By Carla Oates
Sick and tired of dull, lacklustre skin? It’s time to turn your attention to the gut-skin connection…
Believe it or not, but your skin and gut are in constant communication with one another. In fact, more and more research shows that where skin conditions have manifested or there is skin inflammation—there’s also gut inflammation. Did you know that IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) is almost four times as likely to occur in people with eczema, while SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) is ten times as prevalent in people with acne and rosacea?
So while applying clean, nourishing products to the surface of your skin is important, nurturing a healthy gut is the first—and most important—step on the journey to a clear complexion and optimal skin health (not to mention an improved immune system and overall wellness).
The Gut-Skin Connection Explained
Think of your gut and your skin as biological best friends—the lines of communication between them are always open, and when one party is happy, so is the other. In science-speak, the relationship between your gut and your skin is commonly referred to as the “gut-skin axis”. This axis can be thought of as a sort of information highway that functions through the microbiome; the ecosystem of gut bacteria that live in your gut. These bugs—otherwise known as microbes—are like microscopic messengers that send information between your belly and your skin. Clever as they are, gut microbes like to communicate in a number of ways—some release compounds that send signals to parts of the body, some send signals along the vagus nerve, and others communicate with the brain via the bloodstream.
What's key to note is that when there is dysbiosis—or an imbalance of bacteria in the gut—skin manifestations can be the first sign that your gut health is in need of some extra attention.
Cultivating A Healthy Skin-Gut Connection
“It doesn't sound very glamorous,” says Carla, our Founder & CEO, “but the gut is where the seeds for health and beauty are planted.” Giving your gut a little extra TLC is a surefire way to cultivate radiant, resilient and glowing skin. Here’s how to get your glow on from the inside, out:
Reduce inflammation
Start by incorporating more gut-healing foods into your diet and eliminating inflammatory triggers like gluten, dairy and sugar—which can contribute to intestinal permeability and leaky gut as well as inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, and psoriasis. Also consider adding a calming and restorative supplement, like GUT PRIMER™, into your day to support digestive function and soothe the lining of the gut. If the lining of your gut is compromised, you might suffer from malabsorption issues, which will prevent you from absorbing many of those delicious skin-loving antioxidants and nutrients, like vitamin C and zinc.
Boost microbial diversity
Once you’ve soothed your gut, start to incorporate more gut-loving, fermented foods (such as sauerkraut, kimchi or kefir) into your diet. These foods promote microbial diversity, boost immunity and bolster your microbiome. Research shows that people with a healthier gut microbiome also have a healthier fatty acid profile in their skin, meaning that their skin is more moisturised, hydrated and protected–all the more reason to take a teaspoon of our gut-loving wholefood powder, GLOW Inner Beauty Essential™, every day! GLOW contains a microbiologist-approved combination of over 18 Certified Organic wholefoods and bio-fermented ingredients, as well as skin-loving nutrients, like vitamin C and zinc, to promote youthful, luminous skin.
Think of probiotics as skincare
Another way to boost microbial diversity, prevent gut issues, improve your overall health and foster a glowing skin-gut connection is by adding probiotics to your beauty routine. There is a myriad of probiotics that are now proven to have health benefits—many of which we are only just starting to scratch the surface of—but some of these are Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Bacillus and Saccharomyces, and their associated species and strains.
