Acne can be difficult to deal with, no matter your age or gender. Many with the condition often not only battle with confidence and are often in pain, but they also have to endure testing, the side effects of medications and chemical creams, and of course, scarring.

As a health professional who works with Happy Healthy You’s team of wellbeing experts whose primary focus is on holistic health, I am passionate about educating people about cause and effect. My DIY Vitamin A skin-boosting mask recipe below is one of my favourites with clients, and I am thrilled to be sharing it.

Many of us aren’t aware that many skin conditions, from acne to eczema and psoriasis are often linked to poor liver function.

Treating acne from the inside out is vital to your healing journey; our skin is often the first place to show the effects of an under-functioning liver.

Liver health and acne

When your liver is not functioning at its best, it has difficulty eliminating wastes and toxins from the body. So instead, it pushes the toxins out through the skin, resulting in pimples and acne.

For those who don’t know our liver is vital for:

• Synthesising and making bile, which is essential for breaking down fats,
• Supporting other digestive functions and removing waste from the blood
• Filtrating and detoxifying all the blood from the stomach and intestines
• Regulating glucose production and conversions
• Ensuring healthy cholesterol metabolism and utilisation/excretion
• Storing iron and helping to regulate healthy iron levels and haemoglobin
• Excreting urea, a by-product of protein metabolism which is toxic to humans
• Detoxifying the blood especially from drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and internal/external toxins
• Storing copper, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin A
• Converting Vitamin D from cholecalciferol to a more active 25-hydroxyvitamin D3
• Regulating immunity and communicates with gut environment/bacteria
• Metabolising oestrogens, testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin and thyroid hormones

Research shows that healthy skin requires healthy digestion, nutrient metabolism, and detoxification. If these mechanisms are out of whack, it may be the reason why your acne is a persistent problem.

Our skin relies on all these pathways to function efficiently so we can glow from the inside out.

Happy Healthy You’s Happy Liver tonic is a great place to start. It is a proprietary blend formulated by company co-founder Jeff Butterworth to help women and men improve liver function.

I always start my patients on Happy Liver as the ingredients are excellent for supporting liver detoxification, digestion, and hormone metabolism, and in turn, healthy skin. 

Vitamin A skin-boosting mask recipe

With the cost-of-living crisis affecting so many Australians, it’s worth noting that you don’t need a 10-step skincare routine that costs a bomb to see results!

It really starts with looking after yourself inside and outside. You don’t have to spend a fortune and skimp out on skincare, investing in yourself will pay dividends, and you don’t need to look much further than your own kitchen.

Check out my easy at-home anti-acne mask that is gentle, nourishing, and easy to whip together for easy glowing skin. 

Ingredients (makes 2):

• 2 tbsp. pumpkin (cooked, cooled, and mashed)
• 2 tsp. grated ginger or ginger juice (skin removed)
• 2 tsp. jojoba oil
• 2 tsp. honey
• 4 tbsp. mature unripe papaya flesh (skinned, dice and mashed), with option to also use ripe papaya depending on what you’re wanting to achieve.

It’s time to mask up!

1. Add your papaya flesh, cooled pumpkin, and grated ginger into the food processor or blender.
2. Blend until a smooth texture is achieved.
3. Add in the jojoba oil and honey. Stir well.
4. Cleanse your face and apply the mask evenly.
5. Lay down and relax for 10 – 15 minutes.
6. Remove the mask with water and a clean face cloth.

For extra skin-loving lifestyle practices, Happy Healthy You’s Optimal Skin Guide is full of science-based skin nourishing practices to incorporate into your daily routine.

For further information or advice, connect with Tahlia via the Happy Healthy You Community groups here or listen in to the Happy Healthy You Podcast.