What does the color and consistency of your poop say about your health? Explore the insights your bowel movements can provide into your digestive system and overall well-being.

Understanding Bowel Movement Basics

Bowel movements are the final stage of the digestive process and can offer valuable clues about your gut health. The color, consistency, and shape of your stool reflect various factors, including the speed at which it moves through the intestines, the foods and medications you’ve recently consumed, and the overall health of your digestive system.

Interpreting Stool Color

Light to Dark Brown Poop

The typical brown color of poop is the result of a complex process. Bilirubin, a pigment created when hemoglobin breaks down in the liver, enters the intestines and undergoes further transformation as the stool travels through the digestive system at a normal pace.

Green Poop

Green poop can be caused by a few different factors. If the stool moves through the intestines too quickly, the bilirubin and iron don’t have enough time to fully mix, resulting in a green hue. Green poop can also be due to iron supplements, consumption of dark leafy greens, antibiotics, medications, bacterial or viral infections, and gastrointestinal disorders like Crohn’s or celiac disease.

Black Poop

Black stool may indicate the presence of dried blood from internal bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. This can be a sign of a serious digestive problem, so it’s important to contact your doctor if you notice black poop. Iron supplements and consumption of black-colored foods or Pepto Bismol can also cause black poop.

Yellow Poop

Poop can appear yellow when fat isn’t properly absorbed from the stool, which can be caused by parasites, illnesses, or congenital diseases that affect the pancreas. If your yellow stool persists for more than two days, it’s best to consult your doctor.

Pale White Poop

Pale, white, or clay-colored stool may indicate a problem with the liver, such as a bile duct blockage or gallstones, that prevents the release of enough bile salts into the intestines. If your stool remains this color for more than two days, it’s advisable to seek medical attention.

Red Poop

Bright red poop is often a sign of bleeding in the lower intestine, which can be caused by conditions like hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, or an intestinal infection. While food coloring can also temporarily tint stool red, it’s important to contact your doctor if you notice blood in your bowel movements.

Interpreting Stool Consistency and Shape

Hard, Pebble-Like Poop (Type 1)

Hard, pebble-like stools indicate constipation, as the stool has spent an extended period in the large intestine, allowing water and nutrients to be removed, which leads to a hardened, broken-apart appearance. This type of stool also lacks the healthy bacteria found in normal poop, further contributing to its firm, dry consistency.

Firm, Lumpy Poop (Type 2)

Firm, lumpy poop that is still connected is another sign of constipation. The stool has likely spent a prolonged time in the colon, leading to the removal of water and nutrients, resulting in a firm, but less fragmented, appearance.

The Importance of Monitoring Your Bowel Movements

While discussing the details of your bowel movements may feel uncomfortable, paying attention to the color, consistency, and shape of your stool can provide valuable insights into your digestive health. By understanding the various factors that can influence your poop, you can identify potential issues and seek medical attention if necessary, helping to maintain a healthy, functioning digestive system.

When to Consult a Healthcare Professional

If you notice persistent changes in your stool color or consistency that last for more than a couple of days, it’s recommended to consult your healthcare provider. Significant or unexplained changes in your bowel movements may be a sign of an underlying medical condition that requires further evaluation and treatment.

Maintaining Digestive Health

In addition to monitoring your bowel movements, there are several lifestyle factors that can support a healthy digestive system, such as maintaining a balanced diet, staying hydrated, exercising regularly, and managing stress. By implementing these practices, you can help ensure your digestive system is functioning optimally and minimize the risk of future digestive issues.

What the Color and Consistency of Your Poop Says About You

While talking about your poop may feel like a taboo topic, here’s the thing — we all do it. In fact, your bowel movements can give you great insight into your digestive health. Jess Bailey, ARNP, and Kendra Ulicki, ARNP, UnityPoint Health, explain how the color and consistency of your stool can give you clues about what’s happening in your gut.

Bowel Movement Basics

Bowel movements occur at the very end of the digestive process and are one of the best indicators of whether your body is correctly digesting food.

What Does My Stool Color Mean?

Stool colors reflect how fast the stool passed through the intestines, what foods, medications or nutrients you recently consumed and the general gut health of your digestive system.

