Our diet is the most important influence on our overall health, by providing us with, not just the nutrients we need but also by its impact on the bacteria (microbiome) living in our digestive system and on our skin. Scientists have known for decades about the gut-brain axis, but new science now shows gut-brain-skin axis. As the father of medicine once said, “All diseases begins in the gut” and that because 70-80% of our immune defense system sits in our gut, when there is a disruption in the gut immune system everything else in our body including the functioning of our largest organ, the skin could be disrupted as well.
Is the source of your inflammatory skin conditions like acne, rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema caused by an Unhealthy Gut?
Having an unhealthy gut has a huge impact on our health and especially on how our skin appear. A bad gut encourages systemic inflammation that can manifest as eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, acne, xerosis- abnormally dry skin, etc. That is because the trillions of gut bacteria and microorganisms maintain homeostasis or a healthy balance throughout the body, and any imbalance between the harmless good bacteria and bad bacteria affects other organs, especially the skin. If we experience any issues with our gut, like inflammation, leaky gut, or digestion problems, our skin is usually the first place we notice problems. Most people with skin issues also have bloating, cramping, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, and even blood in the stools.
What you Eat determines what Bacteria you grow inside of you
Several lines of evidence have shown a connection between gut problems and skin disorders. A recent study found that those with rosacea were 10x more likely to have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) compared to those without rosacea and that eradication of the SIBO resulted in almost complete regression (elimination) of this common skin disorder/condition.
Similar findings have been found in those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); 15 to 20% of people with ulcerative colitis and up to 25 to 30% of those with Crohn’s will also have skin conditions. A 2012 study demonstrated this unique connection between the skin and gut when a drug used to treat the skin disease psoriasis resulted in less disease activity in Crohn’s patients, a.k.a. improved their Crohn’s disease.
The gut-skin connection doesn’t have to be explained to anyone with celiac disease; the skin condition dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is very common and the better-controlled celiac disease is, the greater the improvement with DH.
What we eat is not just nutrition for us, but also for the trillions of bacteria in our bodies. Hence, the type of food we eat is also very important. Eating lots of plant-based foods, with lots of fiber feed, the healthy good bacteria, while processed foods either suppress the good bacteria or increase the bad ones. Eating fermented foods or taking probiotics/prebiotics helps.
Compounded Creams offer Great Alternatives to Expensive Ineffective Skin Creams
At Towne Lake Family Pharmacy, our compounded Topical creams has given relief to many people with debilitating skin conditions. That is because, we use special proprietary cream bases. One of the cream base we use is called Xematop. It works by nourishing the lipids within the skin’s structural integrity and helps restore the skin’s barrier and prevent water loss. It may also improve the appearance of red and irritated skin by using the power of its natural ingredients of boswellic and avenanthramides from oats. This one of a kind cream is designed specifically for the treatment of Psoriasis, eczema and xerosis (extremely dry skin). We also have another special base, designed specifically for acne and rosacea called Clarifying Base. This base targets the bacteria P. acne, that infects plugged follicles that infects plugged follicles that form papules, pustules, and cyst in patients with acne. It is great for rosacea skin irritations as well, by working to improve the appearance of red, blotchy skin and reduce the chance of irritation because of its phospholipid emulsifiers that mimic skin lipids. It works to improve the appearance of red, blotchy skin and reduce the chance of irritation because of its phospholipid emulsifiers that mimic skin lipids.
These creams can be purchased over the counter from us. We work with dermatologists who prescribe them and add active pharmaceutical agents to the creams to make them even stronger, for difficult to treat inflammatory acne lesions.
Improving your Skin Health Ultimately depends on your Good Gut Health
Considering how intimately the gut-skin (and brain) are connected, good skin and great complexion can be achieved by an integrative and holistic approach. As your largest organ, the skin needs as much tender care as any other body part. While eating nutritious foods is important, it’s not what you eat, but rather what you absorb that’s important when it comes to skin and overall health. Ensure you are getting enough skin supporting nutrients like vitamins A,C,E,E,K2, B3,B5, along with the minerals selenium, Zinc, silica and sulfur and omega-3 fatty acids are essential for skin health.
Give us a call with any questions about treatment options for any skin condition you or your loved ones have and Julius, our Skin Specialist Compounding Pharmacist, will have answers for you.
REFERENCES: 1 Hilton, L. (2015, May 1). Take your medicine: strategies for patient compliance. Dermatology Times. Retrieved from http://dermatologytimes.
modernmedicine.com/dermatology-times/news/many-acne-patients-do- not-get-all-their-meds
2 Sharquie, K., Al-Hamamy, H., Noaimi, A., & Tahir, A. (2012). Treatment of acne vulgaris with 5-alpha avocuta cream 2% in comparison with tretinion cream 0.025% (single blind comparative study). Journal of Cosmetics, Dermatological Sciences and Applications, 2(3), 179-183.
doi:10.4236/jcdsa.2012.23034
3 Taieb, A., Khemis, A., Ruzicka, T., Barańska-Rybak, W., Berth-Jones, J.,Schauber, J., . . . Ivermectin Phase III Study Group. (2015, December 21).
Maintenance of remission following successful treatment of papulopustular rosacea with ivermectin 1% cream vs. metronidazole 0.75% cream: 36- week extension of the ATTRACT randomized study. Journal of the European