5 Surprising Ways Your Liver is Connected to Acne

The Liver is Important When It Comes to Acne

Throughout our daily lives the liver must process an array of natural and synthetic waste products and eliminate them from the body. The liver and kidneys are the primary detoxification organs, but additional detox support can be achieved through the skin, gut lining and lungs. 

The liver's role is to carefully regulate the levels of blood sugar, fats, hormones, minerals, electrolytes, cellular debris, and foreign toxic waste (like pesticides and medications). Blood components such as potassium, sodium, insulin, and hormones need to be tightly controlled within a narrow therapeutic window or rapid deterioration could occur. 

Likewise old hormones need to be detoxified efficiently, otherwise a hormone dominance could cause hormonal disturbances affecting the menstrual cycle, mood swings, and of course acne. 

The liver is well equipped to handle these essential and natural processes. However in our modern lifestyle our liver has become burdened by the thousands of novel environmental chemicals and pollutants that we encounter on a daily basis! 

The lining of the gut also has important detoxification enzymes. However, the gut lining can often be inflamed and compromised. The nutrients needed for the enzymatic reactions in the gut lining and liver often become depleted, therefore detoxification grinds to a halt. 

Apart from the natural waste products from the body like old hormones and bacterial debris, environmental toxins can enter the body through the lungs, the skin, and digestive tract. 

Let's learn about 5 surprising ways your liver toxicity can lead to acne.

1. Blood sugar imbalances

When the liver is inflamed it can lead to poor blood sugar regulation. As blood sugar fluctuates and insulin rises, it can lead to changes in the ovaries which leads to hormonal imbalances.

Imbalances in estrogen or testosterone can lead to inflamed pimples on the face.

2. Hormone backlog

Hormones which aren't processed through the liver efficiently can lead to a back log of old hormones. This is especially problematic  when you have insulin-driven hormonal imbalances to begin with. What a mess!  

3. Toxin overload

When our bodies are overloaded with environmental toxins - the everyday detoxing our bodies need gets put on the back burner. 

Old hormones can build up in the blood stream leading to hormonal imbalances. Free radicals and intermediate metabolites can cause inflammation and wreck havoc around the body, especially the skin, as we mentioned above. 

4. Heavy metals

Heavy metals are often difficult for the body to detoxify. Heavy metals can be ingested or inhaled in our environment and begin to bog down liver function. As the liver uses up valuable nutrients dealing with heavy metals - it can fall behind on other important jobs such as hormone regulation. 

In addition, heavy metals can interact with our tissues and lead to inflammation in the skin.

5. Nutrient deficiencies

Chronic exposure to toxins and medications (like birth control) can lead to depletion of nutrients in the liver that are essential for detoxification. Deficiencies in key B vitamins, amino acids, magnesium, and vitamin C can lead to a sluggish liver. A sluggish liver leads to inflammation and of course acne!

In conclusion, the liver is a highly underrated organ! For optimal health - we should be consuming foods and certain supplements that will support liver health. 

In my best-selling acne course The Clear Skin Code I discuss the importance of consuming inflammatory foods and different supplements I use with my clients in detail and explain WHY they are so important for healthy looking skin. 

P.S. If you have any questions - please feel free to email me at [email protected] and I'll personally get back to you! 

References: 

1. Fathi MA, Han G, Kang R, Shen D, Shen J, Li C. Disruption of cytochrome P450 enzymes in the liver and small intestine in chicken embryos in ovo exposed to glyphosate. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 May;27(14):16865-16875. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-08269-3. Epub 2020 Mar 6. PMID: 32144705.

2. Cline JC. Nutritional aspects of detoxification in clinical practice. Altern Ther Health Med. 2015 May-Jun;21(3):54-62. PMID: 26026145.

3. Jung SJ, Kim WL, Park BH, Lee SO, Chae SW. Effect of toxic trace element detoxification, body fat reduction following four-week intake of the Wellnessup diet: a three-arm, randomized clinical trial. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2020 Jun 22;17:47. doi: 10.1186/s12986-020-00465-9. PMID: 32582363; PMCID: PMC7310262.