What Are Some Of The Most Common Misconceptions Around Diet And Acne
I often talk about how our skin is a great barometer for whats going on inside our gut. And theres no question that the current research regarding gut health also reflects this philosophy.
The skincare industry is awash with over-the-counter topical acne treatments that promise to cure acne. While prescription medication and topical products such as salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide can certainly play a role in how we treat acneespecially if youre working with a dermatologist to manage a more severe form of acnethey are just one piece of the puzzle and harbour their own side effects. To maintain healthy skin and manage mild or moderate acne breakouts effectively, its first essential to determine its underlying causeswhich can be hormonal, digestive or a combination of both.
One of the biggest misconceptions we often hear is that acne happens in high school. Although acne is a condition most commonly associated with puberty and the hormone fluctuations of our youthunfortunately adult acne is incredibly common and can manifest well into our 30s, 40s and even our 50s.
Can Probiotic Supplements Cause Acne
Probiotics can be an effective method for treating acne. They help add good bacteria to the digestive tract and have a range of health benefits. Gut health and our skin are directly linked.
However, in some cases, these supplements can have the opposite effect and actually cause and aggravate acne. There is a possibility that probiotics can disrupt the functions of the intestines. This is due to the fact that probiotics by definition are living, gut-friendly bacteria.
However, an unbalanced bacteria ratio can damage the lining of the intestines. This can allow irritating substances to enter the bloodstream. In turn, this can trigger the immune system and cause internal inflammation. This can also appear externally in the form of acne breakouts on the skin.
Shipping Rates And Policies
Do you intend to ship your probiotic? Well, it will be worth the effort if it genuinely works. But are you ready to spend that much? Shipping involves more expenses, especially if you have to ship to a different continent.
First, you have to pay for the product itself. Secondly, you will have to pay for the export fee, and that is not all since the shipping agent is also trying to put some food on the table. But that is not the only problem here since the policies could also be unfavorable.
For example, if you have an acne today and decide to make the order, the product could even arrive at your preferred destination three weeks later when the acne is long gone. You should, therefore, go through the rates and policies carefully before making an informed decision.
In case you have to return the product for some reason, you will also have a hard time even though most of the time, the manufacturer or seller takes care of these expenses when the need arises. However, it is still not the same as when the shop would have just been a few kilometers away from your house.
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What Is Hormonal Acne
Hormonal acne is typically caused by changes in hormone levels. Specifically, hormonal acne is as a result of a surge in male hormones called androgens. These hormones are often referred to as male sex hormones, but both men and women produce androgens like testosterone.
Of course, hormonal acne naturally starts at puberty. But girls tend to develop acne first, while boys will often develop more severe acne due to naturally higher levels of androgens.
However, for some reasons, hormonal acne affects adults too. Adult hormonal acne seem to be on the rise, as it affects women between the ages of 20 and 49. As a matter of fact, about 50 percent of women aged 20 to 29 still experience acne.
You’re Drinking Too Much Coffee
The sitch: Coffee raises acidity, which throws off the pH balance of your body and creates inflammation on your skin in different areas . Coffee is also a soluble fiber so it can throw off the pH of the colon.
The fix: Switch to drinking more water or tea, and stay away from taking in a lot of caffeine from coffee to keep the acidity levels in your body down. Or add a few pH drops in your coffee to help make it less acidic. Try Alkazone Alkaline Booster Drops.
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Can Taking Probiotics Cause Your Skin To Break Out And Develop Acne
Last week, I talked about how what we eat and how our internal plumbing affects our skin. A couple of you mentioned taking probiotics and how you derived benefits from it.
Well, when I was doing my personal research, I found that probiotics is definitely helpful for helping with digestion and bowel movement. What it is, is billions of beneficial bacteria introduced into your gut via a capsule or a yogurt or yogurt drink or even a drink like Yakult or Vitagen
The purpose behind probiotics is to introduce more good bacteria to balance out the bad bacteria in your gut. It is being touted as a new health thing and like all health things, there will naturally be pros and cons. If you look out there though, the pros outweigh the cons of taking probiotics by about a million to one. Probiotics is even said to be able to help people who have skin problems, allergies or acne.
Well, guess who discovered a small side effect of taking probiotics that isnt quite as inspiring as all that?
Yours truly actually had acne after taking probiotics. Yep. It defies imagination doesnt it? Here is this capsule of all these supposedly good bacteria thats supposed to help with digestive problems, clear up internal plumbing and maybe even help with clearing up acne on skin.
If anyone has shared a similar experience as I have, I hope you could share it. Perhaps you had a good experience with taking probiotics. Share it too!
