Heal Your Gut, Heal Your Skin: The Link Between Digestive Health and Acne, Eczema, and Psoriasis

Ever wonder why, despite a meticulous skincare routine, your skin still acts up? You’ve tried it all. The cleansers, the prescription creams, the endless cycle of treatments that promise clear, calm skin, only to leave you right back where you started. Acne, eczema, and psoriasis can feel relentless. Not to mention isolating, exhausting, and the not so subtle knocks to your confidence with each flare-up. But what if everything you thought you knew about skincare was only half the story? What if the key to the radiant skin you’ve been dreaming of isn’t in your bathroom cabinet? Maybe the true root of the issue lies deeper… within your gut?

A powerful and growing body of research shows an undeniable connection between your digestive system and the health of your skin. This intricate relationship is known as the gut-skin axis, the communication channel between your gut and your skin. If you're ready to move beyond surface-level fixes, it’s time to look at your gut & immune function.

What is the Gut-Skin Axis?

Think of the gut-skin axis as a constant, bustling conversation between the trillions of microbes living in your digestive tract and your body's largest organ, your skin. This isn't a one-way street; the communication flows in both directions, primarily through your immune system.

At the heart of this connection is your gut microbiome. A balanced, diverse microbiome is a cornerstone of overall health, including glowing skin. When this delicate ecosystem is in harmony, it sends calming, anti-inflammatory signals throughout your body, promoting healthy, resilient skin.

However, when this balance is thrown off, a state known as gut dysbiosis, the conversation changes. Harmful bacteria can begin to outnumber the beneficial ones, leading to a cascade of issues that can show up directly on your skin (both your face and body).

The Connection Between Leaky Gut and Skin Problems

One of the most common ways gut imbalances effect your skin is through increased intestinal permeability, or "leaky gut."

Your intestinal lining is an incredible barrier, designed to be selectively permeable. Meaning, it allows nutrients from your food to pass into your bloodstream while keeping out toxins, undigested food particles, and harmful microbes. This barrier is secured by tight junctions, which act like vigilant gatekeepers.

However, factors like chronic stress, a diet high in processed foods and sugar, gluten, certain medications (like antibiotics and NSAIDs), and gut dysbiosis can damage these tight junctions. This causes the barrier to become "leaky," allowing toxins, undigested food particles, and harmful microbes to pass through from the gut and enter your bloodstream.

Once in your bloodstream these foreign invaders are detected by the immune system, which then launches an immune response to attack them, sounding the alarm and in the process initiating an  inflammatory response. Overtime, this creates a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation throughout your entire body. This can show up in a lot of different ways, one of which for many, is through the skin (also the most visible manifestation for this internal war), manifesting as the flare-ups and irritation of acne, eczema, or psoriasis.

Your Skin on Fire: How Gut Issues Fuel Specific Conditions

Although systemic inflammation is the connecting factor, the way it manifests on your skin is as individual as you are. This bio-individuality — the principle that your genetics, lifestyle, and history create a unique biological blueprint — is the very reason the journey can feel so frustrating. This is why one things can work sometimes work well for someone else, but may not work the same for you, often making the journey to clear skin feel relentless. This is why our work is centered on you; each personal protocol we design is a direct response to your body's unique needs. But the journey doesn't have to feel so relentless. The real turning point comes when what is truly triggering your symptoms is pinpointed. By mapping out your symptoms alongside your dietary and lifestyle factors, you can take clear, targeted action on your root cause and begin to see and feel the difference.

Scroll down to go deeper into your particular skin concern, whether its acne, eczema or psoriasis:

Acne: More Than Just a Clogged Pore

If you’re battling persistent acne, you’ve likely been told it’s about hormones, oil production, and bacteria on your skin. While these are factors, the gut-skin axis is a critical piece to the puzzle.