Light to Dark Brown Poop

Poop is normally brown and mimics the color of a milk chocolate bar. Bowel movements achieve this color through a complicated process. A pigment, called bilirubin, is created when a protein, called hemoglobin, breaks down in the liver. From there, bilirubin enters the intestines, and if a healthy digestive system allows it to travel through the intestines at a normal speed, it achieves the typical brown color of poop.

Green Poop

Green poop is more common than you might think and can be caused by a few different things. Bile, which is created in the liver and stored in the gallbladder, is naturally green. It’s present alongside stool in the intestines. If poop moves through the intestines too fast, the bilirubin and iron don’t have enough time to mix and complete the process of turning your stool brown.

Other reasons for green poop: Outside of moving through your gut too quickly, green poop can be caused by iron supplements, eating a lot of dark leafy greens, like spinach, antibiotics and other medications, having too many foods with green-colored dye, bacterial or viral infections and gastrointestinal disorders like Chron’s or celiac disease.

Black Poop

Black stool can mean there’s dried blood present in your poop, and internal bleeding occurred somewhere in the upper gastrointestinal tract — far enough away from the rectum that the blood had time to dry. Call your doctor if you notice you have black stool. This can be a sign of a serious digestive problem.

Other reasons for black poop: Iron supplements can cause black poop as well as eating a lot of black-colored food or consuming bismuth subsalicylate, an ingredient found in Pepto Bismol.

Yellow Poop

Poop can be yellow when fat isn’t absorbed from the stool. Fat absorption can be disrupted by parasites, illnesses or congenital diseases causing inflammation in the pancreas. Yellow poop is usually a sign of a medical problem that needs attention. If your yellow stool is present for more than two days, contact your doctor.

Yellowish, brown-colored stool, or pale poop, can sometimes be confused for yellow poop. The difference is subtle but noticeable. Yellowish brown-colored or pale stool has more of a gray tint and is less slimy.

Other reasons for yellow poop: Iron supplements can cause black poop as well as eating a lot of black-colored food or consuming bismuth subsalicylate, an ingredient found in Pepto Bismol.

Pale White Poop

Pale poop can look white, gray or like the color of clay. Pale poop is present when the liver doesn’t release enough bile salts into the stool in your intestines. This may occur due to bile duct blockages, gallstones or liver problems. Pale gray stool is usually a sign of a more serious problem. If your stool remains either of these colors for two days, contact your doctor.

Red Poop

Bright red poop is usually a sign of bleeding in the lower intestine. While the most common cause of red poop is hemorrhoids, it can also indicate inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, polyps or an infection in the intestines. Contact your doctor if you have blood in your stool.

Other reasons for red poop: Food with red coloring, like fruit punch or Jell-O, can also temporarily add a tinge of red to stool.

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What Does the Shape and Consistency of My Stool Say?

Similar to what determines stool color, the consistency and shape of stool can be influenced by diet, fluids, medications, exercise and how much time poop spent in the intestines.

Hard Poop – Type 1

Hard poop happens when you’re constipated. It’s passed in separate, hard lumps, similar to pebbles. Hard poop likely sat in the large intestine for a while. During an extended stay in the colon, water and nutrients are removed from the stool, causing it to harden and break apart into pebbles. This type of stool also lacks the healthy bacteria found in poop that’s housed in the colon. Since the bacteria is missing, there’s nothing to retain water, which makes poop soft.

Firm Poop – Type 2

Firm poop that’s connected and lumpy is another sign of constipation. This type of stool spent too much time drying in the intestines but didn’t dry enough to break into small pieces.

Type two poop often hurts the most when passed since it’s usually large and firm. In order for the stool to take this lumpy, sausage-shaped form, it needs to have been in the colon for a few weeks.

Cracked Poop – Type 3

Stool that’s shaped like a sausage with cracks on the surface is typical of a poor diet or sitting too much. A form of poop most often seen with organic constipation (constipation caused by lifestyle or diet), cracked stool has been in the bowels for about a week before passing.

