The secret to blemish-free skin may lie in your gut bacteria. It may sound far-fetched at first, since your skin and your intestines are completely different organs. But after you hear what researchers are finding, you’ll be surprised.

The Basics On Bacteria

Your body is composed of trillions of bacteria (some good, some bad). The goal is to have a balance of about 80 percent “good guys” and 20 percent “bad guys.” For many people, though, that isn’t the case. As a result of poor diets and high-stress lifestyles, we are literally killing the good bacteria in our bodies.

When your bacteria (which is mostly found in your gut) is unbalanced, your health will suffer. You can notice digestive issues, weight fluctuations, mood swings, chronic fatigue, and yes, skin issues.

These are the three main ways an unbalanced gut microbiota affects skin:

Think about it this way – when your gut is filled with too much bad bacteria and yeast, the pores in your digestive tract widen. This allows toxins to leak into your bloodstream (it’s called Leaky Gut Syndrome). When this happens, your body detects invaders and attacks. This causes inflammation. Did you know acne and rosacea are inflammatory conditions?

What The Studies Show

Researchers are still studying how your gut bacteria interact with your skin and which bacterial strains are the most beneficial to healing. What researchers have found so far, though, is quite telling.

About Acne:

A 2010 study found that when acne patients drank a probiotic-rich fermented milk beverage, they’re acne lesions started to show signs of healing.

About Eczema:

A study published in 2008 found that babies who didn’t have a wide variety of gut bacteria at just one week old were more likely to develop eczema by 18 months old.

Just one year later, another study found children who ingested probiotics daily were 58 percent less likely to develop eczema.

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, the number of eczema cases has been on the rise for years. One theory for the increase is that kids aren’t being exposed to as much bacteria as they once were.

Note

It’s important to note that healing your gut may not magically clear up your complexion. There are other factors, such as hygiene, that contribute to the condition of your skin. However, it can be said for certain that your gut health does play a major role in your skin’s health.

Improve Your Gut With Probiotics

The only way to create a balanced, and more diverse, gut microbiota is to get your daily dose of probiotics.