HOW LIVER HEALTH IMPACTS YOUR SKIN ?

Recently, the concern for skin and skin health, not just among women but also among men, has been rising. You may be one of those who uses many skin products to keep your skin healthy and protect it from damage. But despite all that, if you are facing skin problems, did you know your liver health is the reason? What is the connection between the liver and skin?

What is the liver-skin connection?

You might have known the connection between gut health and skin and how a poor gut causes skin problems. But, to your surprise, even poor liver health can affect your skin health. But how? When there is an impairment in your liver’s functioning, it is first seen in your skin. The main function of your liver is to eliminate various toxins from your body. But, when it becomes incapable of doing it, another elimination organ takes care of removing toxins which inturn causes affects your skin health.

How does it affect the skin ?

Your liver is a crucial organ that keeps your body functioning correctly. But when there is a problem, it affects your skin, causing damage to your skin. These are a few functions of your liver that, when impaired, affect your skin. They are as follows :

• Filtering of toxins:

Your liver acts as a filter to remove the toxins from your body, toxins that enter through foods, drinks, skin and the air you breathe. When your liver fails to filter these toxins, they accumulate in your bloodstream. As a way of flushing these toxins, they are expelled through your skin pores, causing inflammation, irritation, itchiness and even skin flare-ups.

• Fat break-down:

When one of the main functions of your liver is impaired, that is, breaking down the fat, these fats will be floating in your bloodstream. They will be used up by the oil-producing gland, hence producing acne and breakouts.

• Imbalance of sex hormones:

Your liver helps to regulate the balance of sex hormones and thyroid hormones. When it fails to remove excess hormones, it leads to hormonal imbalance and causes skin inflammation and acne.

• Blood sugar level balance:

When the blood sugar levels are not kept in check, it leads to an increase in insulin levels and androgen levels, which causes hormonal acne. Along with that, the blood sugar imbalance affects your energy level, sleep pattern and appetite, making you crave more sugar and high-carb food that can impact your complexion.

Symptoms of liver disease

For many liver diseases, along with other symptoms, the changes in your skin can be noticed. However, the indication of various liver diseases can be seen in your skin as the first sign of symptoms. The skin symptoms include :

• Acne
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Skin dryness
• Itching
• Jaundice
• Skin Hive
• Rosacea

These are a few symptoms that show the presence of liver diseases like cirrhosis, hepatitis C, Non-alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver disease and others.

How to protect your liver and skin ?

Since liver health is important for your skin and, in general, keep your liver healthy by following a healthy lifestyle. These are the few ways to keep your liver healthy through a healthy lifestyle:

• Eat a healthy diet :

Consuming a diet low in saturated and high-fat food and instead taking plenty of foods, vegetables, and whole grains strengthens your liver and improves your skin health.

• Reduce alcohol consumption:

Limit your alcohol intake to reduce your risk of getting affected by various liver diseases because alcohol is a major toxin that will do harm to your liver.

• Do regular exercise :

Regular exercising keeps your liver active, rejuvenates your body, strengthens your liver by increasing blood circulation to your liver and keeps your skin healthy.

Additionally, these are a few tips to keep your skin healthy, and they are :

• Avoid smoking because it damages your skin to a great extent
• Moisturize your skin to keep it hydrated
• Use sunscreen daily to protect your skin from pollutants

Liver health strongly impacts your skin and health. So, keep your liver healthy by leading a healthy lifestyle. Keep yourself fit by getting good sleep, practising yoga and meditation, and eating healthful, nutritious food for healthy liver and healthy skin.