What Your Skin Says About Your Gut Health

Just about everyone has worried about the condition of their skin at some point in their life. Whether it’s dry, cracked skin in winter or acne when you least want it, we’ve all grown used to worrying about a clear complexion.

And we all know the usual advice for achieving clear, healthy skin: avoid oily foods, wash and moisturize your face, and try not to touch your face too often with your hands.

But skin problems might reveal a lot more than a penchant for chocolate or the tendency to put your head in your hands when you’re stressed. The condition of your skin might be trying to tell you about problems with your gut health, too.

From dehydration to an imbalanced gut biome, your skin can tell you a lot about how well your digestive system is functioning. Once you learn to read these cues, you can start correcting the issues before they get worse.

You Might Be Dehydrated

You probably aren’t thinking about your water intake when you think about your gut health, but you should be.

Dehydration has a nasty impact on your gut health. From constipation to cramps, letting yourself run short on water can absolutely ruin your day. Fortunately, your skin should warn you before things get that bad.

We’ve all had dry skin days. Your lips feel chapped and they seem to dry out in seconds, no matter how often you lick them.

The skin across your brow and over your nose feels too tight and might even itch. And if you’re like me, you might even develop darker circles under your eyes where the skin is thinnest.

There is a difference between dry skin and dehydrated skin, of course. Telling the difference can help you take the proper steps to solve the problem. It’s important to know that the conditions are different since it is possible to have oily skin when you’re dehydrated and vice versa.

So if your skin feels tight, you might need to increase your water intake (or decrease your caffeine consumption a little). Dry skin might also look dull and will wrinkle if pinched slightly.

If this sounds like your skin, consider it an early warning for the negative impacts on your gut health if your dehydration gets worse!

Your Gut Bacteria Might Be Off

If you struggle with acne or discolored patches of skin, you’ve probably gone through most topical treatments. Some might have worked in the short term.

But if none of them worked in the long run, you might want to look deeper for the cause of your skin woes. You might specifically want to look at the health of your gut bacteria.

Your gut health affects a lot more than just how you digest your food. Your gut health is so important, in fact, that it may have a direct effect on your mood and mental health thanks to the Gut-Brain Axis. When an organ is linked that closely to your brain, it shouldn’t come as a shock that it can affect your skin as well.

And as you’ve probably heard on every talk show and in every magazine over the last few years, taking a probiotic is one of the best ways to promote a healthy gut. Probiotic supplements introduce beneficial bacteria strains into your digestive system to help those already growing there.

Of course, you have to make sure you’re getting the right strains of bacteria, otherwise they won’t do much.

Healing your gut health is about more than clearing up your skin. But if you have skin problems because of your gut health, then keeping an eye on your topical symptoms will help you determine whether the probiotics are working.

If one supplement doesn’t seem to work, try another, as each product is a little different. Ultimately, however, you should end up with clearer skin and a healthier gut!

Modern Eating Habits Don’t Help

It probably seems like you hear about gut health everywhere these days. Though some of that is hype, there is actually a good reason that people are more concerned with their gut health.

Modern gut bacteria is not as healthy as it used to be.

People today are exposed to more chemicals in our homes, our air, and our water. All of these have their own effects, and many of them contribute in some small way to weight gain.

One of the biggest impacts, apparently, is to our gut health. And one of the most direct culprits is the huge amount of sugar hidden in our food.

So while some dermatologists might recommend cutting down on oily foods to correct skin issues, you might also want to take a look at the way your diet is affecting your gut health. Cutting most added sugars from your diet and adding in some probiotics might ultimately do more to even out your gut health and clear up your skin than skipping healthy fats like those found in fish, nuts, or olive oil.

How to Help Your Skin & Your Gut Health

If you’re having trouble with your skin and think it might be related to problems with your gut health, there are a few things you can do. The most intense option is to seek out the help of a dermatologist that will check the quality of your gut biome.

You may have to call around before you find one, and you may have to travel a bit to reach them. But the effort will be worth it to get your gut health and skin quality where you want them to be.

Of course, not everyone has access to such a dermatologist for a number of reasons. If you find yourself in this situation, there are still steps you can take.

The easiest is to read the resources mentioned above to determine the difference between dry and dehydrated skin. If you find that you’re dehydrated, increasing your water intake should help solve several issues.

Once your water intake is where it should be, you can turn your attention to the quality of your gut biome. There are currently no accurate at-home tests that you can use. Until one exists, your next best choice is to adjust your diet to maximize healthy bacteria in your gut.

This means reducing the amount of processed and sugary foods in your diet, while increasing your intake of probiotics. You can do this through supplements or fermented foods, as both will get you a variety of strains so you get the results you want.

The Takeaway

Your skin is the largest organ you have. You might not always think of it that way since it is, well, skin.

But it is an organ, and just as with any organ, it is a good measure of your overall health. Flare ups, dry skin, tight skin—all of it could be a sign that something that something is going on in your gut.

Once you figure that out, it’s just a matter of finding the diet and hydration levels that work for you.