Healthy, radiant skin is more than just a reflection of your routine—it can be a key indicator of overall well-being. Factors like hormonal balance, gut health, and daily habits all play a critical role in maintaining a healthy complexion.
While many turn to chemical peels and topical treatments in search of quick results, optimal skin health is built on a foundation of consistent, science-backed habits. Simple yet effective measures, such as maintaining clean pillowcases, applying daily sunscreen, and maintaining regular hygiene, can make the world of difference. Targeted supplements like URO Whole Body Probiotic can set you up for success, featuring key probiotic strains like Bifidobacterium breve and L. salivarius help support the skin's natural defenses, promoting balance and healthier, more radiant skin.*
So, how can you optimize your skin health? We sat down with Dr. Roxanne Pero, a triple-board certified OBGYN who specializes in women’s holistic health, hormonal balance and clean beauty. In collaboration with O Positiv as a sitting member of our Medical Advisory Board, she provides expert insight into achieving your healthiest skin from the inside out.
O Positiv Health: First thing’s first— what is the skin's microbiome?
Dr. Pero: What is surprising even to me, someone who went through medical school, is that the majority of the cells in our body and the DNA that's in our body is not our own human DNA. It's actually bacteria, viruses, [and] fungi that live in our different microbiomes. Our gut microbiome is the biggest one that gets talked about, but we also have a vaginal microbiome and a skin microbiome.
The skin microbiome is made up of these different types of bacteria that live in what's called a symbiotic relationship. So, they are getting a little bit of something and then in return they're providing us with a little bit of something. Our skin microbiome helps with balance to keep our skin moisturized and well-lubricated; it helps to keep other bacteria that really would harm us from coming and infecting our skin. It's amazing how your skin microbiome really is so interconnected to these other microbiomes.
O Positiv Health: I would assume that because bacteria is so useful for our health, probiotic supplements and probiotic-rich foods should be great for our skin?
Dr. Pero: Absolutely. Probiotics are amazing. Especially when we're thinking about the skin, you are what you eat. Even when I have patients do elimination diets and then bring in more probiotic-rich foods, prebiotic-rich foods, fiber-rich foods, fermented foods, we really do find that that's what is helping to reestablish those healthy bacteria on your skin that are keeping your skin clear, well-lubricated, glowy, moist, supple and hydrated.
O Positiv Health: I also always hear about healthy fats like avocado and salmon being ideal for our skin, too.
Dr. Pero: When we think about signs of aging and pathology on the skin, we think about inflammation. We don't want inflammation. So antioxidants that you'll find in healthy fats, avocados, sardines, olive and avocado oils…those types of things help to bring down inflammation in our body.
O Positiv Health: Are there gut health signs we should be looking out for?
Dr. Pero: When I'm seeing someone who's dealing with acne or skin issues, eczema, psoriasis, I always talk to them about their history and what's been going on with their gut. How do they feed their body? Do they have a long history of needing antibiotics? Do they have a bad gut infection, a parasite, a stomach bug, those types of things. Are they eating inflammatory things on a daily basis? They’re like, “I have cheese every day. That's not really inflammatory.” Well, it could be inflammatory for you.
Eliminate some of the things that you're eating on a regular basis and see if they help. It doesn't mean that you have to eliminate those for the rest of your life, but sometimes giving your body a break for a month really can do wonders for your skin health and how your body responds.
O Positiv Health:What about our skin’s relationship with makeup? Is falling asleep with makeup on really that bad?
Dr. Pero: You should know what you're putting on your body, and it’s important to prioritize non-toxic ingredients for sure. You don't want things that are going to be overly dry and harsh on your skin. If you’re wearing makeup, that’s fine, but definitely make sure you're washing it off. Your pores are going to get clogged if you have material that's just sitting on your skin and is allowed to just live there. Leaving makeup on overnight can definitely lead to acne.
O Positiv Health:Speaking about acne, is there accuracy in acne mapping at all?