Healthy Poop – Type 4

Healthy poop is shaped like a sausage, about the width of a banana and between four to eight inches long. It remains intact when flushed and has the right amount of water and nutrients when passed. It resembles soft-serve ice cream. Having normal, healthy bowels means pooping every one to three days, too.

Soft Blob Poop – Type 5

When stool passes in the form of soft blobs with defined edges, it’s slightly loose. It’s common for people who have bowel movements two to three times a day. This type of bowel movement usually follows major meals. Soft, blob-shaped poop quickly passes without any strain or effort.

Mushy Poop – Type 6

Mushy stool with fluffy pieces that have a pudding-shaped consistency is an early stage of diarrhea. This form of stool has passed through the colon quickly due to stress or a dramatic change in diet or activity level. When mushy stool occurs, it’s hard to control the urge or timing of the bowel movement.

When the body is under stress or not used to a healthy diet and lifestyle, it can push poop through the intestines faster than intended. If the stool doesn’t spend enough time in the intestines, it hasn’t undergone normal processes, meaning, it still has water and nutrients that haven’t been extracted from the body yet.

Liquid Poop – Type 7

Liquid poop is an advanced stage of diarrhea. It has no solid form and passes without control. Diarrhea occurs when the small intestine is irritated, forcing liquid into the intestine to flush out of the body without being properly processed. Liquid can be absorbed by the large intestine, too, but most pools in the rectum, causing explosive diarrhea.

Concerned About the Color or Consistency of Your Poop?

It’s normal to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed when your bowel movements are out of whack, but the exam room is a safe space. It’s important to let your doctor know if you suspect a problem with your digestive health. You can call or schedule an appointment through our patient app, MyUniytPoint.

Stools – pale or clay-colored Information | Mount Sinai

Stools that are pale, clay, or putty-colored may be due to problems in the biliary system. The biliary system is the drainage system of the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas.

Food passes from the stomach into the small intestine. In the small intestine all nutrient absorption occurs. Whatever has not been absorbed by the small intestine passes into the colon. In the colon most of the water is absorbed from the food residue. The residue is then eliminated from the body as feces.

Considerations

The liver releases bile salts into the stool, giving it a normal brown color. You may have clay-colored stools if you have a liver infection that reduces bile production, or if the flow of bile out of the liver is blocked.

Yellow skin (jaundice) often occurs with clay-colored stools. This may be due to the buildup of bile chemicals in the body.

Causes

Possible causes for clay-colored stools include:

• Alcoholic hepatitis
• Biliary cirrhosis
• Cancer or noncancerous (benign) tumors of the liver, biliary system, or pancreas
• Cysts of the bile ducts
• Gallstones
• Some medicines
• Narrowing of the bile ducts (biliary strictures)
• Sclerosing cholangitis
• Structural problems in the biliary system that are present from birth (congenital)
• Viral hepatitis

There may be other causes not listed here.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Contact your health care provider if your stools are not the normal brown color for several days.

What to Expect at Your Office Visit

The provider will perform a physical exam. They will ask questions about your medical history and symptoms. Questions may include:

• When did the symptom first occur?
• Is every stool discolored?
• What medicines do you take?
• What other symptoms do you have?

Tests that may be done include:

• Blood tests, including tests to check liver function and for viruses that might affect the liver
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
• Imaging studies, such as an abdominal ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI of liver and bile ducts

Korenblat KM, Berk PD. Approach to the patient with jaundice or abnormal liver tests. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 138.

Lidofsky SD. Jaundice. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 21.

Marks RA, Saxena R. Liver diseases of childhood. In: Saxena R, ed. Practical Hepatic Pathology: A Diagnostic Approach. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 5.

Last reviewed on: 7/30/2022

Reviewed by: Michael M. Phillips, MD, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

Intestinal melanosis – Adamant Medical Clinic

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Adamant
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Intestinal melanosis is a benign disease characterized by excessive accumulation of the coloring pigment lipafuscin in the walls of the organ. It is because of it that the inner surface of the intestine with melanosis acquires a characteristic dark color (from brown to black).

