From your head to your toes, your skin is constantly giving you feedback about your body’s inner status. Being the largest organ in your body, your skin is a source of dynamic information about your current health – which can speak to imbalances that indicate shifts in stress levels, hormones, inflammation, and nutritional deficiencies.
An unusual change with the condition of our skin can be unsettling at any time of our lives, let alone during a global pandemic. If your skin has been “freaking out,” the good and bad news is that quarantine skin issues are common.
A rise in stress levels and change of routine is a recipe for imbalance.
Functional Medicine offers an approach that gets to the root causes of these imbalances. Instead of just looking at what you put on your skin, we like to look at what you can put into your body to restore balance and promote the natural healing process from within.
Schedule an Appointment
As you care for your skin, here are some Functional Medicine tenets to keep in mind:
- Acne, eczema, psoriasis, hives, rosacea and even puffy eyes are just a few of the skin issues Functional Medicine can help treat.
- Functional Medicine can help you balance hormones, approach dietary changes, optimize nutrient status, and heal your gut – all of which have significant impact on your skin.
- Many skin problems are created on the inside. Skin problems may indicate something else is going on in your body. Food allergies can manifest in itchy skin. Excess insulin and your risk for diabetes might be indicated by dry scaly patches. Low thyroid function may be causing your dry skin. A Functional Medicine practitioner can help assess your skin condition and prescribe the proper tests to properly diagnose your imbalance.
- Nutritional deficiencies in omega-3s, protein, and vitamins A, B, C, and E can reflect topically on your skin.
- Sun safety is a balancing act to protect your skin from cancer and oxidation. When choosing sunscreen, be weary of products with SPF higher than 50 – as you may be exposed to more chemicals than necessary. Avoid these two ingredients – Oxybenzone & Octinoxate. (They may be linked to disruptions with hormones, reproductive system and thyroid.) Opt for creams over sprays and play it safe by avoiding nano-particals. Brands like Aveeno and Goddess Garden offer a range of non-nano, mineral sunscreens.
- Vitamin D is an essential marker of health and why we like to get up to 20 minutes a day of moderate sun exposure. Our experts are able to test if you may be deficient and determine the next steps in supplementing.
- Inflammation in your diet (from omega-6 fatty acids and trans fats) may trigger irritation and dermatitis such as eczema, acne, and rashes.
If you’ve found yourself with new skin complaints, our Functional Medicine team is here to help! We will assess the underlying imbalance and address the root causes.
Together, we’ll map out a treatment plan that allows your body to repair, rebalance, and naturally heal from the inside out. Schedule your next appointment by filling out the form below.
Schedule
Please fill out the form to request an appointment at our health and wellness center for the service and location of your preference. We try to get back to all requests as quickly as possible. If you need immediate assistance, please call 773-598-4387.
Your safety comes first: we are operating with heightened safety measures in our clinics and offer telemedicine for those unable to visit in person.
