Skin, Inside Out

Your skin isn’t being difficult—it’s doing its job. When the liver, gut, and lymphatic system slow down, your face becomes a billboard for what’s happening inside: jawline breakouts, morning puffiness, and that hard-to-name “tired” look that no serum seems to fix. I pull back the curtain on how detox actually works, why perimenopause ramps up the load, and the simple, sustainable habits that restore flow so your glow returns.

In this episode I walk through the four key players—liver, gut, skin, and lymph—and translate biology into daily choices. You’ll learn how fluctuating oestrogen, reduced bile flow, lower muscle mass, and stress can jam your internal exits, and why constipation is often the first domino to address. From cruciferous veg and sulphur-rich foods to honest hydration and alcohol minimisation, I map the food-first steps that lighten the liver’s queue. I then get practical about gut health, choosing prebiotic and probiotic foods over processed “probiotic” products, and using movement—walking, yoga, bouncing, legs-up-the-wall—to power the pump-less lymph system. Sleep takes centre stage too, because nightly repair and waste clearance are where a lot of the magic happens.

If bringing back your natural glow sounds good, hit follow, share this with a friend who needs it, and join the wait list for my new 8 week group program - In Your Skin - via the link in the show notes. Got a question or an aha moment? Message me on Instagram—let’s keep the conversation going.

Are you a woman feeling stressed, flat and experiencing the challenges of perimenopause or menopause?

It’s time to reclaim your youthful energy, radiance and self-assurance (and your ideal weight).

I’m here to help with my proven method.

Here's how I can support you -

1. Hit your health and wellbeing goals this year, balance your hormones and lose weight with your own personalised protocol, based on your body's biochemistry. Sounds awesome right!! Book a free 30 minute Peri Weight Loss Assessment with me so we can discuss your health and wellbeing goals and also see how I might be able to support you. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Book your call here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

2. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@the.perimenopause.path

3. Join the waitlist for my innovative NEW 8 week group program, In Your Skin™️, for women in perimenopause and post-menopause who want effective solutions to manage skin changes at this time of life.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome & Skin Series Return
• 1:01 Why Detox Matters For Skin
• 2:40 Detox Pathways 101
• 5:17 Liver, Gut, Skin, Lymph Roles
• 7:06 How Sluggish Detox Shows Up
• 13:28 Perimenopause And Detox Slowdown
• 17:08 Practical Liver Support
• 20:06 Gut Health First, Then Fibre
• 22:07 Lymph Flow And Daily Movement
• 24:18 Sleep, Supplements, And Summary
• 26:35 Program Invite & Closing CTAs