For the first time, the disease was described in the middle of the 19th century by the French doctor J. Cruvelier. Pathology often occurs in old age and mainly in women. The disease develops against the background of chronic constipation, if patients uncontrollably and in large quantities take laxatives containing antraglycosides (herbal preparations).

Melanosis, as a rule, proceeds without pronounced symptoms and is diagnosed during a routine preventive examination of the intestine, or during an endoscopic examination for another disease of the colon. Pathology is expressed in focal or diffuse staining of the mucosa of the organ in a dark color. Although oval nodular accumulations of lymphoid tissue and solitary lymphatic follicles of the intestine retain their usual color.

Diseases of the liver and pancreas, colon cancer can increase the severity of the pathology. In some cases, there may be darkening in all parts of the colon.

Below are images of the colonic mucosa in normal and melanosis cases:

In most cases, patients with melanosis complain of chronic constipation and regularly abuse large doses of laxatives. Effective treatment with the withdrawal of laxatives in such patients can lead to the complete disappearance of the disease.

It is important to understand that self-medication of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and the abuse of drugs is unacceptable. If you are concerned about long-term, especially growing, constipation, medicines should be taken only after consulting a specialist (gastroenterologist, surgeon) and a qualitative examination of the colon, so as not to miss the organic cause of constipation (large polyps, tumors).

To date, the most informative method for examining the colon is the colonoscopy procedure. It allows to detect intestinal pathology at the earliest stages, to carry out therapeutic manipulations in the intestine, to take materials for histological examination.

Aleinikov Anton Vladimirovich ,

head of the endoscopic department of the Adamant Medical Clinic

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Skin problems? Check your gut!

The ancient thinkers were right a thousand times over when they said, “We are what we eat. ” You don’t have to be clairvoyant to tell by your face your love for buns, chocolates, and burgers. Would you say that all this is complete nonsense, that our body does an excellent job of cleansing itself? You will be right. But only in part.

Choosing a doctor

If you are immersed in biohacking – eat right, get enough sleep, breathe clean air and drink enough clean water – the body works like clockwork, the skin shines even on gray November days. But living in a metropolis according to all the rules of a healthy lifestyle is difficult. And to be honest, each of us has our own top bad habits. If you, not sparing your intestines, prefer fast food to healthy food, work hard and sleep little, you should not be surprised if something is wrong with your skin. The skin will always let you know if the body is not in order. As soon as you notice that it has changed not for the better, it has become very dry or too oily, rashes and itching have appeared, the complexion has become dull, it’s time to turn . .. no, not to a cosmetologist, but to a dermatologist. An experienced specialist will diagnose and, if he understands that the cause of bad skin is hidden inside the body, he will refer you to a gastroenterologist or coloproctologist.

What about the intestines?

In a healthy person, about 500 types of bacteria live in the intestines. Normally, they all maintain a balance – some are antagonists to others and do not allow diseases to develop, others work in tandem and prevent the reproduction of pathogenic bacteria. Beneficial bacteria help us digest food, enrich the body with nutrients, and help strengthen immunity. They constantly work and regulate the function of the intestines, help break down proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and even synthesize some vitamins. And what is most interesting, they even affect the hormonal and nervous system! In the neighborhood of beneficial bacteria in the intestines, pathogenic ones live, which are just waiting for the right moment to remind themselves of themselves. Pathogenic flora can be activated when the immune system is weakened, frequent stress, diet violations or exacerbations of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. So, due to a violation of the intestinal microflora, the absorption of nutrients may decrease, and thus the digestion process will be disrupted. The remains of undigested food will cause rumbling, bloating, swelling – and skin problems are inevitable. “The influence of the gut on the skin is undeniable – the two organs are inextricably linked due to their common origin. Even in utero, the intestines and skin develop together and at the same time, so that in the process of life they become a reflection of each other, says Vasily Firsov. – The simplest example: with dysbacteriosis, the absorption of vitamins and minerals is disturbed, and the less they reach the skin, the worse its protective properties: it becomes excessively pale, acquires a gray tint, will be dry, flabby, dries out faster from wind or air conditioning, susceptible to infections. These are common signs. There are also characteristic ones. If the absorption of B2 vitamins is impaired in the intestines, rashes appear in the corners of the mouth in the form of papules, which can become wet and crack. With a lack of sulfur intake in the body, seborrheic dermatitis develops (lack of vitamin B2 is also related to this process). There may be various disorders in the form of petechiae, purpura with a lack of vitamin K or a violation of its absorption. Vitamin deficiency can cause iron deficiency, and then the face becomes very pale.

