Your Gut Health Could Be Causing Your Acne, Here’s What To Do!
You are probably familiar with the phrase “trust your gut” but are actually aware of the role your gut plays in your over-all health and well-being? In particular it plays a big role in the condition of your skin. If you suffer from acne, you might want to take a look at your gut health when treating it.
The gut is commonly referred to as the second brain among professionals. This is because your gut has two thin layers of more than 100 nerve cells lining your gut. These thin layers are called the enteric nervous system (ENS) and impact everything from your digestive health to your skin.
Have a read of this to find out everything you need to know about your gut health impact on your skin and acne, plus what you can do to improve your gut health and get clearer skin.
What Does Your Gut’s Brain Control?
Your guts “Brain” doesn’t work in the same way your actual brain does. That is it can’t work out that tricky maths problem or think about what to add to your shopping list. The guts main role is to control digestion. From swallowing to breaking down food and controlling nutrition and mineral absorption. The guts “brain” or the ENS doesn’t think like our brains but it does communicate with it and this is how it impacts our mood and decisions, that “gut” feeling that we so often reference.
Many inflammatory skin conditions acne, roscea, and eczema psoriasishave been directly linked to disruptions in gut microbiomes. There are two types of bacteria in your gut, good bacteria and bad bacteria. When there is more bad bacteria than good this causes irritation in the gut. This irritation causes inflammation and the effects can be seen on your skin in the form of acne, dermatitis or eczema. While your gut may not be the sole contributor to your skin condition it has been proven to be a factor.
Poor gut health has also been linked to anxiety and depression. The ENS controls a lot of emotional responses for people suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and functional bowel problems such as constipation, diarrhea, and bloating. It was originally thought that anxiety and depression were a part of these conditions but it has been proven that it is actually the other way around. Research has shown that irritation in the gastrointestinal system may send signals to the central nervous system (CNS) that trigger mood changes.
So, What Are The Signs of An Unhealthy Gut?
- Upset stomach
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Acne
- Skin conditions such as rosacea, eczema, dermatitis
- Moodiness
- Depression
- Anxiety,
- Insomnia
- Food Intolerances
Also note that pro longed use of antibiotics can lead to an overcrowding of bad bacteria in the gut.
How Can You Improve Your Gut Health?
There are many ways to improve your gut health and get back to feeling and looking like your fabulous self!
Probiotics – Probiotics are your best friend if you are experiencing gut problems, or even if you aren’t, they ensure your gut flora is balanced! Probiotics work by crowding out the bad bacteria and making sure there is more good gut flora than bad. You can get probiotics in pharmacies, online or in health food stores. There are so many to choose from so choose the one that best suits you.
Check your diet – Try monitor your sugar intake (too much sugar reeks havoc on the gut!), dairy intake and avoid foods that you may have a sensitivity towards. Try incorporate foods that contain live cultures such as dairy free yogurt, kombucha, and kefir. Have a read of this article on The Best Foods To Help Your Skin To Get Some Ideas!
Stay Hydrated – Making sure to drink plenty of water flushes toxins out of your system including any nasties in your gut. This will help keep your skin looking healthy and fresh!
Get enough sleep – Not getting enough sleep can negatively impact your gut and your skin. Try aim for 7-8 hours uninterrupted sleep per night! It will give you more energy for the day as well!
If you feel that your gut health might be causing your acne or impacting your health in another way speak to you GP or pharmacists as they can advise you on the best course of action.