The Growth Kit by Brian Comly

January 02, 2025 E42 · Holistic Strategies For Better Skin: A 3-Pronged Approach

It all starts on the inside with the care we take to manage stress, eat right, and limit the harmful effects of fluctuating blood sugar levels, excess alcohol, and high toxic loads of inflammation and toxins. But protecting the skin from the outside is also important, particularly when we choose then apply the right products since some can be more detrimental than beneficial.

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Holistic Strategies For Better Skin

Things Mentioned:

Avoid high inflammatory foods. Here are the Big 4 Offenders. Avoid these and you’re 90% of the way there.

Sugar

Gluten

Seed oils

Additives

Make sure your water is a reliable spring water source or filtered through reverse osmosis (RO) with remineralization to make sure that you are putting back in the minerals that are stripped out. Also, make sure to get an adequate amount of salt and electrolytes which help shuttle water to the skin instead of passing right through.

Probiotics: I use the Nested Naturals Super Green Powder nearly daily to ensure I get enough spirulina.

Get your vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are important in keeping your largest organ working at its best. Prioritize whole foods to get these nutrients and consider a high-quality multivitamin (recommendations here) as a backup.

Vitamin A is essential for healthy skin cell turnover and repair and it helps protect the skin from harmful UV rays. The best sources are liver, eggs, and dairy products, as well as beta-carotene-containing foods such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and spinach.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps to protect the skin from free radical damage. It also plays a role in collagen production. Good sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, berries, tomatoes, and bell peppers.

Vitamin E is another antioxidant that helps to protect the skin from free radical damage.It also helps to soothe inflammation and promote wound healing. Good sources of vitamin E include nuts, seeds, avocados, and leafy green vegetables.

Vitamin B3 (niacin) helps to reduce inflammation and improve skin barrier function. Good sources of niacin include meat, poultry, fish, and eggs.

Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) is essential for skin cell health and wound healing. Good sources of pantothenic acid include meat, poultry, fish, and eggs.

Zinc is essential for wound healing and collagen production. it also helps to protect the skin from infection. Good sources of zinc include meat, poultry, seafood, nuts, and seeds.

Selenium is an antioxidant that helps to protect the skin from free radical damage. It also helps to reduce inflammation. Good sources of selenium include Brazil nuts, seafood, and organ meats.

Copper is essential for collagen production and wound healing. Good sources of copper include nuts, seeds, and seafood.

Eat or drink collagen. Collagen, a crucial protein for skin health, can help maintain skin elasticity and hydration, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

The best natural sources of collagen include bone broth, fish, chicken, and turkey. When buying a bone broth, make sure that "bones" are on the ingredient list, otherwise it's just broth (a reliable one is Kettle and Fire).

Also, you can consume collagen from natural sources like the skin on chicken and meats, such as the crispy skin on roasted poultry or cuts of meat with connective tissue.

You can also opt for collagen supplements such as Levels Collagen which comes from grass-fed cows, is third-party tested, and contains no artificial flavors.

Avoid getting too much sun through windows. Excessive exposure to unbalanced ultraviolet rays, particularly UVA rays without UVB rays, accelerates skin aging (dermatoheliosis or photoaging), leading to symptoms like lost skin elasticity, uneven texture, wrinkles, uneven tone, and broken blood vessels. This is exemplified by the case of a 69-year-old truck driver named Bill McElligott, as published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2012. If you are in the car (or anywhere with direct sunlight through windows) for long periods, use sunscreen. Use mesh window socks or tinted windows if you have passengers in the back and apply natural sunscreens for longer commutes.

Stress: Research has shown that stress worsens acne, eczema, and psoriasis, and impedes wound healing.

Avoid pollution and smoke. If you live in the city or an area that is at high risk for wildfire smoke then I highly recommend investing in an air purifier. We use this one.

Red light therapy. There are many types of red light therapy so make sure to pick a reputable one like Hooga which uses a red light panel or HigherDose which uses a red light face mask.

Sauna. Saunas can promote circulation and detoxification, which can be helpful for overall skin health. If you have rosacea, a sauna blanket can provide a milder alternative to traditional saunas, as intense heat can exacerbate rosacea symptoms. When you do use a sauna, make sure to wipe yourself off immediately with a towel so that the toxins that are released are not reabsorbed. I use the HigherDose sauna blanket.

Lift: Get started with the minimum effective dose (MED) of strength training.

The two main topicals for improving and maintaining skin care are Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and Vitamin E (retinol)

Topical Vitamin C Serum. Vitamin C, a.k.a. ascorbic acid, supports collagen synthesis while protecting against UV damage. Apply this in the morning. Here are some of the safest, according to EWG, that are also some of the most affordable:

Mad Hippie Vitamin C Face Serum

Honest Beauty Vitamin C Radiance Brightening Serum

SONREVE Signature Balance Serum

LEORA Glow Revitalizing Serum Essence

COSRX Pure Vitamin C 13% Serum

Retinoic acid: Retinol, a.k.a. retinoic acid and Vitamin A, reduces signs of aging while improving skin turnover. Since retinol is so effective at accelerating skin turnover, it leaves the new, delicate cells vulnerable to sun damage so don’t apply it before going out in the sun. Instead, apply it at night before bed. For this reason, as well as a potential risk for Vitamin A toxicity if too much is used or consumed, EWG is conservative about its use. Early signs of Vitamin A toxicity include Headache, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, and dry skin. Talk to your doctor about this. Here are some of the safest, according to EWG, that are also some of the most affordable:

Eva Naturals Retinol Serum 2.5% For Face

AZURE Hyaluronic & Retinol Anti-Aging Facial Serum

Mad Hippie Vitamin A Serum with Hyaluronic Acid

Here are other things to consider when it comes to protecting your skin from the outside.

Natural sunscreen. Use natural sunscreens of SPF 30 or higher for the " high real estate areas " such as the hand and face.

Personal care products. Check to make sure your personal care products don’t contain endocrine disruptors. A good strategy is to make sure they’re verified through a third-party consumer safety database such as the Environmental Working Group (EWG) using the EWG Healthy Living App. Here is a list of the ones I use:

Lotion: Alba Botanical or ATTITUDE

Shampoo: Everyone 3:1

Soap: Honey Sweetie Acres Goat’s Milk Soap or Dr. Squatch Deep Sea Goal’s Milk Soap

I recently switched over to goat’s milk soap and the difference is noticeable with much softer skin. Goat’s milk soap also has soft lactic acid and it’s packed with vitamins and anti-inflammatories, to soothe irritation, minimize breakouts, and hydrate the skin.

Deodorant: Tom’s of Maine

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