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hi, I'm Susie Garden and this is the Ageless and Autumn Podcast. I'm an age-defying naturopath and clinical nutritionist and I'm here to bust myths around women's health and ageing so that you can be ageless and awesome in your 40s, 50s, and beyond. The Ageless and Awesome Podcast is dedicated to helping women through perimenopause and menopause with great health, a positive mindset, and outrageous confidence. Hit subscribe or follow now and let's get started. Hello, gorgeous one, and welcome to this week's episode of the Ageless and Awesome Podcast. I'm Susie Garden. I'm really excited today to continue the Skin Health series that I started a few weeks ago. I just had a little um kind of exit out of that last week because I forgot about the public holiday. So we did a rerun episode last week, but we're back on skin this week. The launch of my new skin program in your skin is imminent. So if you're interested, get on the wait list. The link is in the show notes below. And uh yeah, I'd love to see you in there. So this week we're gonna talk about uh something that is one of my favorite topics, actually, because many women don't even think of this particular thing when their skin isn't optimal. You know, they're looking at skincare, they're looking at what am I eating. But actually, what I'm gonna talk today is detox pathways, what they actually are, how they can get sluggish, how that shows up on your skin. And that can be things like breakouts, dullness, or just looking, you know, where your glow has just kind of disappeared. So if you're if you've ever wondered why your skin seems to be working against you, even when you're eating well, using great skincare, doing all the things, this episode is going to connect some dots for you. So I hope you enjoy it. Interestingly, I had a client just last week who's going through a detox uh period as part of her glow protocol, and she said to me her skin's breaking out. It was actually quite bad, and she didn't know why. But then it cleared pretty quickly, and it was a reminder for me that something that I take for granted that everyone knows about isn't necessarily the case. So I'm really excited to share this apps with you today. So let's firstly talk about what your detox pathways are, what they actually do. And I do want to start with the basics because detox is one of those words that's been really hijacked by hype and marketing. And I'll be honest with you, I all through my conventional medicine career, I thought it was a complete scam. I've said that on this podcast before. I just thought, you know, it your body detoxes itself. You don't need something to detox you, it's just another way for people to make money. And honestly, part of that is the truth. Your body does detox all of the time, all day, overnight, while you're asleep. You don't need a glue, a juice cleanse or a fancy powder to make that happen. But, and here's the big one that I didn't fully understand before I did my second degree. Um, your detox pathways can slow down, they can get congested, and this is particularly during um perimenopause, but also can happen in menopause as well. Um, so let's start with what do I mean by pathways? So these are, I guess, the systems that your body uses to break down and eliminate waste, because detox is closely linked to waste and you know, bringing breaking down our waste products to get them out of the body. And waste products I'm talking about are things like they can be hormones, they can be environmental toxins, like you know, think about when you're filling your car with fuel, getting, you know, that residue on your hands. Um, if you're taking some pharmaceutical or other drugs, um things you put in your skin, skin creams that might have chemicals in them, and metabolic byproducts, so the the things that you know, the byproducts of processes that happen inside the body. And you have a number of organs of detoxification. I'm not going to go through all of them today. I'm just gonna go through the key players. So, number one, you would have heard, is of course, your liver, your body's main detox organ. It filters, it neutralizes, it packages up toxins and excess hormones for removal. And it's got you know a couple of different phases, it's quite complicated. I remember when I learned this uh doing my nutrition degree, and it was just like such a big topic. There's so much that your liver does, particularly when it comes to detoxification, and it's super important. So it's a big player when we're talking about detox. And probably number two, and it's closely linked to the liver, is your gut. So that's where all that waste gets excreted, right? Into the toilet. So if your digestion's sluggish or your microbiome isn't very happy, it's out of balance, those toxins can actually get reabsorbed. And that in particular can cause issues with excess estrogen. Again, you can see why this is a problem in perimenopause in particular, sometimes menopause as well. Your skin is probably the third uh most important organ. It's actually your skin's largest, sorry, your body's largest organ, regardless. The skin is the body's largest organ, but it's also the body's largest organ of elimination when you're looking at actual sheer size. When the liver and the gut are overloaded, which is probably what happened in my client last week, the skin steps in as a backup detox organ. And that's when you'll see things like skin breakouts in particular. And number four that I'm going to discuss today is your lymphatic system. You may not know a lot about your lymphatic system, it's actually really important. It's the body's drainage network, it helps clear cellular waste and inflammation from