Second opinion. “Now we are actively studying and conducting laboratory studies on how our lifestyle affects the intestinal microflora,” says Inna Tulina. – If we talk about the skin, then often its problems are associated with external factors – poor ecology, dry air and the influence of all kinds of radiation. But do not forget that we also get adverse effects from the inside – chlorinated water, products with preservatives – they also do not affect the skin in the best way.

Do I need a detox?

The phrase “skin detox” is used not only by readers of fashion magazines, but also by cosmetologists and manufacturers of cosmetic products. Many people believe this and even practice detox as a remedy for beautiful skin. But honest experts say that skin detox is nothing more than a publicity stunt. A healthy body can independently carry out a detox procedure. The liver and intestines work to a greater extent on the removal of toxins and toxins, and when they fail, the body begins to attract its reserve to the removal, the very first of which is the skin. “However, if the main pathways fail, an attempt to get rid of endotoxins can lead to various skin manifestations, because the skin is not adapted to remove decay products,” says Vasily Firsov. – That is why there are inflammatory reactions of the sebaceous and sweat glands. The situation is complicated by the fact that endotoxins can have a direct damaging effect on the epithelium of the ducts of the sebaceous and sweat glands. These are the so-called antigen-antibody complexes, which the body must remove when an allergen enters – for example, with food. Basically, this function is taken over by the intestine, it can remove large molecules due to its area, but if the path is closed, the molecules will be removed by the skin. And since they are aggressive in themselves and have a damaging effect on cells, inflammation will occur on the skin.

Second opinion. “It is important to understand that there is no such direct path as eating an apple and looking good or smoking and looking bad. Between the skin and the intestines there is a large buffer of various regulatory systems, including hormonal, nervous, endocrine, hematopoietic, etc. This buffer can be very wide in some people, on the contrary, too narrow in others. And the smaller it is, the stronger the external manifestations on the skin,” says Inna Tulina.

Approved procedures

“If we only suspect a connection between the skin and the gastrointestinal tract, then we must clearly establish it and allow related specialists to diagnose,” says Vasily Firsov. – Standard studies: blood test for various inflammatory changes, studies of the biochemical composition of blood (microelement composition, study of vitamin content, hormone levels that affect digestion, blood glucose levels). It is mandatory to study for systemic infections. In some cases, you can even perform an ultrasound of the skin to determine the nature of the disease. The extreme option that we resort to is a skin biopsy to detect psoriatic processes, chronic dermatoses or atypical inflammatory changes in the skin, which are also most often caused by processes occurring in the body. And only when the cause of skin problems is finally identified, treatment is prescribed according to the principle “do not irritate the irritated”. To stop acute inflammation on the skin, soothing lotions, applications of glucocorticoid and external agents with corticosteroids are used. In general, everything that will calm the process. Treatment and rehabilitation are aimed at preventing the formation of hypertrophic changes in the skin.

The task of a dermatologist is to prevent the replacement of collagen and elastin fibers with connective tissue and prevent the development of fibrosis in the skin. Otherwise, it will lead to a violation of the appearance. In this situation, skin care procedures and masks can be applied. Next, you need to help skin cells perform their function effectively. To solve this problem, rehabilitation programs are used that do not belong to programs for solving inflammatory problems. For example, you can use high-protein preparations – creams that contain protein (placental is heard by everyone, but this is not necessary). With preparations containing vitamin complexes, the situation is twofold. It makes no sense to add trace elements to them. Even if we apply zinc to the skin, which is the most important trace element for beauty, it still will not get inside. Therefore, for the rehabilitation of the processes that have occurred on the skin, preparations containing collagen and hyaluronic acid are useful.

