When we first started the InnerGlow program at our clinic over ten years ago, I was uncertain about whether or not I was going to be a fan of it or not. So, first of all, I was ten years younger… so that makes a difference. Also, I wasn’t sure that skin care wasn’t going to come off as light-weight and I didn’t want to lose the credibility of the more medical side of our practice by something that seemed to be just about “looking prettier”. A couple of our ND Team Members 
started out with cosmetic facial acupuncture and a simple set of cleanser-toner-moisturizer essential oil products that were suitable for almost anyone and the program took off. I had mixed feelings about how popular it was and started getting more involved to decide if we would keep the program within the clinic or move it outside. As I started to research more, I became very excited about a few things that it seemed like we missed in our training as NDs.
First of all, I was learning how important choosing safe topical personal care products are for us. I was a huge advocate for healthy nutrition and the benefits of organic foods for our whole body health. What I didn’t realize, which in retrospect, seems unbelievable, is that we absorb up to 90% of what we put on our skin into our bodies and so personal care products are really just as important as the food we eat for healthy immune systems, hormonal balance and energy.
Second, I realized that our original education as NDs had an old-school philosophy about treating skin care concerns. It was understood that skin conditions are very challenging to treat and so we should treat them only indirectly by improving digestion, nutrition, stress management and hormone balance. I do still believe this is mostly true… but I also realize that, as a profession who believes in treating the whole body, we chose to ignore the largest and most visible organ in our body – the skin. Treating topically with acupuncture, micro-current therapy, LED light therapy, micro-needling and using topical product such as facials, peels and treatments has been a game-changer in our approach to treat skin concerns effectively. And because we are NDs first, we never lose sight of the value of treating underlying issues as well.
Understanding Skin Aging
We’ve always been perplexed by the popularity of the term “anti-aging”. While we all would like to slow down the aging process or age gracefully with as much vitality as possible, it doesn’t seem appropriate (or even desirable) to say we are “anti” aging – we prefer the term “healthy aging”. As Botox treatments and plastic surgery become more popular, we have all met women who have smoother skin but don’t necessarily look younger. That’s because they have merely ironed out their surface wrinkles and haven’t done anything to address the underlying issues of aging skin. The solution is not a quick fix: it’s a comprehensive approach that supports and heals the infrastructure of the skin (and the whole body).
Our skin lives and breathes, just as we do. Skin cells have a short life expectancy but are constantly being replaced by new, healthy cells. This continual, dynamic process is what allows us to influence the health of our skin. When we are younger, the average life span of a skin cell is about 28 days. By the time we hit our late 30’s, it’s 35 days. When we move into our 60’s, this skin cell’s life cycle grows even longer, which means we have many more “older” skin cells than ever before. That’s why it’s so important to support the skin as we age.
Key water-retaining and texture-enhancing compounds in the skin, such as hyaluronic acids and polysaccharides, become depleted as we age. Collagen and elastin, which give the skin its firmness when we’re young, become damaged and we produce less of them as we age. Chronic inflammation, both internal and external, also damages skin and causes it to age more rapidly. The combination of these factors contributes to aging skin and can cause fine lines, wrinkles, changes in pigmentation such as age spots, also known as hyperpigmentation (dark spots or patches on the skin) and sagging skin.
The good news is that even as we age, we are still creating new, youthful skin cells… and supporting that process is how can we “Maintain Youthful Skin and Maximize Our Natural Glow”! Here are some tips to getting started:
- Nutrition
The food we eat is important for our whole body’s health – including the appearance of our skin. In 2007, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study done by British researchers that examined whether the food people are affected the way their skin looked. More pronounced wrinkles were found in those with a higher intake of bad fats and processed carbohydrates, while a diet rich in Vitamin C was found to reduce wrinkling later in life.
The vitamins and minerals found in fresh vegetables and fruits are especially important to help repair skin damage, build support structures, stay moist and prevent disease. For example, collagen is the skin’s main structure component, and the body cannot make it without vitamin C. If you don’t eat foods rich in vitamin C, your skin can lose its tight structure and begin to loosen, sag and wrinkle.
- Hormonal Balance
There is so much to say about hormone balancing and how it affects our skin, and the treatment is so individual to each person, that I thought I would just give honourable mention to the biggest issues rather than really provide solutions here.
First of all, the main hormone that causes skin breakouts is testosterone – and we all have it, men and women. Estrogen increases collagen, which keeps our skin firm and taut and bumps up blood supply to the skin so it can repair itself quickly. It is important to help these hormones in a healthy balance.
Cortisol is an important “hormone” that we often forget about it. Stress increases cortisol and affects blood sugar levels – which throws off insulin sensitivity and increases androgens creating more oily skin… so we are more prone to acne, rosacea and rashes. Also, when you remember that a “wrinkle” is basically a weakening and lessening of collagen and elastin fibers in the skin’s dermis, it’s easy to understand how stress can contribute directly to cause wrinkles. When you live in chronic stress, routinely bathing your body in cortisol, it becomes harder and harder for the skin to repair itself naturally, continue to form healthy collagen and elastin, and deal with damaged areas. At the same time, your body is responding to stress through inflammatory pathways, which can exacerbate skin issues. If you can decrease your levels of cortisol and increase your levels of beta endorphins, which act as anti-inflammatories in the body as well as in your skin, you can reverse this damage.
- Hydration
The focus of a healthy aging skin care routine should be on rehydration and repair. Keeping skin hydrated is critical no matter what your skin type or your age. The more mature skin is, the dryer it will become. Lack of moisture not only leads to inflammation, which can damage skin, it is also a key cause of prematurely aging skin.
So we should drink plenty of fresh, purified water and use a natural, nontoxic, nourishing cream at least twice a day to help replenish natural moisture as well as help retain moisture that is already present in the skin.
- Home Care with Good Quality Products
It is often surprising to find out that the FDA leaves synthetic additives in cosmetics largely unregulated, yet many of these chemically based products often contain known or suspected carcinogens, neurotoxins and hormone disruptors. Unfortunately, few studies have looked at the dangerous cumulative and inflammatory effects of combining so many different skin products over a lifetime – or how these chemicals interact with all the other chemicals we are exposed to.
The average woman uses 5-12 different products on her skin each and every day, exposing herself to a cocktail of over 100 chemicals that are absorbed into her body! Since our skin can absorb anywhere from 21-94% of what is put on it and our body tissues have the ability to store, the personal care products we use every day can cause toxic chemicals to add up. It is important to use only ingredients that promote your healthy appearance without doing any potential harm whenever possible. If there is not a product you are willing to “eat”, you should not be putting it on your skin.
To find out more about what the right treatment is for you, including supplementation, specific hormone balancing and home care routines and product ideas, please consult one of the NDs in our InnerGlow program… a program I am now so happy we started!
Naturopathic Doctor
Clinic Director
