Understanding how the gut microbiome and skin health are connected is essential to making the right choices for beautiful and glowy skin. Whether you have psoriasis or eczema, we’ve got you covered on everything you need to improve your skin conditions. Dr. Bryant Esquejo, our favourite ND, teaches us the importance of healing our gut through delicious foods! That’s right, you don’t necessarily need to compromise! Our skin is a reflection of what is going on in our bodies, so let’s take care of our temple and make changes that support our overall wellbeing!
WHO IS DR. B
We refer to Dr. Bryant, allllll the time. Prepare to be SICK of him! Just kidding, we can never be sick of Dr. B here. Dr. Bryant Esquejo is a licensed naturopathic provider helping us tackle our stomach issues (and much more). Whether you connect with him on social media or his website, he is paving the path and teaching the world how the body works, educating us on how we can prevent pain in our stomachs and simultaneously get rid of acne!
GUT MICROBIOME & SKIN CONDITIONS
ACNE
It has been proven time and time again that the gut microbiome is connected to acne. To be exact, changes in your gut microbiome can increase inflammation leading to the development of acne (Clark, Ashley K et al, 2017). Therefore, certain foods and diets may change your gut microbiome towards something more inflammatory, leading to acne!
PSORIASIS
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with systemic symptoms, and it is said to affect 2% of adults in America (Weigle, Nancy, and Sarah McBane, 2013)! People with psoriasis have lower bacteria diversity in the gut compared to people without psoriasis. Certain probiotics have bacteria strains that are shown to benefit those with psoriasis as those bacteria strains reduce inflammation.
ROSACEA
Rosacea is a skin condition where the skin is inflamed. This shows up as redness and dryness due to chronic skin inflammation, particularly where there are a lot of oil glands. Science has shown that rosacea is associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and H. pylori infection in the gut! (Searle, Tamara et al, 2020).
ECZEMA
Eczema is an inflammatory skin condition where people experience a very itchy rash that can be dry and flakey and is connected to the changes of the gut microbiome. “Science has shown that people with eczema have depletions or absence of gut bacteria responsible for the production of short chain fatty acids compared to people without eczema, (Bryant, 2022)” and short chain fatty acids are necessary to help reduce inflammation in the gut!
WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT
The best way to make changes is by taking a look at your diet. The foods you eat affect how your skin which reacts to the foods you ingest. You can even keep a food journal to track the foods you eat and how you feel each day. Fresh and balanced eats is the way to go! If there are vitamins and postbiotics you are unable to get via your diet, your alternative is to receive these vitamins via supplements!
The gut can be healed by managing your diet, lifestyle and stress. Besides the food we eat, stress is a huge factor that can disrupt our skin barrier. We have tips and more information in our journal: Stress and Your Body: Brain-Skin Axis. We’d like to be your support system because when you feel good you do good!
Source:
Esquejo, Bryant. “Gut Microbiome and Skin Health.” Dr. Bryant Esquejo, ND • Holistic Acne & Skin Expert, Dr. Bryant Esquejo, ND • Holistic Acne & Skin Expert, 27 Feb. 2022, https://www.drbryantesquejo.com/blog/2021/11/19/gut-microbiome-and-skin.
DISCLAIMER: THIS POST DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AS MEDICAL ADVICE. THIS POST IS NOT MEANT TO TREAT, CURE, PREVENT, OR DIAGNOSE CONDITIONS OR DISEASES; AND IS MEANT FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES. AS ALWAYS, PLEASE CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TRYING ANY NEW TREATMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS.