We need probiotics for a healthy gut. A common symptom of a damaged and depleted microbiome (the microorganisms that live within our gut) is acne. It’s particularly important with hormonal acne as your microbiome assists your body in processing and eliminating excess estrogen. If you’ve been on the Pill or antibiotics for any length of time, probiotics could be key to getting your skin back on track. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

As the Journal of Gut Pathology explains, researchers know there is a link between what happens in the gut, in the brain and in the skin. Imbalances in the gut’s microbiome lead to digestive issues, while many other potential effects can be felt throughout the body—from feelings of fatigue to depression, thyroid dysfunction, autoimmunity, and a host of skin issues. Conditions like rosacea, psoriasis, eczema, and acne are really inflammatory conditions, and often a manifestation of something that is happening deeper within the body. When you fix the gut (which, depending on your health, might include getting rid of an infection like Candida, eating a clean diet, and taking a probiotic), skin issues often resolve as well. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
As part of my treatment protocol for many ailments, I will also prescribe a probiotic to my patient – but remember not all probiotics are the same quality and every strain of bacteria has a different function. I prescribe different probiotics for different conditions. Always look for a probiotic that has more than 10 billion colony forming units (CFU’s) per capsule. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Oral probiotics help to keep the bacteria P.acnes (one of the causative factors in acne development), under control. Good bacteria live on our skin too so using antibacterial wipes or soaps to try and get rid of P. acnes is not a good idea. Conventional treatment offers most patients antibiotics first – however once you stop the antibiotic, acne can resurface as P. acnes is a bacteria that naturally lives on our skin.

Article written by Dr Tharushka Naidoo