Paris B
What’s The Best Way To Use Probiotics For Acne
1. Eat probiotics: As a first line of defense, I tell my patients to try to incorporate foods and drinks that are naturally rich in probiotics, like yogurt, kombucha, sauerkraut, and miso soup, advises Bowe.
Eat probiotic foods every day in order to see lasting benefits because they pass through your digestive system pretty quickly. And pair them with prebiotics for best results.
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The 5 Natural Supplements You Need To Stop Hormonal Acne
Food is always the most powerful weapon in your arsenal to combat hormonal dysfunction, but natural supplements are essential for speeding up the process of healing and recovery.
Using the right natural supplements every day can get you to where you want to be much faster than using food alone.
Ready to recover your glowing complexion and regain your confidence? Here are my top five natural supplements for preventing and healing hormonal acne:
Signs Of Hormonal Acne
The most obvious sign of hormonal acne is the location of pimples or cysts on the face.
Typically, in adults, hormonal acne affects the chin and mouth regions. It is common for women to experience hormonal acne during their menstrual cycle and menopause because this is when the female sex hormones naturally drop.
In adolescents, acne affects the T zone which is the chin, mouth, nose, and forehead. However, if there are fluctuations in hormones, acne can also affect the jaw line and cheeks.
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The Leaky Gut Syndrome And Endotoxemia
Stress, poor diet, and use of certain medications can affect the type of bacteria living in the gut. Certain drugs and lifestyle choices increase the number of harmful bacteria residing in the gut.
The harmful bacteria contain substances known as lipopolysaccharides . LPS are toxic substances that cause inflammation and have been linked to many chronic diseases. In large doses, LPS can lead to toxic shock.
The bacteria damage the gut wall, which allows LPS molecules to pass through. In other words, the gut becomes leaky. Once in circulation, they cause inflammation and cellular damage.
In medical terms, this is called endotoxemia poisoning from within.
So far two studies have tested acne patients for signs of leaky gut. One showed that 66% of acne patients tested positive, and the other study found 65% of acne patients tested positive. This is remarkable when you consider that none of the people with clear skin tested positive.
Whats The Best Probiotic For Hormonal Acne
Probiotics come in different types:
- Lactobacillus, the most common strain found in yogurt and other fermented foods
- Bifidobacterium, a probiotic found in many dairy products
- Saccharomyces boulardii, a type of yeast found in many probiotic sources
These types further branch out into sub-species, with some of them faring better against hormonal acne:
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Can Probiotics Worsen Acne
There’s a chance that taking a new probiotic might worsen acne, at least at first. When you alter the microbial environment in your gut, you may see temporary changes in your skin, including breakouts. One approach recommended by Mary Schook, an aesthetician and cosmetic chemist, is to give probiotics a “breakout period” before determining if they could work to treat your acne in the long run.
Studies referenced:
Kober, M., & Bowe, W. P. . The effect of probiotics on immune regulation, acne, and photoaging. International Journal of Women’s Dermatology,
Lee, Byun, & Kim. . Potential Role of the Microbiome in Acne: A Comprehensive Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine,
Salem, I., Ramser, A., Isham, N., & Ghannoum, M. A. . The Gut Microbiome as a Major Regulator of the Gut-Skin Axis. Frontiers in Microbiology,
Szántó, M., Dózsa, A., Antal, D., Szabó, K., Kemény, L., & Bai, P. . Targeting the gutâskin axisâProbiotics as new tools for skin disorder management? Experimental Dermatology,
Experts:
Dr. Whitney Bowe, MD, board-certified dermatologist, Medical Director of Integrative Dermatology, Aesthetics & Wellness at Advanced Dermatology, P.C., and Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
What About Topical Probiotics
While most of the time we think of probiotics as something we ingest orally, some research provides evidence that applying probiotics topically might also improve acne.13-15
Expand to read details of research
A 2009 study in the Journal of Microbiology found that a lotion containing a probiotic called CBT SL-5 performed significantly better than a lotion not containing a probiotic in reducing inflammatory acne lesions.13
A 2018 article in the International Journal of Dermatology reviewed recent evidence suggesting that topical probiotics might help with acne.14 According to the authors of the article, most studies in this area tested topical probiotics in a lab rather than on people with acne. For example, in several studies, researchers grew acne bacteria in a petri dish and then applied probiotics to see whether this would block the growth of acne bacteria.
