What is really at the root of your skin issues.. the skin/gut connection.

It is a common misconception that skin issues like adult acne are hormone issues that may have you running first to the gynecologist to get your hormones tested and when that

leads you nowhere, to the dermatologist for a cream that seems to work a little bit, for a bit, and then does nothing. While hormonal imbalances (like high testosterone or low

estrogen or poor hormone detox/clearance) can cause physical changes to the skin, it is usually untreated gut issues that drive those hormonal imbalances making the gut the root

cause of many stubborn adult skin conditions.

The gut contains roughly 70% of the body's immune system and trillions of bacteria that regulate inflammation and hormone metabolism. When the gut is in a state of dysbiosis (an imbalance of good and bad bacteria), an overgrowth of bad bacteria, yeast or funghus is present, or you have "leaky gut”/intestinal permeability (where a damaged, weakened, or "leaky" gut lining allows undigested food particles, toxins, and bacteria to pass through the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream, potentially triggering inflammation and immune responses. ) this may be triggering your skin issues. These gut issues left untreated can lead to systemic inflammation which shows up on, you guessed it, your skin.

The good news is.. it can be treated. Yay! And not with a fancy cream or a birth control pill. You can see what is going on in your gut by getting a GI MAP test done and treat what you see. I do that! It tests most of the bacterial, fungal and parasite overgrowths I talk about below as well as leaky gut and gut immunity markers (in addition to a lot of other cool things).

Read on to shed a little light into WHY your pesky acne, flushing and irritation, and even psoriasis and eczema are causing you such havoc. And how they are usually treated.

First of all, as a nutritionist I have to say that healthy looking skin is an inside job. Eating a whole food, nutrient-dense diet rich in fibers, proteins and healthy fats, staying hydrated, limiting or eliminating sugar and balancing your blood sugars, limiting or cutting out processed food and alcohol is '#1. So do not pass GO, do not collect $200 if you don’t yet have those habits dialed in yet. Assuming you do, let’s dig in.

Acne. You thought those days ended at 17, but no, here they are again. If you are an adult male or female, it’s worth your time to look at what may be going on inside. Acne is often associated with poor microbial diversity and usually an overgrowth of inflammatory bacteria. I usually see high levels of Candida (a yeast) overgrowing, and often high levels of Staph and Strep. Sometimes I see all 3 and more on one person. Often these folks have low beneficial bateria too (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium). These beneficials help regulate inflammation, blood sugar, and hormone metabolism so when they are low our inflammation runs high, blood sugar system wacky and our hormone cycles can also be more symptomatic. These together create a perfect storm to contribute to adult acne.

Inflammation/redness/flushing. I have been seeing a lot of this these days. I often see it getting worse with exercise. So as a yoga teacher too, I can identify in students in class. (Don’t shoot the messenger). Often this comes with food sensitivities (most commonly high histamine foods) that people are often unaware they have. Histamine is a naturally occurring chemical messenger in the body that is not a bad thing, but certain bodies can’t properly break it down and their bodies mount a severe immune system/mast cell response in trying to do so. In addition to food sensitivities, there are also often overgrowths present. SIBO (an overgrowth in the small intestine rather than large) is common, as is an overgrowth of the histamine-producing bacteria like Morganella, Klebsiella and E. coli. SIBO can be detected on a breath test (I order and interpret them) and the others are shown on GI MAP I run

Psoriasis. Psoriasis is linked to the guts´ immune and barrier system. So I often see leaky gut and low gut immunity (Secretory IGA) in their GI MAP. I can also see low Faecalibacterium prausnitzii - which is a bacteria that produces butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid critical for calming inflammation and maintaining the integrity of your gut barrier. SIBO, Staph and Strep, Firmicutes, Faecalibacterium and E. Coli are also often found in those suffering from Psoriasis.

Eczema. Eczema is frequently associated with gut barrier dysfunction and allergic-type immune responses. It often comes with an overgrowth of specific pro-inflammatory bacteria, fungi, and parasites, along with low beneficial bacteria that maintain the gut lining. It also often has a leaky gut component to it. I have seen Staph, Clostridioides difficile(C Dif), and E. coli. overgrowths. Also often very low beneficial species like Akkermansia (one of our most important ones!!) and low Bifidobacterium (one of the major classes of good bacteria).

Now what do I do? How do I treat it? You really shouldn’t treat your gut on your own. There are no two people who are the same and react the same to the exact protocol, but normally I start out first with the nutrition fundamentals (see above) first. Then I order and interpret clients GI MAP and/or SIBO test depending on their symptoms. Treatment involves first addressing the terrain that created the gut imbalance to begin with which can look like increasing food diversity and fibers, supplementing with stomach acid and digestive enzymes AND THEN treating what I see on the labs, normally with herbal antibiotics followed by pre and probiotics. I would say most of the time I work with people 4-6 months on gut issues. On the longer side if they have hormonal issues as well since they often go hand-in-hand.

I hope this was an interesting, and not too nerdy, read. Feel free to reach out or forward this to anyone you think may benefit from this and from working with me.