At the tender age of 14, amidst the tumultuous journey of adolescence, I found myself in the throes of rebellion. A rebellion not against authority, but against my own skin. It was a year marked by an uncomfortable cocktail of awkwardness that seemed to permeate every fiber of my being. Adding insult to injury was the relentless onslaught of acne, an unwelcome companion that plagued my forehead, cheeks, and chin with painful red bumps.
Desperate for relief, a relentless quest to clear my skin began, only to discover that the elusive solution would remain elusive for another decade. Each attempt, whether it be antibiotics, birth control pills, Accutane, or a myriad of topical treatments, offered nothing more than fleeting respite, a temporary glow quickly eclipsed by another breakout.
I became a collector of skincare products, hopeful with each new purchase, only to be met with disappointment as my skin rebelled against their promises. It wasn’t until my early twenties, amidst yet another breakout, that I decided to explore an alternative approach, one that delved into the holistic realm in search of the root cause.
Dana Dinnawi is an Egyptian nutritionist and hormone coach, whose expertise lies in restoring hormonal balance through plant-based, sugar-free nutrition. In our initial conversation, Dinnawi wasted no time in affirming what I had long suspected: the key to healing acne lay not in topical treatments, but in the very food I consumed. She goes on to explain that heading to a conventional medicine method will only exacerbate the healing process, “Because conventional medicine and doctors aren’t taught about nutrition in medical school and are only taught the pill-for-every-ill model. They aren’t taught to look at root causes and to make connections between different systems and organs in the body. There’s no money in food and lifestyle,” she explained.
She claimed that certain dietary culprits, namely dairy, eggs, seed oils (corn oil, sunflower oil and canola oil), and alcohol, wreak havoc on the skin by triggering inflammation and depriving it of essential nutrients. In essence, our skin, as the largest organ in our body, still requires proper nourishment to thrive. When bombarded with inflammatory foods devoid of nutritional value, our bodies prioritize vital organs, leaving our skin starved for sustenance.
“Your skin cells needs three things,” reveals Dinnawi, listing respiration, hydration, and nourishment as essential to achieving the glowy, lit from within skin you’ve always dreamed of. “Your skin cells need to breathe. This is how they use energy. They need to take in oxygen and release carbon monoxide,” she says, adding “Skin cells are bathed in fluid and they need hydration to fully flourish. They need amino acids, lipids, and an incredible variety of vitamins, minerals, and micro-nutrients. Still, if it ‘starves’ a little, and doesn’t get any of these, there’s no danger to your life. Unlike, say, if your heart and lungs start to miss nutrients. But when you consume these inflammatory foods, they have to be processed by your liver and then their nutrients passed around your body as fuel. Because these foods are inflammatory, toxic, dehydrating, and very, very low in nutrients, your liver struggles to make any use of them, which means there’s very little use for them in your body in general,” she explains.
What happens is, our body will ration these very scarce nutrients to our more important vital organs first and whatever is left over will go to our skin as it’s not as important for keeping us alive. Eventually, our liver needs to get rid of these inflammatory foods, but when our system gets overloaded, because we’re consuming these foods on a daily basis, it can’t use the conventional cleansing routes anymore– so it pushes these toxins out through our skin.
“They’re called dermatoxins,” says Dinnawi. “When your skin ‘breaks’ and bleeds as it tries to eliminate these dermatoxins, acne develops. Or rosacea, eczema, pigmentation, and dandruff. So it’s an internal problem, not an external one. It’s also not a hormonal problem,” she explains.
The holistic coach emphasizes that the solution lies not in applying topical creams or medications, which can introduce further toxicity and dehydration to the body, but instead, eliminating these harmful, nutrient-poor foods and replacing them with fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies, being naturally dense in nutrients, support the body’s regeneration and healing processes without burdening the liver. They supply a wealth of nutrients to fuel every organ, including the skin, fostering a radiant complexion from within.
“They are the original, God-made carbohydrates that your liver doesn’t struggle to process. They actually support your liver and other organs to regenerate and heal. When you eat fruits and veggies you have an abundant supply of nutrients to feed and fuel every organ in your body and then still have enough to feed your skin too. When you hear that you need to eat carbohydrates, that means fruits and vegetables, not bread and pasta,” she says.
Fruits, brimming with live minerals, vitamins, enzymes, protein, natural fats, antioxidants, and pectin, offer hydration that surpasses that of regular water. This unique combination of hydration and nutrients nourishes the skin at its core, supporting collagen production and promoting a natural glow. According to Dinnawi, no other foods, topical creams, or supplements can replicate this holistic approach to skincare.
I asked Dinnawi about the endless and numerous products that are continuously being sold to us with the premise that they will vanish any blemish. She goes on to explain, “Food toxins contribute to internal inflammation within the body, exacerbating various skin issues. Additionally, there’s a secondary form of inflammation caused by topical application of petrochemicals.
“The average woman applies up to 12 products daily, containing potentially harmful ingredients totaling up to 168 toxins. Our cherished morning and evening skincare routines can become hazardous if we’re not mindful of the products we use. Why? Because your skin is remarkably absorbent. Within a mere 26 seconds of application, up to 60% of what you put on your skin penetrates into your bloodstream. This rapid absorption surpasses even digestion. Petrochemicals lurk in numerous daily products, from facial cleansers to body lotions, affecting not only adults but children as well. These chemicals wreak havoc on hormone levels, generating free radicals and causing skin oxidation,” she explains.
Think of it this way, applying products containing petrochemicals is akin to enveloping your skin in cling film, impeding its ability to breathe. Consequently, your skin struggles to absorb oxygen and release carbon monoxide, leading to dehydration, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, rosacea, eczema, acne, and psoriasis. To exacerbate matters, many cosmetic companies refrain from disclosing their ingredients, leaving consumers unaware of the toxic chemicals they’re exposed to.
Ultimately, achieving clear skin requires more than investing in pricey products or undergoing unnecessary treatments like chemical peels and micro-needling. Take a closer look at your diet and allow time for real change to take root.
For anyone looking to know more about switching up their lifestyle, Dinnawi offers a 21-day hormone detox program in which she thoroughly explains the different ways in which you can heal absolutely anything through eating the right foods. With a full guide on hormone detoxing, eat and don’t eat food lists, recipe guides, and plenty more, the holistic coach aims to help you combat a range of conditions, from irregular/heavy/painful periods, weight gain, brain fog, and more.
Illustration: Isabelle Feliu
