I am a little nervous to post this but also excited. Excited because I am incredibly thankful to finally see the difference focusing on health has made on my skin. This is my before and after picture (2 1/2 years ago and yesterday).
About 4 years ago, my skin started to really flare up. Up until that point, my skin was looking pretty good. Not perfect but good. In fact, I was using a really popular (and expensive line) at the time and was pretty happy with it. But one morning I woke up to some red spots, the next morning to more, then more, and within a few months my skin was full on struggling with rosacea. I had bumps and pustules. It was incredibly painful. Just splashing water on my face at night would hurt. Mostly, I was just embarrassed. I couldn’t figure out what was happening and how to fix it. I watched a lot of videos. I tried a lot of products. I talked to nutritionists. Nothing seemed to really help.
I know now I was dealing with a digestive issue called SIBO. My inflamed skin was basically a cry from my gut saying, “Hey, something is wrong here!”
I will be honest: nothing really helped my skin until I started to work on the SIBO issues. It’s taken lots of time to figure it out but here is what’s finally working for me:
- getting rid of food intolerances- I would say hands down this is the most important one. I’ve had to get strict. Real strict. No cow’s milk dairy. No grains. No sugars (I only use monk fruit or stevia). I am pretty much a dairy-free keto girl now because I have to be. And honestly, I’m okay with it. I would rather feel better than eat a cookie.
- supplements – I take collagen daily. I drink ketones daily. I take vitamin D, digestive enzymes, and oregano oil for my SIBO. Nourishing my gut makes all the difference in my skin.
- clean skincare – getting toxins out of my body has taken time so I make sure I only use skincare that is clean. Brands like Beautycounter, Biossance, and Farmacy Beauty have been my go-tos. A few nights a week, if my skin is looking red, I will use a gel my doctor prescribed called Metronidazole Gel but probably 1-2x a week.
It’s taken a LOT of time. It’s been emotional and embarrassing. I look at the before side and cry because I remember feeling so much shame and using so much makeup to cover it up. But it just goes to show, working hard to heal your body (from the inside out) can make such a difference even on your skin.
While I put this post together to help anyone who may have similar issues, I also whole heartedly recommend talking to a doctor and a nutritionist. All my trial and error of trying to figure out what was wrong took a LONG time, and it wasn’t until my doctor diagnosed me with SIBO that I finally saw improvement.
My skin still isn’t 
but I am so incredibly thankful for how much it’s healed. Please let me know if you have any questions!
but I am so incredibly thankful for how much it’s healed. Please let me know if you have any questions!