The Gut Health & Acne Connection
written by Samantha Reinharz
The Gut–Skin Connection: Why Taking Care of Your Gut Can Help Your Skin
Have you ever wondered, "Does my gut have anything to do with why my skin keeps breaking out?”
Maybe you've tried creams, antibiotics, or skincare products, but your acne keeps coming back. If you’ve asked, “Can my gut be part of the problem?”, you’re looking into the same question researchers have been trying to find for many years.
Scientists are discovering a strong connection between gut health and skin health, called the gut-skin axis. While acne has many causes, including hormones, genetics, stress, and skincare, your gut may also play a role.
Our body is not made up of individual parts; we are connected as a whole, with many factors contributing to this cause; one of the biggest is the food we eat.
How Diet Impacts Gut Health
One of the biggest influences on gut health is a Western diet. Even foods that seem healthy can be highly processed without realizing it.
The Western diet often promotes inflammation because it’s high in processed food (refined oils, sugars, additives, etc) and low in nutrients that our body needs for a healthy gut.
At the same time, it's usually low in fiber, which helps feed the good bacteria that live in our gut.
Over time, this type of diet can contribute to inflammation and has been linked to a variety of chronic health conditions, including skin conditions.
"But I Eat Healthy and Still Have Acne."
If you're eating a balanced diet and still struggling with breakouts, your gut health may need more attention.
Research has found that many people with acne have a different composition of gut bacteria, known as the gut microbiota, than those with clear skin.
Your gut microbiota has trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms living in your digestive tract. Bacteria are usually associated with a negative connotation, but many are essential for our health. These microbes play an essential role in overall health by:
Breaking down fibers your body can't digest on its own
Producing important vitamins
Supporting your immune system
Creating neurotransmitters
Helping regulate metabolism
Protecting against harmful bacteria
When this community becomes imbalanced, it can affect much more than digestion, including your skin.
What Is "Leaky Gut"?
Your intestines are lined with a protective barrier that helps keep harmful bacteria, toxins, and undigested food inside the digestive tract and still allows nutrients to be absorbed.
When this barrier becomes weakened, a condition known as "leaky gut" can occur, allowing substances that you wouldn't usually be able to enter your bloodstream.
Your immune system recognizes these substances as foreign and responds by triggering inflammation. In some individuals, this low-grade inflammation may contribute to inflammatory skin conditions such as acne.
Although scientists are still looking into how the relationship works, the evidence is always growing. We may gain a better understanding of the connection between gut health and acne, helping us make better choices for our overall health.
The Bugs Behind the Gut- Skin Connection
As we’ve explored, your digestive tract does more than digest food. Let’s take a closer look at what actually happens.
Studies suggest that people with acne-prone skin usually have lower levels of beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Butyricicoccus, and other bacteria that people with clear skin usually have.
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium help keep the gut microbiome in check and balanced. They break down fibers that our bodies can’t digest on their own, strengthening the gut lining. Over time, they train your immune system to respond accordingly and reduce unnecessary inflammation
Beneficial bacteria also work with immune cells to help regulate your immune system. This allows your body to defend against harmful bacteria while reducing unnecessary inflammation.
Butyricicoccus helps keep your gut lining healthy and strong. This makes it harder for harmful bacteria and toxins to get into the bloodstream, protecting against inflammation.
There are also various bacteria and organisms (i.e. staph aureus) that are considered opportunistic or potentially harmful that can create skin barrier pH changes and endotoxins. Endotoxins are inflammatory compounds that can contribute to not only gut inflammation but if there is a leaky gut present, the inflammation can affect other systems of the body such as the skin.
The Body’s Natural Detoxification Process
When you hear detox, you might think of a juice cleanse or other popular diets. In reality, your body has a built-in detoxification system that is working every day to remove substances that are burdensome to the body.
Your liver is the body’s primary detoxification organ. It helps break down and remove waste products. However, your liver also works with your digestive tract, playing an important role in removing waste. This is processed through regular bowel movements and a strong intestinal barrier.
When gut health is compromised, these natural detox processes can become less efficient, thereby increasing the burden on body from toxins, impacting hormone metabolism, and showing up as symptoms such as hormonal acne.
How Can We Support Our Gut:
Start here:
Eat a diet rich in fiber, lean protein, and healthy fats.
Include a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables to provide essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Add fermented foods, such as yogurt, kefir, kimchi, or sauerkraut, if tolerated
Limit highly processed foods, added sugars, and artificial ingredients.
Stay well hydrated throughout the day.
Prioritize quality sleep.
Practice stress-management techniques, such as walking, meditation, yoga, or deep breathing.
For a deeper look into your gut health, consider a comprehensive stool test, such as GI-MAP testing and working with a qualified practitioner to help you understand what is happening in your gut microbiome, followed by creating a plan to personalize your nutrition, suppleplementation and lifestyle.
If you want help identifying the root cause of your acne and taking the next step towards sustainable healing we’’d love to support you.