the body, or products of inflammation, I should say. So when these systems are all working really efficiently, you feel light, you feel energetic, your skin glows, it's happy days. But when they're sluggish, your body tries to compensate, and often your skin pays the price for this. And often, obviously, being an external organ, that's where we might notice that as well. So let's talk about how sluggish detox might show up on your skin, you know, because this is where so many women have issues and either get confused or not understand what's going on. Because you know, you might be using some fantastic skincare, you might be eating all of the right foods, eating your veggies, getting your five and two, your five serves of veg, your two serves of fruit, drinking all your water, but your skin might just still look dull, blotchy, red, uh, sallow, getting breakouts, particularly around the chin or the bottom thirty of your face. And here's what's really happening underneath. Well, let's talk about break breakouts first. And often when we see breakouts happening in that lower third of the face and along the jawline, that's where we tend to think it could be a hormonal kind of uh cause. It often points to sluggish detox of estrogen metabolites in the liver. And during perimenopause, our hormone levels, particularly estrogen, fluctuate wildly. And when your liver just can't keep up, or if you're constipated, uh excess estrogen will recirculate, and that hormonal congestion shows up on the skin. Uh, can be sort of deep cystic pimples that seem to appear overnight, linger for ages, it can be even boils, it can be all kinds of like itching can be another one. Like it's just something that it's no one will no one wants. No one wants this. Um, so that's breakouts. You can also just get a really dull skin tone because when detox slows down, circulation and lymph flow are affected. And you might notice your complexion just kind of looks sallow, flat, dull. People might tell you you look tired. And that's your body saying, Hey, I'm trying to move the waist out, but the exits are blocked. You may get redness or irritation. You know, if your gut or liver are struggling, your immune system can become more reactive. And that can show up as, you know, a flare of rosacea, uh, skin sensitivity, random skin flare-ups like itching or rashes, particularly maybe even after eating certain foods or using skincare products that perhaps they never used to be a problem for you, but all of a sudden they are. Um, and then another thing is puffiness or under-eye bags. And, you know, that's congestion sometimes, like nasal congestion. It can be lymphatic, stagnation. I know, you know, like I think we've probably all had that experience where you wake up and you're like, oh my gosh, my eyes, what's going on? And if you're not sort of a little bit, sometimes that happens certainly to me in allergy season because I get hay fever. So, you know, sometimes it could be an allergy type situation and congestion, or sometimes it's lymphatic stagnation. And when your body can't clear fluids efficiently, it often shows up as puffiness, and especially in the morning, because gravity is part of our lymphatic drainage. As you may or may not know, the lymphatic system doesn't have its own pumps, like you know, veins and arteries. We have the heart is pumping the blood through that. But the lymphatic system doesn't actually have its own pump or a way to move. So it's muscular contractions, that's why movement's really important, and uh gravity. So if you've been lying flat all night, that fluid can build up. That's why you'll often see it in the morning and not so much at night. So while you might be thinking, oh, I need to get a new serum, what your body's really asking for is support from the inside out. So let's talk about why detox slows down in perimenopause. And I did kind of allude to it before, um, but this is really key because your detox capacity naturally shifts with age and hormonal changes. And this is somewhere with something that when we understand this, we can do things to really help to support detox in our body so that it starts working effectively. And this not only helps our skin, it helps our hormone balance, it helps our gut health, it helps our brain health. Like it's just it's just so good for so many different parts of our body and our health. So this is particularly important. So the reason why our detox can be impacted negatively in peri, particularly, is the estrogen metabolism changes. You know, we have this fluctuating estrogen, and our liver has to work harder to process that. Reduced bile flow is another one. So bile uh breaks down fat. And as oestrogen declines, bile production can slow down, making it harder to eliminate toxins via the gut. Um because you know, we start losing some of our muscle mass during this time, our metabolism will slow because the more muscle mass you have, the uh higher your basal metabolic rate. So you're burning more fuel at rest. So your metabolism is a little faster. If you're losing muscle, then your metabolism slows down. This is one of the reasons that muscle mass is a really important focus when you're in this time of life. And when you've got this slower metabolism, it can and lower muscle mass, it can reduce circulation and lymph flow. Remember, I said before that the muscles help move lymph along. So the waist can move more slowly. That's why you can get puffiness. Um, stress is another factor because elevated cortisol shun resources away from detoxification. Also, nutrient depletion, you know, years of stress, uh dieting, processed foods in particular, uh, alcohol can leave you low in key nutrients like B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein, all