My skin journey…
A few months before the end of my senior year of college I started to deal with intense daily fatigue, unregulated body temperature, thinning hair, loss of muscle mass, intense cravings, dark circles under my eyes, constant congestion, and painful acne on my face. I had been taking care of myself in all the ways that I thought were “healthy”. Daily workouts, home cooked meals, fresh vegetables, and a wide range of vitamins. I would learn that I could have been doing the absolute best of the best for my body but I was dealing with mold poisoning from the college house that I was living in.
The mold was heavily affecting my liver. Your liver is the main detoxifier inside of your body and as a 22 year old I was frequently drinking with my friends which did not help the situation. I had a wide range of symptoms show up from this mold being inside of my body but the one that has been the most mentally and physically difficult for me was the acne/rashes that showed up on my skin.
Your skin is a great communicator of what is going on in your body and if your gut/detoxification system is properly functioning.
Through the past 14 months my skin health has been a rollercoaster. It started out as only a few small breakouts and then turned into a nightmare. My entire left side of my face was inflamed with painful acne. I tried 2 different acne medications to try to fix the issue and it brought on a new issue of intense stomach aches. I stopped everything I was taking orally and decided I needed to take matters into my own hands.
I got connected to a Chinese medicine doctor, Dr. Chin and an amazing esthetician, Tata Faber. My esthetician taught me about the importance of protecting the skin barrier and simplifying my skin care routine. Along with ways to aid my detoxification system. Some of my daily practices were dry brushing before my showers, gua shaing my face, going to the sauna at least 2 times per week.
Dr. Chin introduced me to my Qi. Qi is energy. When you are in perfect harmony, your Qi is balanced. I have always prioritized being “healthy” but I had never factored in that health doesn’t only mean working out and eating clean. Health is mind, body, soul. I had been ignoring my mind and soul health. Dr. Chin, helped me realize that I was living in a constant state of fight or flight, which puts major stress on your body and stress is the root of all disease in the world.
Dr. Chin also had me begin to take Chinese herbs every single day along with doing an herbal mask to help ease the topical inflammation from my breakouts. Then he invited me to open my mind to the idea that the food you eat can be medicine for your body. He recommended I eat as many green leafy plants/vegetables as I could (organic, local produce). He taught me that there was built up heat in my gut from the constant stress I was putting on my body along with the toxic mold I was dealing with. That I could heal myself from the inside out, that the answer was not in a pill or special cream. He gave me hope, hope that it wouldn’t be like this forever.
As I started to naturally detox, my skin got worse before it improved. When I looked in the mirror I no longer saw myself, I saw my inflamed painful breakouts. Nobody can prepare you for the toll that acne will take on your mental health. I avoided seeing friends and stayed home as much as possible. Thankfully I was resilient enough to push through the hard days and then my skin began to heal.
I learned that most doctors do not want to help you get to the root cause of your symptoms. They will always recommend a temporary solution because they are aware of how much work it takes to do things the right way.
I am still working on my skin, through healing what is going on inside of my mind, body & soul. If you are having skin issues, let’s connect!
XO,
Bailey