sodium lauryl sulfate. (Many of these chemcials are found in other “natural” skincare products, including Avon, Aloette, and Aveda.)

The Leading Lady Image Consultants expect their new website to be up and running in a few weeks. Their products are on display at KIHC and orders may be placed at the front reception desk.

Ferlow Botanicals

Ferlow Botanicals is a purely Canadian, family owned and operated company that specializes in organic personal care products. My favourites so far include the neem tree toothpaste and the calendula shampoo. This company also carries a variety of products with neem, or Azidirachta indica, an antimicrobial alternative to tea tree oil that may be used to treat acne, dandruff, athlete’s foot, or skin fungal infections. Their website contains well researched information about neem, and a guide to toxic personal-care product chemicals.

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We respectfully acknowledge that Kingston Integrated Healthcare is situated on ancestral Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Territory. Since time immemorial they have cared for these lands and waters, and we are grateful. We recognize that a healthy environment is essential to the wellbeing of all people and all life.


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