The Power of Functional Medicine For Glowing Skin
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve felt frustration from looking in the mirror and not recognizing yourself. Maybe your skin has lost its glow, you’re noticing weight gain that won’t budge, or you’re battling adult acne that makes you feel like you’re back in high school. Your doctor might have reassured you that everything is normal, but deep down, you know something doesn’t feel right. You don’t just want a quick fix or another prescription. What you really want is to feel vibrant, healthy, and like the best version of yourself. This is where functional medicine comes in.
Unlike traditional medicine, which is usually focused on treating symptoms, functional medicine dives deep to uncover the root cause of your concerns, especially when it comes to your skin and overall well-being. Glowing, healthy skin directly reflects what’s happening internally – your hormones, gut health, and even your stress levels play a big role in how your complexion looks and feels.
What Is Functional Medicine?
Functional medicine takes a different approach from the traditional model we’re most accustomed to. Rather than treating individual symptoms (like dull skin, weight gain, or hormonal imbalances) in isolation, functional medicine looks at the body as one interconnected system. It considers how different factors such as nutrition, lifestyle, stress, and genetics affect your health as a whole.
If you’ve felt unheard by your primary care doctor, functional medicine might feel like a breath of fresh air. Here at Elevate, we take the time to listen, explore your medical history, and understand the full picture of your health, not just the bothersome symptoms. We believe that to achieve long-term, sustainable results, you must treat your issues’ root causes instead of masking them.
How Internal Health Affects Your Skin
If you’ve been struggling with your complexion, whether it’s adult acne, redness, or lackluster, tired-looking skin, focusing on skincare products is tempting. While creams, serums, and treatments can help, the real solution for glowing skin often lies beneath the surface.
Our skin is the largest organ in the body, and its appearance reflects what’s happening inside. Hormones, gut health, and inflammation are just a few factors that can wreak havoc on your skin.
1. Hormone Imbalances
For both men and women, hormone levels play a huge role in skin health. Hormones like testosterone, estrogen, and cortisol directly impact everything from oil production to skin elasticity. Imbalances in these hormones, especially as you age, can lead to common skin issues like acne, dryness, and premature wrinkles.
For example, if your testosterone is too high or too low, it can trigger breakouts or cause your skin to lose its firmness. Cortisol, the “stress hormone”, can also spike during times of chronic stress, leading to dull, inflamed skin and even accelerating the aging process.
2. Gut Health and Skin
You might be surprised to learn that your gut health plays a massive role in the vitality of your skin. In fact, there’s a connection between our gut and skin! When it’s imbalanced, it can lead to numerous skin issues, including acne, rosacea, and eczema.
Functional medicine focuses on healing the gut first. We love that this is often the key to improving skin health. Here at Elevate, we can help you restore gut balance, reduce inflammation, and, in turn, improve the skin’s health and appearance. Outside of the clinic, we encourage you to try a personalized nutrition plan, probiotics, and lifestyle changes — all of which affect your skin health.
3. Inflammation and Toxins
Chronic inflammation is one of the biggest reasons for acne, dullness, and wrinkles. The body can become inflamed for a few reasons, including poor diet, environmental toxins, and chronic stress.
Functional medicine works to reduce this toxic load. It can help eliminate inflammation and support your body’s natural detoxification processes. This can be anything from cleaning up your diet to introducing specific supplements that support liver and gut health, all of which contribute to clearer, healthier skin.
Why Traditional Approaches Don’t Always Work
You might be wondering why your primary care doctor or dermatologist hasn’t addressed these issues. While incredibly valuable, traditional medicine is often focused on treating acute symptoms. If you go to the doctor for acne, they might prescribe a topical cream. If you mention fatigue or weight gain, you might be told to move a little more, or you might get medication to manage the symptoms you have.
But if you’re struggling with a combination of issues like adult acne, hormone imbalances, and weight gain, then you need a better approach. That is exactly what functional medicine for skincare offers – an approach that looks beyond the symptoms. So here is what we recommend you do:
1. Seek Out a Functional Medicine Practitioner
Find a licensed practitioner (like Elevate) who specializes in functional medicine. You need someone who will understand your health history, run comprehensive tests (hormone panels, gut health assessments, and toxin screenings), and create a personalized plan that addresses your unique needs. You’ll find the greatest success when your practitioner is experienced in both traditional and functional medicine (enter Kelly Manicke).
2. Focus on Nutrition
The food you eat plays a massive role in the health of your skin. Work with your practitioner to develop a nutrition plan that eliminates inflammatory foods and adds plenty of nutrient-dense foods.
3. Prioritize Self-care
This is very important. Stress management is the best way to reduce inflammation and improve your overall health. Functional medicine for skincare often includes recommendations for practices like mindfulness, yoga, or meditation to help regulate cortisol levels and reduce stress.
4. Commit To a Long-term Solution
Last but not least – the most difficult part. Functional medicine isn’t a quick fix. Think of it as your long-term commitment to your health. Remember that it may take time to see results. However, when you do, they will leave you in awe!
Combining Functional Medicine with Aesthetics: A Holistic Approach to Beauty and Wellness
At Elevate, we believe that true beauty begins from within. That’s why our approach to aesthetics is unlike traditional medspa clinics. We combine cutting-edge, medical-grade treatments with the principles of functional medicine to address not just the surface of your skin, but your overall well-being. Our unique fusion of aesthetics and functional medicine allows us to treat skin concerns with a deeper understanding of your body’s underlying health, including factors like hormones, gut health, and inflammation.
Holistic Skincare Tailored to Your Body
If you haven’t figured it out by now, your skin reflects your internal health. Hormonal imbalances, poor gut health, and chronic inflammation can all manifest in acne, dullness, premature aging, or other skin concerns. That’s why we assess these underlying factors during your consultation to create personalized treatment plans that go beyond the skin’s surface.
By addressing internal health issues such as hormone imbalances or gut dysbiosis, we aim to enhance the effectiveness of our aesthetic treatments. This functional approach can make treatments like microneedling, chemical peels, and laser therapies even more beneficial, as your body is functioning optimally from the inside out.
In addition to great care, our relaxing, spa-like atmosphere is designed to provide a calming experience, allowing you to unwind while receiving advanced skincare treatments. Whether you’re getting a facial or laser treatment, we ensure that every aspect of your visit is soothing and therapeutic, making your aesthetic experience a form of both physical and mental self-care.
You Deserve to Feel Good AND Look Good
How you feel reflects on how you look – and vice versa. You deserve to thrive, both inside and out. Functional medicine and medical-grade aesthetics from Elevate Functional Medicine offer a holistic, compassionate approach. Use both to help yourself reclaim your health and finally feel whole again.
To learn more about how to achieve and maintain glowing skin, follow Elevate Functional Medicine on our social media pages and subscribe to our mailing list.
Want to book a consultation? Give us a call at (317) 669-9007 or book online.
