What do your skin problems mean?

What is your skin condition trying to tell you?

Your skin is an important – and your largest – functioning organ. If something is wrong, it could reflect a deeper problem.

Your skin's main role is as a physical, chemical and antimicrobial defence system. It is also detoxification organ.

But studies show a clear link between gut problems and skin disorders.

Intestinal dysbiosis, or microbial imbalance, can negatively impact skin function.

Intestinal permeability, or leaky gut, can also cause both systemic and local inflammation, which can in turn contribute to skin disease.

Substance P – a neuropeptide produced in the gut, brain and skin – plays a major role in skin conditions. It modulates many pathophysiological events in the skin, including immunomodulation, antimicrobial defence, inflammation, pain, itchiness and cancer.

Some examples of gut–skin conditions include...

• Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is 10 times higher in people with acne rosacea than in healthy controls. The correction of SIBO in these same people led to significant clinical improvement

• Acne rosacea can indicate HPylori, a stomach infection

• Some people with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease have skin manifestations

• Coeliac disease can also manifest on the skin e.g. as dermatitis herpetiformis. Coeliacs also have more oral lesions, alopecia and vitiligo

• Increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut) is an issue for a significant number of acne patients

• Eczema and psoriasis are linked to an overactive immune response (your gut is where 70%+ of your immunity is), possibly related to leaky gut. It's important to resolve this in children as it commonly leads to asthma and allergies

So no matter how many creams you put on your skin, without addressing the root cause in your gut, your problem could persist.

Targeted probiotics can improve skin conditions by decreasing lipopolysaccharide or LPS (a bacterial toxin), improving intestinal barrier function and reducing inflammation. However, taking the wrong probiotic can feed overgrowths and worsen your problem. This is where gut stool testing can be invaluable to inform a personalised skin-healing diet and supplement protocol.