This is the question I have been hearing it a lot lately maybe because we are now past holidays season and some of that celebrating took a toll on our skin

Well, if you only listen to the dermatology, cosmetic and plastic surgery advice you will end up with a multitude of cream and potions and procedures.

I take a different approach. What if I tell you the secret to have a beautiful young-looking skin is about what you put in your body and about how you nourish your body. Things like food intolerance, toxins and nutrient deficiency will affect your skin!

That does not mean you should not take care of yourself from the outside-there are great products that I recommend to my patients. But that’s not going to ultimately going to solve the problem especially if you have acne, eczema or psoriasis for example.

So, for today I am going to focus on nutrient deficiency!

Our skin requires vitamins, glucose from healthy carbs, ceramide, fatty acids to heal, perform and look good.

So, what are the most important vitamins for the skin?

Vit A and C – will help skin retain moisture and hydration. Vitamin A also helps the skin make new collagen so make sure it is s present every day in your diet. Collagen is the matrix that holds our skin together from inside so cannot forget about this one.

Vit D – helps with healing and has anti-inflammatory effect not to mention the important role in autoimmune illnesses like psoriasis. Soaking up the sun is the way to get it but do not get fooled-it takes a good amount of time being outside to achieve that and most of us are not doing that frequent enough.

Vit E – healing, you know when you have small ulcerations or small skin cracks? that’s the one that might be missing!

Vitamin B deficiency can mess up your skin bad too – flaky skin, cracked lips, wrinkles …and let’s not forget we are talking about 8 different types of B vitamins.

Copper Increases skin thickness and elasticity so that’s something we always check as well with a blood test.

Zinc and selenium have antimicrobial activity and prevent photodamage aka sunburn.

And these are just few of the ingredients our skin needs!

So, what do you do?

We diagnose the imbalance, address the causes first and then help the body repair and regain balance. The body’s natural ‘’healing’’ intelligence takes care of the rest.

Testing for all those vitamins and minerals is easy and it is a finger pricking blood test. Once we get the results, we can build a regimen that is meant for you instead of a plain multivitamin that might not cover your needs.

If you have struggled with skin issue, what strategies did you use to make it better?

To your health and amazing skin,

Dana Neacsu, MD

Learn more info at www.mcimatlanta.com and Share this with someone who needs it!

Unfortunately in today’s culture, we are inundated by the media and advertising worlds with images of pharmaceutical panaceas and quick-fix solutions. The message given is one of low effort and high reward; for example, we can be led to believe that by taking one pill a day we will be healed. However, this type of treatment is not likely going to be a successful course of action for you.

At Medical Creations Integrative Medicine, we offer another path, take the first step towards a healthier you now!

The first appointment with a Functional Medicine physician must be done in-person at MCIM office in Atlanta. During an initial session with a patient, we cover everything from an extensive health background, to innovative lab testing and nutrition consultations and together, we create a plan.

Follow-up appointments may take place in person or remotely via phone.

Here is a list with some of the conditions treated at our clinic:

• Arthritis
• Athletic performance
• Autoimmune Diseases
• Adrenal and thyroid support
• Brain health (focus, cognition, memory)
• Cancer Prevention and support
• Chronic Fatigue
• Depression and Anxiety
• Detoxification and Healing (chemical sensitivities, history of toxin exposure)
• Digestive Disorders (IBD, IBS, GERD/Reflux)
• Eczema/Psoriasis
• Environmental and Food Allergies or Asthma
• Female Disorders (PMS, Menopause, Infertility, PCOS)
• Fibromyalgia
• Healthy Aging and Weight
• Heart Health and cholesterol
• Hormonal imbalances
• Metabolic Syndrome, Pre-Diabetes, Diabetes, Insulin Resistance
• Migraines and Headaches
• Obesity
• Sleep/insomnia

Here are the steps we usually follow:

1. Find the right diet for you
2. Remove food allergens or sensitivities
3. Fix the gut
4. Optimize nutrient status
5. Balance hormones
6. Support energy metabolism and mitochondria
7. Enhance detoxification
8. Mind-body techniques and balance neurotransmitters
9. Look for hidden infections

Some of our signature programs:

Adrenal support based on Kalish Method validated by Mayo Clinic

Enhance your health using our Biohacking Lab

Brain health program based on Amen Clinic  and Dale Bredesen curriculum

Medical weight loss program

Fifteen years into her medical career, Dana Neacsu, M.D., had become frustrated with the way she and colleagues were treating patients.

“I started noticing how certain patients kept coming back,” she says. “You give them medications and the medications work for a while, but they still have the same problem down the road or sometime it’s even worse because they are having reactions to the medicines.”

Concerned that conventional medicine often had to do more with treating symptoms than getting to the root of the illness or teaching patients how to care for themselves, she decided to try a new approach. She left her position at one of Atlanta’s most prestigious hospitals for a fellowship with Dr. Andrew Weil at the University of Arizona. The Harvard-trained Dr. Weil is widely considered the father of integrative medicine – a field that combines complementary and alternative therapies with conventional medicine.