Fiona Tuck, an expert in nutritional medicine and face reading, talks to Professional Beauty about her new website, and how our inner health affects the complexion.
You are both a skincare expert and accredited nutritional medicine practitioner. To what extent does nutrition and skincare interlink?
Our skin is a direct reflection of our inner health, therefore what we put into our bodies shows through our skin. Good skincare is important for keeping our skin healthy however good nutrition ultimately is the most important factor for healthy skin. The two really go hand in hand.
When we talk about a holistic approach to nutritional health, what do we really mean?
What we put into our bodies on a daily basis has the ability to harm or heal. Choosing food for its nutritional benefit such as fresh fruits, vegetables and wholefoods over highly processed packaged foods is important for long term health and wellbeing. Think of food as medicine rather than for comfort or pleasure.
Do you believe skin therapists should ask their clients about nutrition?
A basic understanding of nutrition is important as this really has a huge impact on the condition of the skin. For example someone that is vegan or vegetarian can have nutritional deficiencies, a smoker would have nutritional deficiencies and compromised detoxification and a person that eats a lot of junk food would also have compromised skin. These factors can affect not only the condition of the skin but can also compromise wound healing ability and so when performing more invasive treatments such as dermal rolling, laser and chemical peels, knowing how the skin will heal is imperative to achieving a good result.
You are known as the Face Reader. What is involved with face and body reading?
By looking at the face and body we can tell a lot about a person’s health and wellbeing. The face shows signs of inner disharmony; current or chronic skin conditions are often a sign of vitamin or mineral deficiencies. The body changes shape due to shifts in hormones so by taking into consideration the shape of the body, the condition of the skin, nails and hair, we can gain a better understanding of what the right foods or even supplements for each person really are. Combining this with good skincare can achieve miraculous results. I have seen many skin conditions improve that have left some people miserable for years as they did not realise that their condition could be treated by treating the skin holistically.
Is face reading something you would recommend skin therapists do for their clients?
Face reading is good for skin therapists to use as it helps determine whether the skin condition is caused by internal disharmony, nutritional deficiencies or external/topical factors. Knowing the cause can help therapists to choose the best topical treatments for their clients and therefore achieve fantastic results with their skin treatments.
How can skin experts up-skill?
I am launching a Youtube face reading series in February to help therapist and clients gain a broader perspective on their health and learn some simple guidelines to how to treat via diet.
You have just launched a new website, what can we expect?
The website is designed to educate about health, wellness and healthy eating. There is no affiliation with a particular skincare brand, which makes it user-friendly for all therapists that may be using multiple skincare brands. There is a regular nutrition-focused blog, free health fact sheets and even a free clear skin diet ebook to download.
What else is in the pipeline?
I will be starting a Youtube channel in February on face reading and there will be a new smoothie ebook available to download in January. There are lots of healthy recipes too of course and a monthly newsletter sent to those that subscribe to the site.
If you would like to follow Fiona Tuck’s daily health tips, follow her on Instagram @fionatucknutrition