Second opinion. “By the symptoms on the skin, we cannot identify the cause of problems in the intestines and make a diagnosis. But to support intestinal health in order to cope with cosmetic problems is quite realistic, says Inna Tulina. “For this, I recommend everyone to lead an active lifestyle. Movement supports the performance of all regulatory systems, including the normal functioning of the intestines. This is a good prevention of hemorrhoids, constipation, microflora imbalance – all those problems that affect the skin. Be sure to eat right, perhaps even with episodes of starvation. Now there is a diet that mimics starvation, which is being tested in experimental conditions. The point is that when a person does not eat for a long time, say from 12 to 16 hours, the human microbiome – the composition of the microflora – is regulated. And it has to do with the condition of the skin. In the choice of products, plant foods with a small amount of protein (meat, fish, poultry) are preferable, excluding sugar, dairy and bakery products, especially muffins.

Source: KIZ.ru

Site embed code

The ancient thinkers were right a thousand times over when they said, “We are what we eat.” You don’t have to be clairvoyant to tell by your face your love for buns, chocolates, and burgers. Would you say that all this is complete nonsense, that our body does an excellent job of cleansing itself? You will be right. But only in part.

Choosing a doctor

If you are immersed in biohacking – eat right, get enough sleep, breathe clean air and drink enough clean water – the body works like clockwork, the skin shines even on gray November days. But living in a metropolis according to all the rules of a healthy lifestyle is difficult. And to be honest, each of us has our own top bad habits. If you, not sparing your intestines, prefer fast food to healthy food, work hard and sleep little, you should not be surprised if something is wrong with your skin. The skin will always let you know if the body is not in order. As soon as you notice that it has changed not for the better, it has become very dry or too oily, rashes and itching have appeared, the complexion has become dull, it’s time to turn … no, not to a cosmetologist, but to a dermatologist. An experienced specialist will diagnose and, if he understands that the cause of bad skin is hidden inside the body, he will refer you to a gastroenterologist or coloproctologist.

What about the intestines?

In a healthy person, about 500 types of bacteria live in the intestines. Normally, they all maintain a balance – some are antagonists to others and do not allow diseases to develop, others work in tandem and prevent the reproduction of pathogenic bacteria. Beneficial bacteria help us digest food, enrich the body with nutrients, and help strengthen immunity. They constantly work and regulate the function of the intestines, help break down proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and even synthesize some vitamins. And what is most interesting, they even affect the hormonal and nervous system! In the neighborhood of beneficial bacteria in the intestines, pathogenic ones live, which are just waiting for the right moment to remind themselves of themselves. Pathogenic flora can be activated when the immune system is weakened, frequent stress, diet violations or exacerbations of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. So, due to a violation of the intestinal microflora, the absorption of nutrients may decrease, and thus the digestion process will be disrupted. The remains of undigested food will cause rumbling, bloating, swelling – and skin problems are inevitable. “The influence of the gut on the skin is undeniable – the two organs are inextricably linked due to their common origin. Even in utero, the intestines and skin develop together and at the same time, so that in the process of life they become a reflection of each other, says Vasily Firsov. – The simplest example: with dysbacteriosis, the absorption of vitamins and minerals is disturbed, and the less they reach the skin, the worse its protective properties: it becomes excessively pale, acquires a gray tint, will be dry, flabby, dries out faster from wind or air conditioning, susceptible to infections. These are common signs. There are also characteristic ones. If the absorption of B2 vitamins is impaired in the intestines, rashes appear in the corners of the mouth in the form of papules, which can become wet and crack. With a lack of sulfur intake in the body, seborrheic dermatitis develops (lack of vitamin B2 is also related to this process). There may be various disorders in the form of petechiae, purpura with a lack of vitamin K or a violation of its absorption. Vitamin deficiency can cause iron deficiency, and then the face becomes very pale.

Second opinion. “Now we are actively studying and conducting laboratory studies on how our lifestyle affects the intestinal microflora,” says Inna Tulina. – If we talk about the skin, then often its problems are associated with external factors – poor ecology, dry air and the influence of all kinds of radiation. But do not forget that we also get adverse effects from the inside – chlorinated water, products with preservatives – they also do not affect the skin in the best way.

Do I need a detox?

