7 Things Your Skin is Telling You
Your skin is a barrier of protection for you. It's your largest organ and it can also be your body’s most telling way of what is going on internally. Here are just a few of the most common things your skin can be telling you. Remember, we aren’t physicians and if you have any persistent issues please seek medical attention.
#1 Dehydrated –
A strong warning sign to dehydration is dry flaky skin. Skin loses its elasticity, which we associate with plump youthful looking skin, when the body is dehydrated, but the inverse can also occur resulting in water retention, which gives the skin a less desirable swollen puffiness. The average daily recommendation of water consumption is about 64 ounces or 2-liters; with regular exercise you will need more than this amount daily.
#2 Exhausted –
Beauty sleep is not a tall tale and if you don’t get enough your skin will tell the true story. A minimum of 8 hours of sleep is recommended, but that’s the minimum. Despite sleeping within the recommended number of hours a night, 35 percent of Americans report their sleep quality as “poor” or “only fair.” – National Sleep Foundation. Keep a regular sleep schedule. You can’t makeup for lost sleep on the weekends. The best things to regulate the body and hormones is a consistent sleep schedule. Poor sleep can result in under eye bags, and dark circles around the eye, but fatigue shows up on the face in facial muscle fatigue making the skin appear far less firm.
#3 Intolerant –
Have a rash that flares up occasionally? The most common reason is that your body is a food allergy. The two most common intolerances people experience are to gluten and corn. Try an elimination diet for 28 days. Eliminating all food(s) with the suspected ingredient can involve reading a lot of labels, but it’s well worth solving the mystery and getting to the source of what’s causing your skin condition.
#4 Stressed –
Acne is more defined as persistent inflammation or infected sebaceous glands, but if you experience only the occasional breakouts it could be stress that you’re under. While you may not be able to change the stressful circumstances around you, try incorporating more auto-immune foods filled with vitamin C and don’t forget vitamin B which most of us can’t get enough of in our regular diets. Did you know potatoes are loaded with vitamin C and in fact have more than oranges?
#5 Imbalanced –
Skin color can be a clue to larger imbalances going on in the body. A yellowish tint to the skin is a common symptom of thyroid issues. If you suspect you may have such an issue, visit your physician. Test can be run to determine a diagnosis.
#6 Malnourished –
Your body can be well feed and still malnourished. A lack of fresh fruits and vegetables and a diet loaded with processed foods can result in malnourishment. Prolonged healing of wounds and cuts or brittle nails and dry skin can all be indicators of a poor diet or something more serious. While there are millions of vitamins and herbal supplements on the market, consider mother natures medicine cabinet first and let food be thy medicine. A diet rich in leafy greens does wonders for overall health.
#7 Excess –
Got white heads? You may have heard that acne isn’t caused by food. We aren’t doctors, but in our limited experience, we’ve seen a lot of skin, and we believe certain foods do trigger acne. So what is the number one food that causes breakouts? Dairy, whether is cheese, butter, ice cream, milk or creamer, if you are noticing regular flare ups, especially white heads, cut back on the dairy. You may even want to eliminate it temporarily and see if your condition improves.
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