Digestion & Acne: How To Get Clear Skin By Healing Your Gut

Significant research even shows that many of these inflammatory skin conditions are certainly triggered by poor digestion: Since your skin is your body's largest organ, it's no surprise that acne, rosacea, and dermatitis crop up when something's off internally.

Suboptimal digestion is quite common today, and is caused by numerous factors including:

Of course, skin is a complicated organ, so even if you eat perfectly you may experience skin flare ups triggered by other concerns—that's OK, Just do your best to stick to these healthy digestion tips and you'll be in a much better place.

After three weeks, you can start to fold back in your favorite foods—one at a time—and see how your skin and body reacts. Some, you'll find, you'll be totally fine with having in your diet (or at least in moderation). Others, you'll be able to identify as potential triggers for flare-ups.

Support your gut flora by taking a daily probiotic supplement. These “good bacteria” live in our digestive tract and help keep our microbiome flourishing, allowing our bodies to absorb skin-benefiting nutrients and also help with the removal of wastes. You can also get these good probiotics in raw sauerkraut and kombucha.

When you purchase ACV, look for “raw” and “unfiltered.” (Ideally, you'd buy a label that says “with the mother,” so you can gain all the benefits). You can add ACV to your salad dressings or even take a tablespoon mixed with water to get the benefits. However, do not take ACV straight, as its acidity can be equally has hard on your body.

Your body makes its own digestive enzymes, but often times our bodies do not make enough to break down everything we consume, especially as we age. Supplementing with digestive enzymes is beneficial for the absorption of all the nutrients necessary for beautiful skin. By helping to promote efficient digestion, digestive enzymes help the body renew damaged cells while also decrease constipation – a key for glowing skin. Look for plant-based enzymes to avoid contaminants from non-organic animal-based enzymes.

What you put in your body is arguably more important for your skin than what you put on it. Eating a whole food based diet, rich in vegetables and fruits (thanks to their antioxidant properties), is the best way to promote your digestive tract and skin on the path to wellness. Supplementing your diet with nuts, seeds, whole grains (such as quinoa, millet and amaranth) as well as legumes is great.

While you shouldn’t exercise on a full stomach, movement is essential to your digestive system’s function. By increasing your heart rate once per day you are helping circulate nutrients to your skin.3 Further, certain stretches and yoga postures (such as seated spinal twists) can help promote elimination. Exercise also helps lower your stress levels, leading to healthier, younger looking skin.