From the Guidelines
Incorporating probiotics into your daily routine, through both oral supplements and topical skincare products, is crucial for revolutionizing beauty by supporting both digestive and skin health. The gut-skin connection is a complex relationship where the gut microbiome directly influences skin health, and probiotics play a significant role in maintaining this balance 1.
Key Benefits of Probiotics
- Improve digestion and boost immunological function
- Maintain an appropriate equilibrium of gut bacteria
- Have additional advantageous impacts on general health
- Can help restore and maintain a healthy balance of microorganisms in the gut
- Increase the amount of good and healthy bacteria and decrease the growth of certain harmful bacteria
Recommended Probiotic Intake
For oral supplements, it is recommended to take them daily on an empty stomach for at least 8-12 weeks to see results, with a dosage of 10-50 billion CFUs daily 1. Look for supplements containing strains like Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus plantarum.
Topical Probiotic Skincare
Topical probiotic skincare products can also be beneficial, look for products containing fermented ingredients, postbiotics, or live probiotic cultures, and apply them as directed on cleansed skin 1.
Diet and Lifestyle
Pair probiotic use with a diet rich in fiber, fermented foods, and limited sugar and processed foods to further support your microbiome health 1. This approach works because the gut microbiome directly influences skin health through the gut-skin axis, reducing systemic inflammation, regulating immune responses, and improving nutrient absorption 1.
From the Research
The Gut-Skin Connection
The gut-skin connection, also known as the gut-skin axis, refers to the bidirectional relationship between the gut microbiome and skin health. This connection is regulated through several mechanisms, including inflammatory mediators and the immune system 2.
Probiotics and the Gut-Skin Axis
Probiotics are living microorganisms that have various beneficial effects on human health, including improving the immune system and preventing bowel disease 3. Recent studies have shown that probiotics can alter gut microbiota composition and provoke immune modulation in a host, which can have a positive impact on skin health 3, 2.
Benefits of Probiotics for Skin Health
The use of probiotics for the treatment of various skin diseases has gained significant attention in recent years. Probiotics have been shown to improve symptoms of dermatologic conditions such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, rosacea, and acne vulgaris 4, 2.
Mechanisms of the Gut-Skin Axis
The gut-skin axis is regulated through several mechanisms, including:
- Inflammatory mediators
- The immune system
- Metabolites from the diet or the microbiota that are skin accessible 5
- Dysregulation of microbiota, which has been seen in numerous inflammatory skin conditions 2
Potential Therapeutic Strategies
Understanding the gut-skin axis and the effects of gut dysbiosis on skin physiology may lead to the development of novel therapies for skin disorders through microbiome modulation 5, 2. Probiotics and prebiotics are microbiota-management tools that can be used to improve host health and modulate the gut microbiota 6.