What you need to know about insulin resistance and your skin

Learning about insulin resistance has really helped me get my health and my skin under control. Simply put Insulin resistance occurs when your cells stop responding to the hormone insulin. This causes higher insulin and blood sugar levels and can potentially lead to type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance is linked to various other ailments including heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, PCOS and cancer. So it’s definitely something that should be on your radar!

Insulin resistance can send your inflammation levels soaring. In the skin this can look like large pores from an increase in oil production, increased acne, dark skin patches called acanthosis nigricans, and even an increase in skin tags.

Many things can cause insulin resistance including over eating, weight gain, high fructose intake from added sugars, reduced physical activity, and a disruption in the bacterial environment in your gut.

Insulin resistance does not usually present symptoms until diabetes develops. Most people are not even aware they have the condition. Testing from your doctor is the best way to tell if you are actually insulin resistant. In my professional skin practice I’ve found that certain foods and lifestyle changes that help insulin resistance are also great for calming acne and other inflammatory skin conditions.

Natural ways to address insulin resistance:

A low glycemic diet.

Sugar and refined carbohydrates promote inflammation and raise androgen levels which can lead to excessively oily skin. Following a low-glycemic diet can reduce acne in a little over two months. The glycemic index is a numeric scale on which all carbohydrate foods are ranked based on how drastically they raise your blood glucose levels after eating them The higher the ranking, the more a food will raise your blood sugars and the more insulin you will need to lower them. Eating food that are less processed and contain less added sugars is best for sticking to a low glycemic diet.

Get the right fat balance. Focus on healthy fats like Omega-3’s found in wild-caught fish and grass-fed animals which reduce insulin sensitivity and limit processed fats such as canola, soybean and corn oil which raise inflammation.

Rethink your dairy intake.

Milk raises insulin levels just as much as white bread. The whey proteins in milk contain growth factors that tell skin cells to multiply and follicles to make more oil. All the extra oil combined with an overgrowth of skin cells can equal lots of clogged pores.

Get moving!

Excercise and physical activity help our bodies better move glucose to where it should be going, requiring less insulin to lower our glucose levels. Simply put, with physical activity everything runs smoother and glucose turns over regularly.

Reduce stress and get better sleep!

Lack of sleep and unchecked stress keep the inflammation train going! Find ways to improve your quality of sleep and lower your stress levels.

Be patient.

When you make changes to your diet or lifestyle it can take up to 3 months to see significant improvement, because it takes time for the skin to remodel itself. You’ll be glad you stuck with it not only for the improvements you can see in your skin, but how much better you’ll feel!

The information in this blog is not to be considered a diagnosis or treatment for any disease or disorder. Always consult a qualified health care professional when making changes to your diet and lifestyle.