Probiotics for Acne & Skin Health | Probiotics Learning Lab

Dr Aisling Dwyer
MB BCh BAO (Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics), MSc (Personalised Nutrition)​

Gut health and skin health have been linked as far back as the early 20th century1. This article will look at the current understanding behind this link, especially the link between gut health and acne, and the role probiotics can play in this relationship.

Teenagers are not the only age group affected by pesky, painful spots and breakouts - acne is a common complaint amongst adults too. In this article we answer your questions about the link between gut health and skin health, and how probiotics might help:

What causes acne and spots?

Acne is caused by inflammation of the skin, and particularly affects the sebaceous glands which produce sebum, the skin’s natural oil that keeps it lubricated. Excessive sebum and dead skin cells block skin follicles (appearing as blackheads). These blocked pores are breeding grounds for further infection and inflammation. Spots develop as papules (red bumps) and pustules (whiteheads). Although there are various factors that may trigger acne including hormonal, dietary and environmental factors, the impact of gut health should also be a major consideration.

How can gut health affect your skin and why?

A healthy gut is largely influenced by the health of the collection of microbes that live in our gut, known as the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome not only affects gut health locally but also has far-reaching effects around the body. It has been implicated in many common skin disorders such as eczema, psoriasis and acne. 

Rosacea, a skin condition that causes blushing, small bumps and visible blood vessels on the face, is often mistaken for acne. However, redness associated with acne tends to be located around individual spots anywhere on the face or body, while rosacea skin flushing more commonly occurs in the centre of the face. There may be links between the gut and rosacea. A large clinical study in Denmark found that a high number of adults diagnosed with rosacea also had gastrointestinal disorders such as Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, and IBS.

The gut can influence skin health through what is referred to as the gut-skin axis. As 70% of our immune cells are found in the gut, our gut microbes can affect the function of immune cells. Ideally this results in an increase in the production of anti-inflammatory messengers (cytokines) and a reduction of the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, dysbiosis, an imbalance between friendly and more harmful bacteria in the gut, is frequently present in acne and can have negative effects on our immune responses. To learn more, you may like to read the article What is Dysbiosis?

In response to dysbiosis, inflammation or infection in the gut, the gaps between the cells lining the gut become larger, causing what is known as “leaky gut”. Beneficial gut bacteria, known as probiotics, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, or pathogens, and strengthen the gut wall lining. But when overgrowths of pathogens damage the gut wall, the contents of the gut leak through this abnormally permeable lining, and can stimulate an immune cell response, triggering inflammation in the body which may contribute to the development of acne. Bacterial by-products can also pass through these gaps in the gut wall lining, through the bloodstream to the skin where they can dry and harden the skin.