By Doctor Claude Chauchard
Remember the evil stepmother in Snow White, who looked in the mirror and asked, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?”
Who hasn’t dreamt of being the fairest one of all, or at least the one with the most radiant skin? Aren’t all women obsessed
with having flawless skin?
As soon as a spot or a bit of redness appears on our face, we become preoccupied with trying to erase it. But, what can we do to make sure our skin stays beautiful, even flawless? That is the question I ask myself every day! What can I do to ensure that all of my patients have beautiful skin?
After thinking about and trying everything – creams, oils, herbs, lasers – I have come to realise that a healthy intestine is vital for achieving and maintaining beautiful skin. The intestine must not be porous, it must safeguard the right selection of nutrients that pass though it. These nutrients then pass through the intestinal epithelium into the blood to nourish the tissues, in particular our skin.
We are what we eat, so by eating good food we can help our skin stay healthy. But it is not always that simple, because this food needs to be accepted by our immune system. This or that organism must have the enzymatic tools that allow it to assimilate the food. It can only assimilate the food if the person has no food intolerances because, when a person is intolerant to a certain food, this intolerance alters the intestinal wall and creates an immunological conflict. This conflict leads to the intestinal cells opening up and becoming damaged, which will then let undesirable molecules pass into our blood and aggravate the immunological conflict. The intestine thus becomes porous, and this can lead to skin problems.
Spots appear on the skin, persistent redness and even more serious conditions such as acne or psoriasis can occur. The skin is an excretory organ, let us not forget, just like the lungs, the intestine and the upper airways. And, given that it is an excretory organ, the body readily eliminates molecules that cannot stay inside our body through the skin. We can therefore consider that, in order to have flawless skin, our intestine must be extremely healthy, non-porous and capable of absorbing the right nutrients.
The absence of food intolerances is vital. Let us not forget that eggs are at the top of this list of food intolerances, followed by dairy products, cereals (with gluten) and nuts (peanuts, in particular; American airlines have stopped serving peanuts on board their planes because of the high number of allergy-related incidents).
You must eat the right foods and chew your food well, but the most important thing is choosing foods that suit your body. It is always useful to provide your body with a supplement of substances that can improve the skin quality. I particularly recommend probiotics and vitamin A, as well as antioxidants such as vitamin E and C, zinc and selenium.
I often recommend taking a dessert-spoon of organic psyllium, mixed with tepid water, at bedtime.
Psyllium is a herb with astonishing properties that helps the intestine by “sweeping” or cleansing it. This helps eliminate a number of harmful molecules, as they are then swept away with the faeces. The faeces will also be easier to pass, thus avoiding constipation, which is the number one enemy of the skin. I also advise taking a dessert spoon of hemp oil after breakfast. It provides type 3, 6, 7 and 9 polyunsaturated fatty acids in perfectly-balanced amounts. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are vital for the health of the cell membranes, which themselves are responsible for properly nourishing our body’s cells and, of course, the skin’s cells.
I cannot round off this article without recommending proper hygiene for the outer surface of the skin. This includes cleansing morning and evening, then applying the nourishing creams of your choice. I must remind you that night creams are the most important, because the skin repairs itself at night to give us a radiant complexion in the morning.
One last secret: add a drop of palmarosa essential oil to your night cream. As soon as you apply it to your skin, you will feel the difference in your face’s skin tone.
We have seen that skin beauty is down to a series of factors, but the basis of this beauty is a correctly-functioning intestine. Beauty comes from the inside!
Doctor Claude Chauchard 
A renowned specialist in nutrition, weight control and Medicine for Age Prevention. More than a million copies of 14 books sold in more than 5 languages. Founder of the Anti-Aging clinic concept La Clinique De Paris, established in China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea since 1992. Assistant professor at the universities of SEOUL and PEKING. Creator of the online Chrono Geno Nutrition method.
