Gut Instincts: How to Unlock Radiant Skin from the Inside Out

Studies show that your gut microbiome influences your health in a big way. The gut microbiome is a complex community of microorganisms that live in your digestive tract. Collectively, they have a give-and-take relationship with your immune system — the microorganisms train the immune system, and the immune system keeps your microbiome balanced.

That relationship, when functional, supports better health and improved skin function. When your gut is out of balance, conditions like inflammation, oxidative stress, acne, eczema, rosacea, and premature aging can result. In other words, taking care of your gut microbiome is a legitimate beauty treatment. Possibly, this is the step in your regimen that can improve the efficacy of your creams, serums, microneedling treatments, and everything else.

Let’s explore the steps you can take to improve the health of your gut microbiome and beautify your skin.  

Eat fermented foods

Yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, and kimchi are rich in probiotics, which help populate your gut with beneficial microbes. Regular consumption of fermented foods has been linked to increased microbial diversity — a good thing — and reduced inflammation in the body.

Eat fruits, vegetables, and fiber

You can also encourage microbial diversity by eating a broad range of plant-based foods. High-fiber foods like apples, pears, broccoli, carrots, and sweet potatoes can act as prebiotics which support many beneficial organisms in the gut.

Take a probiotic

Prebiotics work with probiotics to maintain or restore healthy gut function. Probiotics are beneficial live bacteria, and prebiotics are food for those bacteria.

If you don’t like to eat fermented foods, you can take a probiotic supplement instead. Probiotic strains from the strains from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium families are associated with good skin health.

You may have heard of people taking probiotics to lose weight or to address digestive issues like bloating and gas. Many probiotic supplements can deliver those benefits alongside improved immunity and skin appearance.

Avoid artificial sweeteners and processed foods

Research has shown that processed foods and artificial sweeteners can negatively affect the gut microbiome. Over-consumption of processed foods, for example, is associated with increased inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation, in turn, can lead to skin issues as well as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

Artificial sweeteners can be even more destructive. They have been linked to the growth of gut bacteria that store fat or lead to glucose intolerance.

Exercise

You had to know exercise would be on this list, right? Regular exercise works to improve gut health in several ways. It can enhance the diversity of the gut microbiome and promote the production of short-chain fatty acids that regulate blood sugar levels. Exercise also supports better waste processing in the digestive system plus improved circulation and oxygenation.

Meditate

Studies suggest regular meditation over time can positively influence the balance of the gut microbiota. Probably, this is because meditation helps lower stress, which in turn reduces inflammation and improves gut resilience.

Watch your antibiotic intake

Antibiotics can reduce beneficial bacteria in the gut and lead to an increase in other, less helpful organisms.

Please don’t take this to mean you should stop taking antibiotics. Definitely defer to your physician on that topic. Also ask your doctor if you should take probiotics after you’re done with the course of antibiotics.

Try topical probiotics

Your skin has its own microbiome and it, too, can easily become imbalanced. While treating your gut health has broader wellbeing implications alongside improved skin, you also have the option to treat your skin more directly.

Probiotic-infused skincare products seek to balance your skin’s innate ecosystem. Lysates or extracts of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus Thermophilus, Lactococcus, and Bacillus Coagulans within topical creams, serums, and cleansers can hydrate, smooth, exfoliate, and calm skin.

If you contend with skincare hurdles such as acne, parched skin, or a lackluster tone, topical probiotics might pave the way to soothing these concerns.

Glowing skin starts with a healthy gut