When it comes to beauty “it’s what’s inside that counts” and this is especially true for our digestive health and the relationship it shares with our skin. Healthy digestion is crucial for the proper metabolism and absorption of nutrients, as well as supporting detoxification and the elimination of waste products. If our digestion is not functioning properly due to poor gut health, our skin won't receive the nourishment it needs to support elasticity and collagen production. Which can manifest as lacklustre tone, signs of premature ageing and inflammatory skin conditions like acne and eczema. So, in order to look and feel our best it is crucial that we look after our digestive health.

The Gut Microbiome

Your gut is home to trillions of microbes, predominantly bacteria but also fungi and even some viruses that are vital to your health and wellbeing. Unlike those that cause infection, the microbes in your gut provide a multitude of benefits, such as shaping the immune system, modulating the inflammatory response, creating detoxifying enzymes, and metabolising nutrients, all while maintaining a healthy gut and skin barrier.

A healthy gut is a diverse gut, rich in multiple species and strains of beneficial microbes like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Though we do have some pathogenic (bad) bacteria in our gut, if there is mostly an abundance of beneficial bacteria, we will have a healthy and happy digestive system. Unfortunately, many of the lifestyle factors synonymous with modern living such as high levels of stress, overly refined and processed foods, sugar, antibiotics, alcohol, cigarettes, and pollution can compromise our gut microbiome and disrupt this delicate balance.

Gut Dysbiosis and Skin Inflammation

An imbalance in gut bacteria is known as ‘gut dysbiosis’ and has been linked to the development of several inflammatory skin disorders such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis. Similar to the bacteria found in your gut, your skin also has a diverse ecosystem of microbes, known as the skin microbiome that works to protect you and your complexion against pathogens. Recent findings indicate crosstalk between the gut microbiome and the skin microbiome, known as the gut-skin axis and so gut dysbiosis often translates to a disrupted skin microbiome. When your skin ecosystem becomes unbalanced, harmful bacteria and pathogens are more likely to slip past your skin’s barrier and cause infections and inflammatory skin conditions.

Thankfully a nutritious and varied diet high in fibre, polyphenols and fermented foods like kimchi, yoghurt and kombucha, combined with effective probiotic supplementation can help to restore the beneficial bacteria in our gut and dampen any skin inflammation. Additionally, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which are by-products of fibre fermentation by our beneficial bacteria- particularly butyrate have been shown to suppress the immune and inflammatory response, in turn calming an irritated complexion. Studies also show that people who have a more diverse gut microbiome have a healthier fatty acid profile in their skin, meaning their skin is better hydrated, moisturised and protected.

So, before you purchase the latest serum why not invest in improving your digestive health? Looking after your gut will not only leave your skin glowing but it will make you feel brighter too!

Resources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6048199/

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01459/full

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6920876/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6678709/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20113345/