of which are essential for liver detox. So you need to get the right nutrients to actually perform these tasks in the body. So it's not your imagination. Your body really is working harder to maintain balance. But the good news is you have some control here. You can absolutely support these pathways naturally and effectively. You don't necessarily have to take expensive supplements to do that. So let's get practical. What can you actually do to help your body detox efficiently again and get your glow back? Um, here are my top kind of level strategies. So liver support, obviously, it would be number one. And that's eating the kind of foods that have the nutrients in them that support your liver. So cruciferous veg fall into that category. So things like broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, they contain certain phytochemicals or nutrients, compounds, whatever you want to call them, that help your liver safely metabolize hormones. Stay hydrated. Your liver needs water to flush out toxins. And water is your best uh bet for hydration. I'm seeing a lot of people coming through at the moment that I'm talking to potential clients and clients that I'm working with that are into protein water and having protein water in between meals. Look, there may be a place for it. Generally speaking, you don't need to have protein water. You should be able to get protein from food. Um, I know there's a lot of talk about women in peri and postmenopause needing additional protein. That's absolutely true. Um, generally speaking, you know, there's a there's a few different calculations around. I'm going to go through all of that in the in your skin program because it's a little bit complicated. But staying hydrated really just means with water, not water with other things in it. Because that potentially can give your liver just other things that it needs to detox. Uh minimize alcohol, yet again, that old chestnut. Alcohol is just not our friend in peri and postmenopause. You know, they compete for detox capacity. I remember getting taught at uni that that that once you have alcohol in your system, basically a lot of your other normal processes will stop and the body will focus on detoxifying that alcohol because it is a toxin, it is a poison. It will focus on that and other things will stop. So uh you've got to minimize things like alcohol and processed foods, particularly if you're wanting to look up after your, well, just your general health, but also your skin. Uh, include foods that are rich in sulfur. So any foods that smell like sulfur have sulfur. And things like eggs, garlic, onions, they help boost phase two liver detox, which is really important. Um, also, antioxidant-rich foods are also gonna really be helpful in supporting your liver. There are a number of other things, but they would be my top ones. Uh, secondly, supporting your gut health. Yes, you know how much I love gut health. So aim for 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. That's, you know, gonna help keep you regularly emptying your bowel, and that's how toxins exit your body. So 25 to 30 grams of fiber and good hydration is really gonna help that. Um, if you are someone that's constipated, work on that first. Nothing else will move properly until that is resolved. So that would be your number one priority if you're constipated. Unfortunately, often constipation can be a sign of excess estrogen. So that gets complicated, and that's where you may need the help of a practitioner to support you with that. Um, but yeah, if you're constipated, work on that first. Um, eat a variety of prebiotic and probiotic foods, and I'm using the word foods, not taking random probiotics. So have a variety of prebiotic and probiotic foods to keep your microbiome happy. Now, I this is general advice. If you have a specific gut health issue, you need specific gut health advice. This is not what this is, okay? I just want to put that caveat out there that if you've got something, if you've got IBS, if you've got chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea, IBD, any other sort of gut health condition, you need to have specific advice to help you with that. All right, because for some people, you don't want to have too much fiber if you're chronically constipated. That may not be the issue. You may need to work on motility of the bowel. That's a very different approach. So it's really important that you are getting individual advice for your individual um concerns. I just want to put that out there. Um, but generally, if you've got nothing, no problems in that area, eating a variety of prebiotic, and that's prebiotic foods are just foods, they're vegetables mainly, and some uh starches and probiotic foods, things like your yogurt and your kombucha and your kefir, but remembering always in moderation. And I would really stick to those kinds of probiotic foods. I see so many um, oh my gosh, so many random foods now, processed foods that have got probiotics added to them. I've seen probiotic breakfast cereal, probiotic spreads. It's like that's just dressing up processed foods, trying to make it look healthy, and it's not. So go for your natural probiotic foods, your fermented foods to keep your microbiome happy. Um, activating your lymphatic flow would be number three. So that's actually really easy. Just moving will help a lot. So walking, yoga, um, jumping up and down on a trampoline. Um, you know, this all helps to move lymph. And that is really important. Even just things like, you know, I'm I'm I always record my podcast standing up. I'm lucky enough to have a sit-stand desk, and I really feel it. If I sit all day, I really feel it in my hips, in my pelvis. My body