Dr. Pero: Since I'm an OBGYN and specialize in women's health and hormone fluctuations, I see a lot of hormonal acne on the chin and chest. Acne is ultimately gonna love if you decide to eat things that are inflammatory and not wash your face to unclog your pores. I mean, that’s the perfect setup for acne in those areas and on your back as well.
O Positiv Health:What about other everyday things that we may not realize directly impact our skin health?
Dr. Pero: I mean, again, what are you putting on your skin? Just being outside, we're exposed to so much air pollution. You want to control the things that you can control and not just worry about the things that you can't. It’s really important to have a good oral probiotic, find skincare that has quality ingredients that you can topically put on, and really make the effort to take care of your skin every day.
O Positiv Health: Are there specific things that we can do when it comes to environmental factors like air pollution?
Dr. Pero: Antioxidants are huge. If you know that you're getting exposed to reactive oxidative species and they're really causing a lot of inflammation, dampening your immune system, just not allowing you to thrive, antioxidants are really important to help combat that.
Omegas, fish oil supplements, acetylcysteine, glutathione, those are great antioxidants. Resveratrol, quercetin, alpha lipoic acid, those are all really good ones to help to optimize your antioxidants.
O Positiv Health: I found that a lot of my friends and I are going through a second puberty. In our late twenties and early thirties, we are out of nowhere having acne that we did not even have when we were 15. Are you seeing an influx of women in that age range experiencing acne?
Dr. Pero: Oh yeah. I think it really does have to do with gut health finally catching up. So much of our twenties is spent having a lot of fun. We finally have money, we may not be prioritizing our health as much.
Really analyze what you are exposing your body to. Scanning your products, making sure that you're not being exposed to things that are really harmful for your hormones, endocrine disruptors. That's low-hanging fruit. Some of that makeup may be disrupting your hormones and causing that acne.
O Positiv Health: Absolutely. When should I see a professional when it comes to skin? Should you wait until something is going on or is it regular upkeep?
Dr. Pero: I'm glad that we’re doing this interview so that women who are dealing with this have some guidance for things that they can try. I usually tell patients it’s gonna take about three months for your skin microbiome and your gut microbiome to really get reestablished. So try to be consistent with a regimen that you're changing up and give it three months. If after three months it hasn’t improved then you should see a professional, a dermatologist or a functional health doctor, to talk about what more you can do.
O Positiv Health: Do you have anything to say for the Korean skincare craze that's taking over the internet?
Dr. Pero: I haven't really looked much into it. For me, the staples for healthy skin start inside. Make sure that you're feeding your body properly. I use vitamin C every day, I use a very mild retinol. I don't do the prescription retinol, I think it's way too drying. I make sure that I moisturize, which is something that I never did in my twenties.
We don't usually make changes until things start to catch up with us. But things that women do in their twenties go a long way. Taking collagen supplements is huge. If you can invest in a good red light mask or a red light wand, that helps naturally produce collagen. I'll have to look into Korean skincare.
O Positiv Health: Is there one singular product that you deem your holy grail?
Dr. Pero: I recently started using estriol cream, which is a type of estrogen. I'm 45, so my estrogen levels are dropping. I really have found that it's helped with wrinkles because I haven't done Botox or fillers in at least two years, if not three years. I've also been using something called phosphatidylcholine. It's a liquid, and I use a little bit of that. It's super sticky, super lubricating. Phosphatidylcholine is what's in every cell wall of our bodies, which helps to protect our DNA. And it's just really plumping. I've been using that for the last two years now, just a little bit in my moisturizer.
O Positiv Health: Last question, what is one thing you wish more women knew about their skin and their skin health?
Dr. Pero: I wish they knew that it’s really skin deep. When your skin looks a certain type of way, if your skin looks dull, lifeless, if you're breaking out all the time, dig deeper. There’s something else going on internally that is gonna be a bigger deal if you leave it unchecked than acne or wrinkles.
