Various concerns we have with our bodies are often perceived as aesthetic problems that simply need aesthetic solutions; however, in many cases, these concerns may in fact be signs of more insidious health issues that need medical assessment as opposed to aesthetic treatment, writes Dr Sly Nedic.
Similarly, our skin reflects what’s going on with the state of our health beneath the surface, as skin problems often indicate that there’s something not quite right in our system. What’s more, our bodies are engineered in such a way that they are able to send themselves signals should there be anything going on internally in need of our immediate attention.
Fortunately, functional medicine physicians never overlook this innate ‘wisdom’ of the patient’s body and the clues it provides. We understand that the body functions as a whole – a matrix where anything is interconnected. And this is why we look at aesthetic concerns from the point of view of functional and integrative medicine, to unlock the bigger picture.
Below, we take a look at some common concerns that may be indicative of underlying systemic dysfunctions.
Thighs don’t lie
Saddlebags are a common aesthetic concern that refers to the body fat that sits under the buttocks and on the hamstrings. And no matter how hard they may try, women often cannot get rid of these fatty deposits through dieting and exercise alone. Saddlebags are simply a hormone-mediated condition, whereby a woman’s body is designed to store gynoid body fat, which is oestrogen-dependent.
Unfortunately, in our modern society, gynoid fat metabolism is disrupted by very dangerous xenoestrogens. These endocrine disruptors act similarly to our own body’s oestrogen and operate on the same receptors, fully mimicking our own oestrogen hormones.
We come into contact with these foreign ‘oestrogens’ through pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, plastics, fuels, car exhausts, dry cleaning chemicals, industrial waste, meat from animals fattened with oestrogenic drugs, and countless other household and personal products that many of us use every day. They’re almost everywhere and literally grow our saddlebags.
In fact, these xenostrogens are also responsible for the increasing number of young women who suffer from severe symptoms of oestrogen dominance such as PMS, fibrocystic breast disease, bloating, infertility, troublesome menstrual cycles, depression, endometriosis, mood swings and, yes, excessive weight gain!
The increasing incidence of sporadic breast cancer is speculated to be a result of the toxic levels of xenoestrogens in our everyday life. Clearly, treating saddlebags solely with aesthetic devices will not remove the dangerous effect of xenoestrogens – we need to address our environment first.
Eyes are the window to our health
The eye area is a common concern for patients. While crow’s feet wrinkles and hollow eyes can be treated easily with aesthetic procedures, periorbital swelling, under-eye bags, and dark circles are often the manifestation of underlying medical conditions.
An underactive thyroid may cause swelling around the eyes accompanied by hair loss in the outer part of the eyebrows. The most apparent abnormality under the microscope in this condition is an accumulation of hyaluronic acid in the interstitial tissue. These hydrophilic substances cause edema, which is especially prominent in the skin and often presents as puffiness around the eye.
Adding fillers (pure hyaluronic acid) in this surrounding area can in fact worsen this condition. Under-eye bags are caused when the tissue structures and the muscles supporting the eyelids weaken. The skin may start to sag, and fat deposits usually located around the eye can move into the area below it.
Ageing and genetics are common factors (e.g. under-eye bags can run in families), but we must always exclude underlying medical conditions such as dermatomyositis, kidney disease, allergies, or detoxification impairment. Sometimes controlling allergies and applying personal medical detoxification can completely cure this condition.
Tip of the iceberg – stubborn belly fat
In the past, abdominal obesity was looked at as an aesthetic condition – an unsightly bulk that could easily be addressed with either a low-calory diet, regular exercise, or various aesthetic devices such as cryolipolysis (fat-freezing) laser, ultrasound lipolysis, and cavitation.
Now, however, it’s no longer considered just an aesthetic concern – but rather a seriously harmful medical condition. The reason for this is simple: abdominal obesity, which is accompanied by dangerous visceral fat, can actually cause a wide assortment of medical problems.
Since it involves insulin resistance, it can progress into conditions such as type 2 diabetes and can present with high cholesterol, cardiovascular problems, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), Alzheimer’s, depression, cancers, and various skin problems.