These studies found that some probiotics may reduce the growth of acne bacteria in the lab, but we do not know whether they would work the same way when applied directly to people’s skin. The authors of the review article wrote, “ore detailed research should be performed in order to prove the real efficacy and safety of probiotics in these situations.”14
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Probiotics For Acne & Skin Health
Gut health and skin health have been linked as far back as the early 20th century1. This article will look at 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, as acne is a common complaint amongst adults too. Acne is caused by inflammation of the skin, and particularly affects the sebaceous glands which produce sebum, the skins natural oil that keeps it lubricated. Excessive sebum and dead skin cells block skin follicles . These blocked pores are breeding grounds for further infection and inflammation. Spots develop as papules and pustules . 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.
Can Probiotics Help Balance Hormones
Can probiotics balance hormones? Definitely!
How? The direct answer is that if the wrong bacteria are predominating in your gastrointestinal tract you reabsorb old estrogens, instead of eliminating them through your colon. But the whole issue actually extends way beyond this to many areas of women’s wellness, including why we gain body fat, and how successfully we detoxify!
In the industrialized world, all of us are being faced with an estrogen load.
We are being increasingly exposed to hormonally disrupting chemicals that act as ‘Xenoestrogens’ . These are molecules similar enough to estrogen in structure that they bind its receptors, and elicit an estrogenic response. Phthalates and bisphenols in plastics, styrenes from styrofoam, herbicides, pesticides, parabens and other chemicals in many sunscreens, cosmetics, skincare, deodorants, toothpaste, and volatile organic compounds in air pollution are examples of substances that are creating an ever-increasing estrogen burden.
The problem is that estrogen is “mitogenic”….i.e. it makes cells divide. When influences from xenoestrogens are added to our own endogenous estrogen production, the resulting estrogen burden can:
Estrogen also increases body fat. In a pre-modern world, where food was often scarce, more body fat meant an increased chance of successful pregnancy, which was a survival advantage.
So what can we do about it?
As we have reviewed in these 2 articles:
Continue to be well,
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How Do Probiotics Work
Researchers already know that probiotics can work in positive ways to help the body with chronic health conditions such as constipation or diarrhea , chronic digestive issues, acne and certain other dermatologic conditions.
However, researchers still arent clear about exactly how probiotics do what they do!
Leading theories suggest that taking probiotics can replenish your bodys own healthy gut flora, improve your bodys immune system function, repair your digestive tract after illness or injury, fight off unfriendly microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses and improve your bodys ability to use nutrients from food by improving digestive function.
However, the most important thing to know if you are struggling to heal your skin from acne is that probiotics can help! According to Science Direct and theJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology, probiotics have been shown to have a very promising impact on chronic acne.
Shelf Stability And Potency
It is important to pay close attention to the labelling of the probiotic supplement you are about to purchase because they contain live bacteria. So if a brand says that it has put 50 billion CFUs in the product when it was manufactured, it might be possible that 50% live bacteria died by the time you purchased and started using the supplement. So, it is important to choose a supplement that clearly states on the packaging that the potency and stability of the supplement is guaranteed till the time of expiration.
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Combat Acne Restore Skin Clarify And Refine Texture
Acne Clarifying + Refining Treatment 2% Salicylic Acid
Ideal for: Acne/blemish prone & hormonal skin
Beat stubborn blemishes and skin imperfections with this unique retexturizing and pore-refining treatment. Designed specifically for troubled, acne-prone skin, it uses a potent blend of probiotics, skin brighteners, and calming actives to effectively clarify, brighten, and calm inflamed skin. By doing so, it promotes a clearer, more even complexion, detoxifies, and helps minimize future breakouts.
- Salicylic Acid helps unclog pores, gently exfoliate and combat irritation
- Licorice extract inhibits pigmentation by naturally preventing tyrosinase production
- Eucalyptus oil offers antiseptic and antimicrobial properties
- Targets and stops the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria
- Regulates overactive sebaceous glands
- May be used on other parts of the body where breakouts appear â back, shoulders, arms, etc.
- Provides anti-aging benefits while being alcohol-free
Should You Be Taking Probiotics For Acne
Keep scrolling to get the scoop on how “good” bacteria can actually help heal your breakouts.
There’s really no better way to put it: Acne freaking sucks. You’re not alone if you’ve incessantly Googled the best spot treatments or slathered your face with countless creams, serums, and other topical acne-reducing products, and no matter how much you’ve been cautioned against it, you’ve probably picked at or popped some of your most gnarly zits.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to treating acne. Recently, however, there’s been some buzz around how good belly bacteria might be the long-awaited solution to clear skin. And that’s why seemingly more and more dermatologists are recommending probiotics to patients since these tiny microorganisms are practically the heroes of gut health.
But can a balanced gut microbiome really benefit your face? Here’s everything you need to know about the skin-gut connection to beat your breakouts for good, according to a dermatologist.
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