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When Doing “Everything Right” Still Doesn’t Work
For many years now, I’ve felt as though I’ve been ticking all the right boxes when it comes to my health. It has often crossed my mind that just trying to keep a balanced nervous system, balanced hormones and balanced blood sugar feels like a full-time endeavour.
But the truth is, I’ve been struggling with much of this, a lot.
Despite doing what I thought were all the ‘right’ things, I still didn’t feel right.
My weight wouldn’t shift, my energy was unpredictable, often non-existent – and my hormones felt unsettled no matter what I tried.
Like many women in their forties and fifties, I assumed this was simply “hormonal changes” linked to perimenopause, menopause, and, after my hysterectomy, post-menopause.
Only recently, after more advanced testing, have I started to uncover what’s been happening beneath the surface.
It wasn’t just about hormones. Inflammation, Hormones, and the Missing Piece of Midlife Skin Health are more deeply connected than I had realised. Hidden inflammation, gut imbalances, and food intolerances were quietly driving changes in my body and skin health.
Chronic, low-level inflammation (inflammaging) isn’t dramatic.
It doesn’t always show up as obvious symptoms like eczema or hives.
Instead, it can be silent and systemic, gradually undermining overall body health, mood, energy, and resilience.
This type of inflammation can:
Disrupt hormone balance.
Weaken the gut barrier, leading to nutrient deficiencies.
Create insulin resistance, making weight balance and weight loss difficult.
Accelerate collagen and elastin breakdown and overall signs of skin ageing.
Even if it isn’t visible on the skin, it is still at work beneath the surface, influencing how we age.
Recent food intolerance and allergy testing gave me surprising results.
Foods I considered part of a balanced diet – for example, eggs, walnuts, Brazil nuts, salmon – were all identified as triggers for my body.
On paper, my eating looked like “clean eating” – I avoid ultra-processed foods, excess sugar and so on –
But for me, these healthy foods were creating a constant, low-grade inflammatory response.
I didn’t have dramatic symptoms, only a sense of feeling “not quite right.”
This is an important distinction:
Food allergy is an immediate immune system reaction (e.g. hives, swelling, anaphylaxis).
Food intolerance is more subtle. It can trigger digestive discomfort, fatigue, or systemic inflammation hours or even days after eating.
Unrecognised intolerances can quietly fuel hormonal imbalance, fatigue, weight resistance, and premature skin ageing. This is where I’ve unknowingly found myself.
We are all well aware that perimenopause and menopause bring shifts in oestrogen, progesterone, and androgens, and that our bodies go through huge changes as we age.
These hormonal changes affect every single one of us in different ways, but the impact on the rest of our bodies is significant – and the older I get the more important it becomes to pay attention and listen to my body.
When chronic inflammation is added into the mix, the effects compound:
Gut + Hormones: An inflamed gut absorbs fewer nutrients such as B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc; all essential for oestrogen metabolism.
Hormones + Metabolism: Inflammation drives cortisol and insulin resistance, making weight regulation more difficult.
Inflammation + Skin: Even when skin looks clear, inflammation accelerates collagen loss, barrier fragility, and visible signs of ageing.
The message is clear: optimising hormones alone is not enough.
We need to look at the bigger picture – which in effect will actually help us to optimise our hormones better in any case.
One of the most revealing tests I took was the Organic Acids Test (OAT). This test measures biochemical markers that reflect gut health, nutrient metabolism, detoxification, and more.
My results showed various issues including a compromised gut barrier, allowing food proteins and toxins to enter the bloodstream, as well as impaired nutrient pathways, especially with B vitamins and amino acids, which then cause a cascade of other issues downstream in my body.
What stood out most: I had no dramatic digestive symptoms. Without testing, I would never have known – and I would certainly never have known that not just any probiotic would help.
For example, it pointed out that only very specific strains such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Saccharomyces boulardii were needed, alongside targeted support from nutrients like zinc carnosine and L-glutamine.
Again this just confirmed the interconnectedness of gut health, inflammation, hormones, and skin ageing for me – even though I couldn’t see it in the mirror per se.
Skin is often seen as a visible marker of health, but it doesn’t always reveal hidden inflammation. Even if skin looks fine today, inflammatory processes may be at work beneath the surface.
This has definitely been my experience as I’ve had no outward ‘evidence’ of the damage chronic inflammation has been doing to my skin and contributing to signs of ageing.
Chronic inflammation accelerates skin ageing by:
Collagen + Elastin Breakdown: Enzymes (MMPs) break down structural proteins faster than the body can rebuild them.
Oxidative Stress: Free radicals overwhelm defences, damaging skin lipids and DNA.