does not like sitting, my body likes moving. And just as I I know I've noticed when I first started standing, sorry, I'm going off on a tangent here, how much I move when I'm standing at my desk, like you know, just moving from leg to leg, doing a little bit of tree pose, if you know yoga. Um, it really helps me move, and that's definitely moving lymph. Um, and I think if you if you do do yoga or even if you don't, you've probably heard of legs up the wall. That's a really good way, particularly if your job requires you to stand all day. I'm lucky I have the choice. But if you're in retail, if you're a nurse, if you're in a job where you are standing the majority of the day, I've done both of those jobs, and your legs get really, really tired. And so legs up the wall really help to move fluid and lymph back towards the heart where it can then go through and exit the body. Um, you've probably all heard of dry brushing before your shower. There are some gloves that you can use in the shower. Um, you can, if you want, finish your shower with about 30 seconds of cool water to stimulate circulation. There are a number of benefits of cold showers. Um, I'm not a massive fan just personally, because I just don't like being cold. But it's definitely something if you quite like that, then you can try that. And the fourth thing I'm going to talk about is just nourishing your skin from the inside out. Yes, there's things you can do on the outside of the skin, but it's the inside that makes the biggest difference. So getting plenty of antioxidants like berries, green tea, leafy greens, that kind of thing, including omega-3 fats in your diet, like chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, salmon, um, those sorts of things to calm inflammation really help. Sleeping, sleep, prioritizing sleep. Your body does most of its detox and repair overnight. And it's probably another reason in perimenopause in particular that women can struggle a little because often our sleep is really impacted. And postmenopause as well. So that would probably be a thing, actually. I'd say number one would be if you've constipated, get that sorted out. And number two, if you're not sleeping, that's a huge priority for so many reasons, detox being just one of them. And I guess finally, I just wanted to say detox isn't about starving yourself. It's not about doing a juice fast. That's it's something that that is perpetuated in the media that detox is about doing something radical. It really isn't. It's about creating flow, essentially. When your detox pathways are open, moving, your skin naturally glows because your body's energy isn't bogged down by waste. So, you know, you want to be eating the right foods, drinking lots of water, moving your body and not starving yourself. I mean, occasionally, I will say you don't have to have expensive supplements. Sometimes it is helpful, particularly if you do have a lot of symptoms. If you've got a lot of skin symptoms like breakouts, redness, itching, uh, if you've got fatigue, if you're trying to lose weight and that weight's just not coming off very fast, then sometimes having a bit of a supplement can help. It's something that you just kind of take short term. You don't need to be on a greens powder every single day if your diet is good. So I did want to just pop that in there as well. So if I just summarize, if your skin is feeling dull, congested, like it's lost its glow, if people are telling you you look tired, it's not just a surface issue. Your skin is communicating with you. It's saying it needs attention. Um, and when you support your liver, your gut, your lymphatic systems, your body can do what it's designed to do naturally, which is cleanse, repair, renew. And that's why detoxification is one of the key pillars inside my new In Your Skin program. We go beyond skincare. I'm going to talk a lot about skincare though, um, but we also go beyond that into the root causes that affect how your skin looks, feels, and ages. Because glowing skin is not just a product of what you put on your face, it's a reflection of what's happening inside. And that's why I've called it In Your Skin. Uh, it is a group program, it's gonna go for eight weeks. I'm hoping to release it in about two weeks' time. So, watch this space. And if you loved this episode and you're ready to bring back your natural glow, you can actually join the wait list for In Your Skin. There's a link in the show notes. Uh and yeah, I'll be sending out emails probably this week just giving a bit more about information about it. Uh so yeah, I think that's it for today. Uh, if you found the episode helpful, please share it. I love it when people share my podcast on their stories and tag me at the Perimanopause Path. It's really, it makes my day. Uh, because I'm literally just, you know, in my room, I've got, in my clinic room, I've got my two dogs here. I'm just talking into my microphone, hoping someone's listening. So it is lovely when I do get feedback like that. So thank you for spending this time with me today. Um, remember your skin is a mirror of your inner health, and when you support your body with the right nourishment, with love, with movement, your glow will return naturally. Thanks so much for joining me on the Ageless and Awesome Podcast. If you would like this episode, please make sure you click the little post button if you're on Apple Podcasts, or the follow button if you're on Spotify, so that you get each new episode delivered to you every single week. If you feel like writing me a five star review, you would absolutely make my day. If you found this episode resonated with you, head over to my Instagram and DM me at the Perimetopause Park. I would love to connect with you.