This is a disease that knows no boundaries and can affect anyone. It cannot be taken lately at all, as it is not a self-limiting disorder. In fact, treating this condition only with an aesthetic device as an isolated aesthetic issue can potentially contribute to losing valuable time which is key in reversing this condition.
Welcoming a hormonally stable body with open arms
Patents often seek aesthetic procedures to improve the appearance of arms, perceiving them as too saggy, fat, or with some unexpected cellulite. And although there are many fantastic devices to improve the aesthetic appearance of this area, the first port of call is to check whether any underlying condition contributes to this aesthetic problem.
Low growth hormone can cause severe muscle sagging, while high insulin and androgen levels can cause excessive fat and cellulite on the arms. This look is usually accompanied by telltale body shape signs such as a high waist-to-hip ratio, broad shoulders, double chin, wide neck, etc.
It is so rewarding seeing a complete body shape transformation in patients after diagnosing and applying functional medicine interventions – and all this for a patient who came to simply improve their arms’ appearance with aesthetic procedures. They usually walk out with hormonal correction too!
Skin as the mirror of our metabolism
Skin manifestations are well-known representations of many medical conditions. Autoimmune and inflammatory diseases present with varied and broad-ranging cutaneous manifestations.
Premature skin ageing, which usually presents as dull skin prone to wrinkles and sagging, can be a sign of the compromised and diminished detoxification of xenoestrogens, nutritional depletion, high oxidative stress, daily stress, and high AGEs (advanced glycation end products – a result of overindulging in sugar and grilled fatty meats). Even perioral (smoker’s) lines can signify an overload of xenoestrogens and not only the oestrogen depletion we see in menopause.
Looking at something that affects all ages, acne rosacea is an inflammatory condition present in about 10% of adults. While conventional medicine typically treats rosacea by prescribing localised treatment, functional medicine doctors always search for the root cause. Rosacea triggers include various gut issues such as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, leaky gut, low stomach acid, etc.
Skin manifestations of insulin resistance offer functional medicine physicians a reliable and easy way to detect insulin resistance. Insulin resistance can present in a broad spectrum of skin clinical manifestations: acanthosis nigricans (pigmentation usually seen on the neck and armpits), skin tags, excessive facial hair not responding to laser treatments, and male-pattern hair loss in women.
Clearly, no amount of chemical peeling can remove these pigmented lesions, and no amount of PRPs and hair-growth lotions can prevent these types of hair loss, as these ‘aesthetic’ concerns are caused by insulin resistance. Only by treating insulin resistance, these conditions can improve.
Take-home message
Being the intricate, interconnected marvels of nature they are, our bodies often tell us when something’s wrong. To use the analogy of us humans interacting in society, our behaviour and actions don’t exist in a vacuum – they’re the result of underlying social and biological influences.
And in exactly the same manner, when our bodies communicate with us or behave in a certain way, it’s because underlying conditions or circumstances are exerting an influence.
That’s where the finely tuned insights of functional and integrative medicine practitioners come into play – to see the bigger picture, understand the story behind what our bodies are telling us, and address our health concerns in a holistic manner.
References available from: www.8thsense.co.za
Written by Dr Sly Nedic – MBChB (Bel)
Dr Sly Nedic
- Founder of 8th Sense Medi-Spa, Sandton www.8thsense.co.za
- Board-certified doctor of WOSAAM (World Organisation of Society of Anti-Ageing Medicine)
- Member of IHS (International Hormone Society)
- Member of A4M (American Academy of Anti-Ageing Medicine)
- Faculty member of Preventive Genetics- Laboratories Reunis, Luxembourg
A2 Disclaimer: This article is published for information purposes only, nor should it be regarded as a replacement for sound medical advice.
This article was written by Dr Sly Nedic and edited by the A2 team EXCLUSIVELY for the A2 Aesthetic & Anti-Ageing Magazine Autumn Edition (Mar – Jun 2022. Issue 40).
Autumn 2022 Edition (Mar – Jun 2022) – Issue 40
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