Slower Repair: Inflamed cells regenerate more slowly, reducing radiance and making skin look more dull and tired.
Barrier Fragility: The skin barrier becomes more vulnerable to UV, pollution, and daily stressors; leading to increased redness or itchiness.
This is inflammaging: ageing driven not only by time, but by chronic, silent and unseen inflammation.
If you suspect hidden inflammation, look for these visible indicators:
Fine lines and wrinkles developing earlier or more prominently.
Loss of firmness and sagging, especially around the jawline and neck.
Chronic dryness or dehydration, even with moisturisers.
Uneven tone, hyperpigmentation, or dark spots.
Redness, sensitivity, or flare-ups of rosacea and eczema.
Dull or lacklustre skin with slower turnover.
Puffiness or breakouts that don’t resolve easily.
On the face of it, these sound like the most common skin concerns of midlife, peri- and menopausal skin, and what many of us try to address with topical skincare and routines. That is true – but there is more to the story.
Having the right products and routines that work for your concerns is of course very important – but it is also worth considering that these signs of ageing may not always be linked only to sun exposure, general ageing or genetics. They may also reflect the internal effects of chronic inflammation.
This recent round of testing provided answers I had lacked for a long time – to questions that I didn’t know were the questions I should have asked.
I now understand much better why my energy and weight have felt stuck, and how my gut, hormones, and (healthy) food choices are connected. I’ve always known this to be true, I just didn’t realise that my supposedly healthy choices were part of the issue for me personally.
We are all different of course and that is what makes individual testing so important.
I don’t have it all resolved yet, but clarity allows me to focus on the right areas: lowering inflammation, supporting gut health, and protecting skin and long-term health in far more specific ways than before.
Do you feel bloated, fatigued, or foggy after eating, or after eating a particular food?
Do you feel that you’re “doing everything right” but still stuck with weight or energy?
Have your hormonal symptoms worsened over time?
Do you have recurring low-level health issues that never fully resolve?
Is your skin ageing more quickly than you’d expect – especially when you feel you’re doing everything right with your topical skincare and routine?
Track foods and symptoms; take time to notice patterns in energy, digestion, and skin.
Try gentle elimination (gluten, dairy, eggs) for 4–6 weeks and observe changes.
Support gut health; look into fibre, targeted probiotics, and nutrients.
Look at the bigger picture; hormones, gut, and inflammation all interact.
Consider testing (food intolerance, Dutch, OAT, blood work) for clarity.
Be patient; improvements may take 8–12 weeks, with subtle shifts appearing sooner.
Gut health, hormones, inflammation, blood sugar, nervous system health, metabolism, and skin are not separate systems.
We are all big bundles of biology and all the systems in our bodies are connected. When one is under strain, the others are affected.
If you have been feeling stuck despite “doing everything right,” it may not be a lack of effort.
It could be the silent effects of inflammation. Addressing these deeper drivers can unlock improvements in health, energy, and skin vitality.
1. How is a food intolerance different from a food allergy?
A food allergy is an immediate immune response, often severe. A food intolerance is more subtle, with delayed effects such as bloating, fatigue, or low-grade inflammation.
2. Can I have hidden inflammation without digestive symptoms?
Yes. Many people experience systemic inflammation without gut discomfort. Signs may include fatigue, stubborn weight, and accelerated skin ageing.
3. How does gut health affect skin ageing?
Through the gut–skin axis. Dysbiosis and leaky gut trigger immune responses, fuelling systemic inflammation that accelerates collagen breakdown and oxidative stress.
4. How long does it take to see results once inflammation is reduced?
Some improvements may appear within weeks, but significant changes in energy, hormones, and skin often take 8–12 weeks.
5. Do I need advanced testing like the Organic Acids Test (OAT) to address inflammation?
Not always. Lifestyle changes and elimination diets can help. But testing can save time by identifying precise triggers and imbalances.
6. What are the first steps if I suspect ‘inflammaging’?
Start with food tracking, reduce common inflammatory foods, support gut health, and monitor your skin and energy. Consider testing if symptoms persist.
7. What is the Gut–Skin Axis?
The gut–skin axis is the constant two-way communication between your digestive system and your skin. A healthy gut sends signals that support clear, calm skin. When imbalanced, it can trigger acne, rosacea, sensitivity, and premature ageing by fuelling systemic inflammation.
Hormonal changes in midlife, peri- and menopause are significant, but they don’t explain everything.
Chronic, low-level inflammation, along with gut and blood sugar imbalances, are often the missing pieces when health and skin feel “stuck.”
By looking beyond hormones and addressing inflammation at its root, it’s possible to slow visible signs of ageing while improving energy, metabolism, and skin health – protecting resilience for the years and decades ahead.
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