Time to spill the tea on this juicy connection between your gut health and skin conditions! 💁♀️
The gut is ultimately the centre of our health, playing a major role in immune function, produces many of those feel good neurotransmitters, regulates our hormones, neutralises and eliminates pathogens & toxins, along with manufacturing many nutrients and anti-inflammatory compounds. But did you know that the health of your digestive system & state of your gut microbiome goes far beyond influencing your internal health? It has a profound impact on your skin, mood, weight, immunity, brain health, and overall well-being. The connection between the gut and skin is a fascinating and vital aspect of our health that matters far more than you think, especially for skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis and hives.
Read on to learn about this intricate relationship between your gut & skin for clear, glowing skin!
Our skin is the largest organ in the human body and although a good skin care routine can be an important part in supporting your skin, the health of your skin really is a reflection of your internal health. This is especially true when it comes to skin conditions such as acne, rosacea, eczema, psoriasis or simply dry skin.
It may seem strange that the health of your gut can impact your skin but there is a lot of research and clinical evidence proving this to be the case. For instance, those with small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) are 10 times more likely to experience acne rosacea.
Gut-Skin Connection
The gut-skin connection is a complex and dynamic interaction between our gastrointestinal system health and our skin. It plays a vital role in healing and maintaining healthy, glowing skin, when the gut is functioning well and the microbiome is balanced. You may have heard of the gut-brain axis whereby the gut and brain are in constant communication to each other. This is similar with the gut-skin axis, the gut microbiome communicate to the skin and why an inflamed gut will also show up as inflamed skin.
How your Gut can Influence your Skin
One of the main factors influencing the gut-skin axis and many common skin conditions, is the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome forms an ecosystem of trillions of different microorganisms that are crucial to our health. For perspective, in a healthy gut, there are roughly 100 trillion microorganisms which is 10x more than the total number of human cells in the body. I love to view the gut microbiome as the soil within a garden. When you are growing a plant, the health of the soil, the nutrients within and bacteria are vital to how your plant will grow and the colour and vibrance of its foliage. Just like the plant, we also need a healthy ecosystem within for clear and glowing skin.
When the gut microbiome is imbalanced, known as dysbiosis, this can trigger inflammation and compromise the skin's barrier function, leading to skin problems (such as inflammatory skin lesions). If there is an overgrowth of harmful/pathogenic bacteria or fungi (such as candida), this commonly triggers systemic inflammation and is linked to skin concerns such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea and folliculitis.
Another common cause of skin issues is increased intestinal permeability, also commonly referred to as leaky gut. When you have a leaky gut, it’s like having holes in a water filter. The tight cellular junctions protecting the internal organs/systems from the external environment of the gut is compromised. This means toxins and undigested food particles can ‘leak’ through the intestinal lining, triggering an immune response and in many cases, burdening the liver. This leads to systemic inflammation that can manifest as inflammatory skin conditions. When the liver is burdened, the body also releases toxins out through the skin because the skin is also an excretory organ. This is also why you may experience worsened skin while detoxifying.
Your Digestive Function & Skin
Your entire digestive system is important for healthy, glowing skin though. From having adequate stomach acid to fend off any unwelcome pathogens that may enter, to efficiently breaking down foods and extracting skin-loving nutrients through enzymes and other gastric secretions for proper absorption, every step counts. And let's not forget the importance of eliminating wastes via a daily bowel movement - this is crucial for healthy skin. If you find yourself not having regular bowel movements, toxins and hormones can end up circulating in your system, leading to further skin concerns.
While topical skincare products are important for maintaining healthy skin, addressing the gut-skin connection, along with other potential underlying causes, provides a holistic approach to healing chronic skin conditions and promoting healthy, glowing skin.
Unsure if your gut health is causing your skin concerns?
Here are some common signs:
Location: many times acne/rashes appearing around the chin, mouth and forehead indicate an issue with the gut and routes of detoxification/elimination.
Digestive symptoms: if you are noticing funky stools, bloating, food sensitivities, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain or gas then it’s time to look a little deeper and support your gut.
Recurrent fungal/bacterial overgrowths: This can include UTIs, thrush and other fungal skin infections. These are very often linked to acne and other skin concerns and can also stem from imbalances within the gut.
Psoriasis: This is ultimately an autoimmune condition and since 80% of the immune system resides within the gut, it is often closely associated with poor gut health and leaky gut. With all autoimmune conditions, we need to consider the gut.
Red hot & inflamed: is your skin looking hot & inflamed? It’s likely stemming from deeper within. Support your gut health to soothe the inflammation & heal your skin.
As a Naturopath, when I see clients with skin conditions, I always turn inwards to identify any underlying imbalances so that we can heal the root cause of your skin concerns.
This may include nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalances, inflammation & most importantly, the health of the gut & microbiome balance. To understand what is causing your skin condition, I may recommend additional testing such as a complete microbiome test to evaluate bacteria, fungal or parasitic overgrowths or a comprehensive hormone panel if I suspect your hormones are causing your concerns.
If you are experiencing a skin condition and would like to discuss how Naturopathy can support you, book a free 10 minute discovery call.
Comments