Skin and hair are more than surface-level features.
Your body is not randomly producing symptoms to make your life difficult. It is responding, adapting, protecting, compensating, or trying to communicate. We may not like the way it chooses to do that; a cyst on the nose is hardly ideal.
The body is always working toward survival.
The body really does not care what the mirror reflects back. It has other priorities.
My work is to understand what it is responding to and why the message is showing up through your skin, scalp, or hair.
Skin and hair are more than surface-level features.
They’re reflections of what’s happening inside your body.
Skin and hair health became one of my specialties of expertise because, like everyone, I wanted better skin for myself. I had absolutely terrible acne-laden, oily skin through my teens and until my late 30s due to undiagnosed PCOS. I now have the best skin I’ve ever had, but it didn’t happen overnight. When you work with me, you will not be handed a generic skin supplement or the same hair protocol given to everyone else.
We will talk about when the problem began, what was happening in your life and health at the time, what makes it better or worse, and what other symptoms may seem unrelated but might belong to the same story. Most importantly, I look for connections.
This is not about judging appearance. It is about recognizing that the body is always telling a story.
I went to see Dr. Mayfield because my hair was thinning and my energy waning, but I wasn’t interested in the thyroid treatment recommended by the endocrinologist I saw. Dr. Mayfield started me on some natural supplements that after a month resulted in thicker hair and restored energy. My hair stylist noticed the thicker hair and my friends commented on the increased energy. Dr. Mayfield knows her stuff!
– Cathy A.
Dr. Mayfield lives up to her practice description. My experience was that in spite of appearing healthy in conventional labs and attending to every other arena of my life I still struggled with fatigue, brain fog and hair loss. Dr. Mayfield puts the puzzle together and achieves remarkable results. After three months each concern has been successfully addressed.
– Jina K.
The symptom is visible. The cause may not be.
Your skin is your largest organ. It protects you, regulates temperature, and reflects your internal health. Your hair, while often overlooked, reveals clues about nutrient status, hormone balance, stress levels, and immune function.
Skin and hair concerns often signal deeper imbalances involving:
- Hormones (e.g., cortisol, estrogens, thyroid, ovaries)
- Nutrition and digestion – the gut microbiome, always
- Inflammation and immune function
- Stress and neurotransmitter balance
- Detoxification pathways, genetics and more
Treating symptoms without exploring these connections can lead to recurring flare-ups and frustration. I’ve been there. I do it differently now.
Conditions and Concerns
A topical treatment, even derm prescriptions that aren’t natural, may be temporarily useful. Sometimes controlling an uncomfortable symptom quickly is necessary and compassionate while you are working on the underlying cause that takes more time.
But naming every irritated patch “eczema,” prescribing a cream, and waiting to see whether it returns does not explain why the inflammation developed. Suppressing a visible symptom and understanding its origin are two different forms of care.
Skin Concerns
- Acne (adult and hormonal)
- Eczema / dermatitis
- Psoriasis
- Rosacea
- Sensitive or reactive skin
- Dryness, irritation, and redness
- Rashes
Hair & Scalp Challenges
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Hair thinning or excessive shedding
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Brittle or dry hair
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Scalp inflammation or dandruff
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Slow hair growth or breakage
- Hormonal or thyroid-related hair changes
My goal is not to help you chase an impossible version of perfection. It is to help you understand your body, improve what can be improved, support healthier skin and hair, and feel calm again.
Dr. Mayfield has been using her expertise and years of experience to test and balance my hormones and adrenals naturally. She uses relatively non-invasive hormone testing and adrenal testing and walks you through natural hormone balancing options using supplements, dietary alterations and lifestyle changes. The real part that I believe sets Dr. Mayfield apart from other practitioners who might provide similar holistic services is her follow-up. She will email/call to ensure you are following the set treatment protocol and provide additional support if needed. Her understanding of how to implement these lifestyle changes is key. She genuinely cares about her patients’ success and takes the time for everyone.
– Monica R.
The Skin Microbiome
The skin has its own living ecosystem. Your skin is not an inert covering that needs to be scrubbed, stripped, disinfected, exfoliated, and corrected into submission. It has its own microbiome, protective oils, immune activity, and naturally acidic environment. Together, these help maintain the skin barrier and determine how well your skin tolerates the world around it.
We have been taught that “squeaky clean” means healthy, but healthy skin is not supposed to squeak.
Daily head-to-toe soaping, very hot water, harsh cleansers, antibacterial products, aggressive exfoliation, fragranced products, and complicated skincare routines can disturb the very system we are trying to improve.
We strip away natural oils and disrupt the skin barrier, then wonder why the skin feels dry, reactive, inflamed, or dependent on layers of creams. Water quality, laundry products, fabric treatments, cosmetics, hair products, air pollution, pesticides, medications, climate, and sun exposure can also affect the skin and scalp.
So yes, topical care matters. The skin microbiome and barrier may need direct support. But topical care is only one layer, and can only help so much.
You cannot consistently express healthy skin and hair without also paying attention to the health of the person living underneath them.
Real Skin Health Begins Beneath the Surface
You don’t have to accept inflammation, irritation, hair loss, or breakouts as “normal.” True wellness integrates body, mind, and environment — and your skin and hair will thank you for it. (Eventually. It might not be as quick as you want, because – despite best efforts – skin and especially hair changes take TIME. )
Your skin does not need to look perfect to be healthy.
The beauty industry has made an enormous amount of money convincing you that normal skin is unacceptable.
A pore becomes a problem. A line becomes a failure. A patch of pigmentation becomes evidence that we have neglected ourselves. We are sold the fantasy that every mark, wrinkle, breakout, and stray hair is under our complete control—as though beauty were a multiple-choice test and we simply selected the wrong answer.
It is not true.
Genetics matter. Hormones matter. Aging is real. Bodies change. No product can make human skin look permanently filtered, poreless, motionless, and twenty-five years old when it has lived a full, rich life of decades longer than that.
There is also a tremendous amount of misinformation, exaggerated marketing, shame, and outright charlatanism in the world of beauty and wellness. Quick fixes are everywhere. Meaningful answers are harder to find. The first step is understanding what it has been trying to tell you.
The Art of Healing
Your skin and hair may be asking you to listen.
What were you emotionally carrying when this began?
What have you been holding in or avoiding?
Where have you been pushing past your own limits?
What is your body trying to protect you from, or lead you toward?
Healing is not always about fixing what is wrong. Sometimes it is about understanding what the symptom came to teach you. And until we learn that lesson, the messenger persists.
When the inner conversation changes, the body often begins to change with it.
The Science of Healing
Skin and hair health are connected to several key systems in the body, including hormones, immune function, nutrient status, and metabolic health.
Hormonal imbalances can contribute to acne, hair thinning, and scalp conditions. Inflammation may worsen eczema or psoriasis, while nutrient deficiencies—such as iron, zinc, and essential fatty acids—can affect skin integrity and hair growth.
Functional and natural approaches evaluate these factors through comprehensive assessments, which may include laboratory testing for hormone levels, nutrient status, thyroid function, gut health, and inflammation markers.
By identifying and addressing underlying causes, treatment can support the body’s natural healing processes and promote long-term skin and hair health.