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paslaframboise's review
1.0
This book is a 250 pages long sales pitch.
The first 40ish pages are trying to convince the reader how great she and her method are. The next part is about the science, which is really interesting. However, instead of using the science to back her recommendations, she explains the science then tells you to wait until the end of the book to actually find out what you should do. When you do finally get to the end, instead of having the information, it refers to her website. Now for the *fun* part, all of the useful information I read a book to learn about (that isn’t in the book, it’s « on the website ») is not even available anymore because she removed it all from her website to launch her own product line !!! So yeah, a 250 pages long advertisment for her skincare line…
The first 40ish pages are trying to convince the reader how great she and her method are. The next part is about the science, which is really interesting. However, instead of using the science to back her recommendations, she explains the science then tells you to wait until the end of the book to actually find out what you should do. When you do finally get to the end, instead of having the information, it refers to her website. Now for the *fun* part, all of the useful information I read a book to learn about (that isn’t in the book, it’s « on the website ») is not even available anymore because she removed it all from her website to launch her own product line !!! So yeah, a 250 pages long advertisment for her skincare line…
marshaskrypuch's review
5.0
For anyone not familiar with how poor gut-health can cause skin problems, this is a clearly-written introduction by a leading dermatologist. I like that the author educates readers about the microbiome under the guise of a beauty book. Dr. Bowe illustrates with anecdotes and references, how it's possible to fix common skin problems by fixing your microbiome. Part diet book, part skincare guide, this book will have wide appeal. For those interested in a slightly different angle on the same topic, a good companion read would be Beyond Soap, by dermatologist Sandy Skotnicki.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the e-review copy of this book.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the e-review copy of this book.
fkshg8465's review
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Full of great information, but 1) a little more self-promotion than tolerable for me, and 2) literally learned very little from the book (already knew most of the content).
composed's review
medium-paced
2.5
Recently, I'd read the book Clean by James Hamblin. That book also had its issues, but it was very clear about how unregulated and unscientific the beauty and skincare industries are in the US. That informed my view as I started reading this book.
Dr. Bowe said several things early on that had me asking... is she being funded by the beauty industry, i.e. does she have conflicts of interest? Her book says over and over to refer to her website for updated information. But when I went to look, it was just a sales page for extremely expensive skincare.
The book also has significant fatphobia and may be triggering for people with disordered eating (if I were to follow her dietary advice, it would trigger an ED relapse for me).
There was some useful information about mechanisms in the body. But on the whole, this book was more of a sales pitch for herself and her products. And the bits that she left out were incredibly important: we should be doing less on the surface of our skin, not just "different/healthier" products; the beauty & skincare industries are predatory and unscientific and harmful.
Dr. Bowe said several things early on that had me asking... is she being funded by the beauty industry, i.e. does she have conflicts of interest? Her book says over and over to refer to her website for updated information. But when I went to look, it was just a sales page for extremely expensive skincare.
The book also has significant fatphobia and may be triggering for people with disordered eating (if I were to follow her dietary advice, it would trigger an ED relapse for me).
There was some useful information about mechanisms in the body. But on the whole, this book was more of a sales pitch for herself and her products. And the bits that she left out were incredibly important: we should be doing less on the surface of our skin, not just "different/healthier" products; the beauty & skincare industries are predatory and unscientific and harmful.
lisa2082's review
5.0
This book does a good job of explaining how good affects your skin inside and out. I follow most of her rules already (fruits and veggies, no sugar). I had no idea how important probiotics were for your skin as well as your body.
emily_sea's review
3.0
I’m sure this wasn’t intentional on the author’s part, but some of the language / phrasing may be triggering for readers with a history of eating disorders
However, I did enjoy the explanation of the gut-health linkages
However, I did enjoy the explanation of the gut-health linkages
sarahatheart's review
3.0
This was interesting, but I didn't always follow the connections Dr. Bowe made between our skin microbiome and our gut, other than that if one is influenced by our diet, the other must be too! I think this book would have been more impactful if it had been written when more exact science was available about mapping an individual's microbiome (and maybe it is by now! Science moves fast) and what, in detail, we can do to affect it. Most of the advice is really straight forward: exercise, eat less meat and processed foods, sleep, and meditate. It is nice to know that things that are generally accepted as healthy are backed by research. Also, the critic in me always wonders, how much of the results Dr. Bowe sees are from the diet she prescribes and how much is from expensive skin treatments and procedures? There's also quite a bit of self-promotion. Interesting, but not mind-blowing.