Do you strive to eat healthily and maintain a good skin care regime, yet for some unknown reason you just can't get rid of your acne?

About 85% of adolescents and young adults between the ages of 12 and 25 are affected by acne. Because this condition is especially common in Western countries, many believe that it's often caused by the average Western diet and its impact on the gut microbiome and overall health.

Indeed, ongoing research increasingly suggests a connection between poor gut health and poor skin health that many of us do not consider.

Your gut microbiome is made up of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microbes. A well-balanced gut microbiome is crucial to aiding digestion and supporting the immune system, and is a vital component of your overall health, including mental health. Thus an unbalanced microbiome can lead to many health issues including chronic constipation, hormonal imbalances, mood disorders, reduced immunity to viruses, and much more.

Your skin also has a microbiome, made up of bacteria and other microorganisms, and this microbiome is an extremely important part of skin health, including acting as a barrier against infections and environmental toxins and pollutants.

Just like the gut, it's important for your skin's microbiome to remain balanced and include a good amount of healthy bacteria. Using cleansers, toners, antibiotics, or other skin care products that are too harsh and kill off all bacteria in the skin, including those that are beneficial, will harm your skin microbiome.

Following a diet that supports the health of your gut microbiome can have a direct impact on both your gut and skin health. One such diet is the Ten Days to Optimal Health diet, which includes consuming good amounts of probiotic-rich foods and healthy fruits, proteins, and fats and avoiding processed foods and refined sugars.

Consuming foods that increase inflammation in the gut, such as alcohol, sugar, and artificial or processed foods, can cause systemic inflammation in your body, including in the skin....

There are some essential oils that are very beneficial for skin health and will not harm the skin's microbiome. Helichrysum is one I've especially seen great results with among my clients and would recommend....

▶︎ READ FULL ARTICLE

▶︎ Ten Days to Optimal Health Diet: Learn More

▶︎ How the Health of Your Microbiome Supports Your Overall Health

Labels: acne, bacteria, gut microbiome, gut-brain-skin axis, inflammation, skin microbiome, viruses