Why more women are getting colonics…for great skin

We’ve been hearing from more and more women that their glowing skin isn’t just about the radiance-boosting  skin-care serums they’re slathering on—it’s the result of paying attention to a rather different organ.

We’re talking about colonics (and your back door). Practitioners and devotees say that regular sessions with the hose have cleared up their acne, psoriasis, and eczema, and even a single session can produce a glow.

That’s what happened for a New York publicist we’ll call Walden White. After going to a destination spa where colonics were part of the detox cleanse program, “I noticed a healthier glow to my skin,” she recalls. “I also attributed it to the tan I got. But I trusted others when they commented on how bright my skin looked.” She’s been getting them regularly back home in New York ever since.

“When you detox, the first place you see the results is in the skin.”

Michelle Goldblum, the founder and CEO of a design and marketing agency, had a similar experience after having colonics as part of a cleanse a few summers back. After a few weekly sessions (along with time in the infrared sauna and the healthy diet), she says, “The results were astounding. By removing all of the toxins from my system and replacing them with essential nutrients, my skin started to glow. It was obvious. People commented and questioned what I was using on my skin. I told them the only reason why my skin looked this way was because of the detox—because of the removal of all of the shit (literally!) from my system.”

But Arul Goldman, founder of the SanaVita Center for Holistic Cleansing in Gramercy Park, says that you don’t need to do a full-on detox to get the results: “Even a person eliminating once a day can get a colonic and have that euphoria, lightness and glowing skin.” She likens the effect to a great cardio workout.

Glow like you do after spin class?

Goldman’s explanation is that “any fecal matter in the body is toxic, is a poison. It’s like a bag of trash in the summer that’s starting to ferment. That happens in the intestines, and then the toxins sink though the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. And from there, the skin is the largest organic of elimination, so if you’re at all toxic, it’s going to show up there.” (Studies have suggested otherwise, but that’s not stopping clients.)

Tracy Piper, who directs the Piper Center for Internal Wellness in Soho, makes a similar case. “What happens in the colon is directly seen in the skin,” she says. “So when I see a person with chronic acne, to me they are pooping through their skin. That may sound harsh, but it will give people a wake up call as to pay attention to what is going in inside will show on the outside…. The skin is the organ that we see that tells us if we are internally fit, so pay attention as it can save you from longstanding issues later on.”

Both practitioners say that generally healthy clients with decent skin and good natural elimination (AKA you “go” often on your own) can see a glow after one session, but to clear up a chronic condition will take more of an investment; Piper recommends at least three sessions close together (once a week), along with—not coincidentally— an elimination diet sans dairy, processed food, sugar, and gluten.

And just as the skin is the first place trouble can appear, says Piper, it’s an early place for improvement: “When you detox, the first place you see the results is in the skin. The color changes, there is a glow, a vibrancy that emits from the skin. It motivates you to take better care of yourself.” And maybe hit the hose in addition to the beauty counter.

This piece was originally published Feb. 24, 2014, and was updated on June 3, 2016.

Have you ever gotten your glow on from a colonic? Or would you? Tell us in the Comments, below! And for more ways to get a glow from the inside out, try these skin-boosting foods (or make one of these smoothies).