The Fat Girl’s Guide to Naturally Yummy Skin
Luscious, non-greasy shea butter
Most of us have dealt with skin blemishes like pimples and blackheads at some point in our lives. I remember standing in front of the bathroom mirror at 16 using Scotch tape or the sticky ends of band-aids to lay over my nose, then ripping it off fast, hoping it would take all the cloggy oil and gunk with it. It felt terrible enough back then, but as an overweight adult, having unhealthy, blemished skin often becomes just one more reason for us to feel badly about ourselves.
The bad news: the systemic imbalances that cause outbreaks and other skin issues, some of them serious, often come with fat-girl territory. Double-whammy.
The good news: while we’re working on improving our health in the bigger picture, we can implement a few small, specific changes right now to help stave off skin problems and let our natural, radiant selves show through.
To fix anything, we need to know why it’s happening
Our skin is affected by everything we do to our bodies – what we put on them, and what we put in them. It’s where our system throws up desperate red flags for things that are out-of-whack internally, be they hormones, vitamin deficiencies, high levels of sugars and fats, and even more serious conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Just like when we were teenagers and our hormones went haywire as our bodies transitioned into adulthood, our hormones today are going bonkers because of the things we’re exposing (and not exposing) them to. We’re not designed to process many of the things we’re asking our bodies to process – and that includes most diet foods – resulting in the confusion and over-extension of our systems (mainly, our enzymes) and ultimately the storage of fat, depletion of energy and organ function, and the appearance of conditions like acne, rosacea, dry skin, skin tags, facial and body hair and skin “staining.”
I know, we’ve all heard it before. But then we turn around and expect to reverse the effects of our choices on our ailing skin by treating it with even more processed products that we’re not designed to metabolize easily — and that’s asking for trouble down the road. Chemical-based solutions like harsh astringents, acne medicine and even some moisturizers, while they may appear to help in the short term, often make things worse in the long run.
“The chemicals we put on our skin are overtaxing an already overtaxed system in overweight women,” says Sara Damelio, a licensed esthetician at The Still Point Wellness Center in Takoma Park, MD. “The skin is a sensitive organ. Our external looks are the direct result of the choices we’re making.”
What can we do right now?
Damelio says one of the first things she does for new clients is to give them an eye-opening primer in skin care ingredients and how they react with the body. Then she offers advice on ways to achieve healthy, radiant skin through educated dietary decisions and natural skin-care treatments.
Her suggestion for a simple, inexpensive, readily-available skin treatment plan we can use right now? Add coconut water, probiotics (like plain yogurt), multiple servings of raw vegetables and daily omega 3-6-9 fatty acids to your diet.
Damelio says coconut water is good for hair, skin and nails, as well as your heart and digestive system. Probiotics boost your immune system, inhibiting toxins in the body, helping to prevent infections, and are said to help lower cholesterol and even blood pressure. Essential fatty acids (omega 3-6-9, or fish oil) help ward off cardiovascular disease, stimulate blood circulation (good for problems like varicose veins), boost the immune system and promote brain health and function. And we all know, whether we like it or not, the benefits of eating raw vegetables.
Add to that the benefits of ditching heavy moisturizers that often contain wax and clog pores (Damelio recommends a tiny bit of light, small-molecule oil) and swapping other chemical-based products for organic soap, raw shea butter and other natural skin care treatments (she also whips up a natural “skin smoothie” and recommends the combat-ready soap bar through her skin-care company, Skin Can Do), and you’ve got a recipe for evening out your skin tone, reducing blemishes and other visible anomalies, and improving the digestion and circulation cycle so important to proper skin nourishment.
Of course it goes without saying that making healthy choices in all areas of our lives will impact our skin – just like making unhealthy choices does – but don’t fall into the trap of waiting until you can do it all before you do any of it. Why not show your skin the love it needs now, so it’ll be be there for you when you’re ready to show it off to the rest of the world?
Excellent recommendation on the shea butter. I scored six gift packs of wonderfully scented shea butter soap before the holidays to give as gifts, but couldn’t bear to part with them. The difference in my skin, just from that one change has been phenomenal. Now, if only I could sneak more of those pesky veggies into my diet. (just kidding. I love em!)
Oh, and emerging from the shower tingly clean with soft skin and smelling of mint and pine (that’s the current shea butter soap scent- yum!) every morning is so much more invigorating than the slimy-filmy feeling that ordinary deodorant soaps leave behind.
I have been fighting blemishes since I was fifteen. I’m 33 now, so that’s a ridiculously long time to struggle against my own skin. This article made me think about how I can change my skin care regimen. It’s got to start with my diet. A little bit of research and maybe I can put this issue away for good.
I have just recently discovered that the acne I get along my jawline each month (I’m 41) gets worse when I stop exercising regularly. Got me wondering whether there’s a metabolic influence on hormonal secretions or whatever toxins cause blemishes. I know my morning sickness was reduced when I’d work out regularly while pregnant, too. Things that make you go hmmm…
Really terrific post, Tee.
I have no doubt that the hormones/processes involved in exercise play a big role, too. That and when we exercise, it tends to change our cravings and appetite, too, so that may be part of it.
Sara was spot on when she said that most of us are conditioned to hate vegetables – even the mention of them in some cases – because of the way most veggies were prepared “back in the day.” Soft, mushy, flimsy, flavorless. They had the life cooked/steamed right out of them. So we get the willies thinking about it.
But fresh, crisp veggies from the garden or farmer’s market, eaten raw with a tiny bit of salt? DIVINE.
My fave “natural” body care that I make is my own sugar scrub. I love scrubs from Bath&Body, but they are $$$. I mix my own with regular household sugar and baby oil, and a few drops of my fave body wash (for the scent & a few bubbles!). Sugar scrub can be used all over, and doesn’t sting like a salt scrub can!
You can also use the sugar scrub to remove dead skin on your lips. Just mix sugar with a lil bit of Vaseline and rub all over your lips!
Interesting read. I had seen on one of those myth buster type shows (on the Food Network) that drinking water does make the skin look healthier, smoothing out lines and such. That’s been a goal of mine this year, to drink more water and not just in my coffee.
Otherwise, I’ve always used very little moisturizers and my make-up tends to be light (at least I hope so).
Toni, I wonder if your water intake fluctuates when you exercise vs when you don’t. As Bonnie pointed out, drinking plenty of water can be wonderful for your skin, too.
I notice that I always drink more if I am exercising regularly.
Toni – most likely you are spot on in that it’s some kind of hormonal / metabolic change. I too get what you describe and notice the same kind of changes.
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