The phrase “skin detox” is used not only by readers of fashion magazines, but also by cosmetologists and manufacturers of cosmetic products. Many people believe this and even practice detox as a remedy for beautiful skin. But honest experts say that skin detox is nothing more than a publicity stunt. A healthy body can independently carry out a detox procedure. The liver and intestines work to a greater extent on the removal of toxins and toxins, and when they fail, the body begins to attract its reserve to the removal, the very first of which is the skin. “However, if the main pathways fail, an attempt to get rid of endotoxins can lead to various skin manifestations, because the skin is not adapted to remove decay products,” says Vasily Firsov. – That is why there are inflammatory reactions of the sebaceous and sweat glands. The situation is complicated by the fact that endotoxins can have a direct damaging effect on the epithelium of the ducts of the sebaceous and sweat glands. These are the so-called antigen-antibody complexes, which the body must remove when an allergen enters – for example, with food. Basically, this function is taken over by the intestine, it can remove large molecules due to its area, but if the path is closed, the molecules will be removed by the skin. And since they are aggressive in themselves and have a damaging effect on cells, inflammation will occur on the skin.

Second opinion. “It is important to understand that there is no such direct path as eating an apple and looking good or smoking and looking bad. Between the skin and the intestines there is a large buffer of various regulatory systems, including hormonal, nervous, endocrine, hematopoietic, etc. This buffer can be very wide in some people, on the contrary, too narrow in others. And the smaller it is, the stronger the external manifestations on the skin,” says Inna Tulina.

Approved procedures

“If we only suspect a connection between the skin and the gastrointestinal tract, then we must clearly establish it and allow related specialists to diagnose,” says Vasily Firsov. – Standard studies: blood test for various inflammatory changes, studies of the biochemical composition of blood (microelement composition, study of vitamin content, hormone levels that affect digestion, blood glucose levels). It is mandatory to study for systemic infections. In some cases, you can even perform an ultrasound of the skin to determine the nature of the disease. The extreme option that we resort to is a skin biopsy to detect psoriatic processes, chronic dermatoses or atypical inflammatory changes in the skin, which are also most often caused by processes occurring in the body. And only when the cause of skin problems is finally identified, treatment is prescribed according to the principle “do not irritate the irritated”. To stop acute inflammation on the skin, soothing lotions, applications of glucocorticoid and external agents with corticosteroids are used. In general, everything that will calm the process. Treatment and rehabilitation are aimed at preventing the formation of hypertrophic changes in the skin.

The task of a dermatologist is to prevent the replacement of collagen and elastin fibers with connective tissue and prevent the development of fibrosis in the skin. Otherwise, it will lead to a violation of the appearance. In this situation, skin care procedures and masks can be applied. Next, you need to help skin cells perform their function effectively. To solve this problem, rehabilitation programs are used that do not belong to programs for solving inflammatory problems. For example, you can use high-protein preparations – creams that contain protein (placental is heard by everyone, but this is not necessary). With preparations containing vitamin complexes, the situation is twofold. It makes no sense to add trace elements to them. Even if we apply zinc to the skin, which is the most important trace element for beauty, it still will not get inside. Therefore, for the rehabilitation of the processes that have occurred on the skin, preparations containing collagen and hyaluronic acid are useful.

Second opinion. “By the symptoms on the skin, we cannot identify the cause of problems in the intestines and make a diagnosis. But to support intestinal health in order to cope with cosmetic problems is quite realistic, says Inna Tulina. “For this, I recommend everyone to lead an active lifestyle. Movement supports the performance of all regulatory systems, including the normal functioning of the intestines. This is a good prevention of hemorrhoids, constipation, microflora imbalance – all those problems that affect the skin. Be sure to eat right, perhaps even with episodes of starvation. Now there is a diet that mimics starvation, which is being tested in experimental conditions. The point is that when a person does not eat for a long time, say from 12 to 16 hours, the human microbiome – the composition of the microflora – is regulated. And it has to do with the condition of the skin. In the choice of products, plant foods with a small amount of protein (meat, fish, poultry) are preferable, excluding sugar, dairy and bakery products, especially muffins.