We mainly discuss the connection between your lifestyle, diet, hormones, and gut health when it comes to clearing acne. But there's another piece of the puzzle that we often overlook: your lymph system. If you're experiencing breakouts along your jawline, on your neck, and around your ears, chances are your lymph system can use a little TLC too.
What is the lymph system?
Quick biology lesson: Your lymph system sits right underneath your skin, and it carries nutrients and waste material between your body's tissue and blood. Lymph is a colorless fluid that travels throughout your entire body, and unlike your circulatory system that uses are heart to pump blood around, the lymph system has no pump. So unless we move the lymph around ourselves, it can become slow and even stagnant. When your nodes become stagnant or blocked, it can slow down the filtration process, increasing the amount of toxins in the blood and lymph, leading to other health issues in our bodies, including our skin.
How can the lymph system affect our skin?
Let's start with progesterone - the primary hormone involved in fertility and menstruation. Our bodies need to have progesterone flowing freely because it balances our estrogen levels. Our lymph system is responsible for transporting our progesterone hormone in our bodies. So when our lymph system is sluggish, it can cause excess estrogen to build up—leading to headaches, sleep problems, mood swings, and even acne. Add a lag in the filtration to pores already struggling with excess sebum, and we've got the cocktail for the perfect breakout.
Another way a sluggish lymph system can affect your skin is by causing the toxins to become clogged and trapped and eventually trigger inflammation. Acute inflammation in your skin can cause dull, puffy, and tired-looking skin- if the acute inflammation is ignored for too long, it can lead to chronic inflammation, which can trigger other skin conditions such as acne, eczema, premature aging, and skin dryness.
The good news is that a sluggish lymph system can be a simple fix. Here's how to stimulate your lymphatic system and prevent acne:
💆♀️Starting my absolute favorite technique- lymphatic drainage massage. Because the lymph system relies on the movement of the muscles to move the lymph fluid, massage is a great way to assist in keeping things flowing.
🚰 Staying hydrated is one of the very best ways to cleanse toxins out of your system. I recommend drinking a least 64oz of water a day.
🧘♀️Exercise is one of the most effective ways to keep the lymph nodes in motion. Adding in a regular yoga practice, jumping on a trampoline, or even bouncing on an exercise ball are great ways to help keep your lymph system flowing.
🧖♀️Don't rush through your routine because adding a little extra massage into your PM routine will help stimulate those sluggish lymph nodes and eventually help with acne.
👄Practice releasing jaw tension. If you're stressed out on the regular, I mean, who isn't. But this can create some extra tension in your jaw and neck. So check in with yourself everyone in a while and make sure you unclench your jaw and relax your shoulders.
🌬Deep breathing techniques are another great way to help incorporate some stress relieving techniques into your routine. Deep breathing also helps stimulate your lymph nodes and brings your body to a calm and peaceful state.
🥛Avoid dairy. Dairy and other foods such as processed foods and sugary foods can slow down your lymph system and cause blockages leading to inflammation in your body.
🔴LED Light Therapy. Your lymph system sits right underneath your skin, and it carries nutrients and waste material between your body's tissue and blood. Lymph is a colorltravels throughout your entire body, and unlike your circulatory system that uses areaour heart to pump blood around, the lymph system has no pump. So unless we move the lymph around ourselves, it can become slow and even stagnant. When your nodes become stagnant or blocked, it can slow down the filtration process, increasing the amount of toxins in the blood and lymph, leading to other health issues in our bodies, including our skin. in. n.
In a nutshell, it is all connected- your diet, lifestyle, gut health, hormones, and lymph system. They all play a major part in your skin health and overall health. It is up to us to keep our lymph system moving and flowing. You can do things at home to help regulate your lymph nodes and also during your bi-weekly acne treatments.
If you have any questions regarding your lymph system, please reach out to me here. Or, if you're ready to make 2022 the year that you achieve clear, healthy skin, book your journey call so we can get started. I'd love to chat.