• Gut Dysbiosis: Studies have shown that those with acne often have fewer beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium in thier microbiome, and less diversity.
• Inflammation: A leaky gut allows inflammatory molecules from the gut to travel through the bloodstream, triggering an immune response, and causing inflammation that drives acne.
• Dietary Triggers: The is a large, scientifically proven, link between diet and acne and it starts in the gut. High-glycemic foods (think sugar, bread, processed snacks) cause a rapid spike in blood sugar and insulin. This hormonal surge increases sebum (oil) production and inflammation. Similarly, dairy can trigger breakouts due to hormones and growth factors like IGF-1 that stimulate oil glands. Acne, in this light, can be seen as a metabolic issue with skin manifestations.
• Stress & Hormones: Ever notice a breakout during a stressful week? It’s not a coincidence. Chronic stress elevates cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone. This doesn't just up-regulate oil production in your skin, but also directly impacts your gut health.
  • High cortisol can weaken the intestinal barrier, increasing permeability and fuelling the inflammatory cycle.
  • The hormonal environment created by chronic stress is hostile to beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, causing their population to decline, and allowing opportunistic or "bad" bacteria to overgrow. This imbalance, known as dysbiosis, reduces the gut's ability to produce beneficial compounds crucial for reducing inflammation.
  • Stress diverts energy away from 'rest-and-digest' functions. This can slow down or speed up gut motility (causing constipation or diarrhea) and reduce the secretion of digestive enzymes, leading to poor nutrient absorption. Nutrients that are a key ingredient to that enviable glowy skin.

     

Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis): The Itch That Starts from Within

Eczema is fundamentally an immune-driven condition characterized by a compromised skin barrier and intense inflammation. The gut is a key coder in programming this immune response.

• An Unbalanced Microbiome: The gut microbiome’s role in eczema often starts in infancy. Research shows that babies who develop eczema may have a different gut bacteria composition, with fewer beneficial strains. More common among c-section and formula-fed babies. This early imbalance can set the stage for the immune dysregulation, think of it like creating a domino effect for the immune system. This chain reaction, often called the 'Atopic March,' typically starts with eczema in infancy, which can then paves the way for food allergies and sometimes even eventually asthma to develop as the child gets older. However, this gut-skin connection isn't limited to childhood. In adults, factors like chronic stress, a poor diet (sometimes even the seemingly cleanest diets can contain triggers), or a course of antibiotics can disrupt the gut microbiome. This imbalance can then become a primary driver for adult-onset eczema or cause flare-ups.
• Leaky Gut and Food Sensitivities: A compromised gut barrier allows potential allergens and inflammatory triggers from food to enter the bloodstream, setting off the immune reactions that lead to itchy, inflamed eczema flares.
• Nutrient Deficiencies: Because gut health is tied to nutrient absorption, people with eczema are often found to be deficient in skin-supporting nutrients like Vitamin D and Zinc, both of which are crucial for regulating the immune system and maintaining a healthy skin barrier.

Psoriasis: More Than Skin Deep (An Autoimmune Response)

Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy skin cells, causing them to multiply too rapidly.

• A Central Role for the Gut: It is common for individuals with psoriasis to have significant gut dysbiosis and increased intestinal permeability. The "leaky gut" allows bacterial toxins to enter the bloodstream, triggering the overactive T-cell immune response responsible for psoriatic patches (plaques). The inflammation is not just skin-deep; it's a systemic issue, which is why psoriasis is sometimes linked to other  seemingly unrelated conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and arthritis.
• Diet and Lifestyle Triggers: A diet high in inflammatory foods—like seed oils, gluten, dairy, sugar, processed fats, and alcohol—can fuel the fire of psoriasis. Infections, like strep throat, and chronic stress are also well-known triggers that can kick the immune system into overdrive, often through their impact on the gut.

How to Heal Your Gut and Reclaim Your Skin

Understanding the problem is the first step. The next is taking action. A functional medicine approach focuses on healing the skin from the inside out by addressing the root causes.

1. Start with an Anti-Inflammatory & Gut Friendly Diet

Food is one of the most powerful tools you have to calm inflammation and support gut health. Sometimes, even people with the seemingly cleanest diets can have sneaky foods in their diet they don't realise are causing inflammation. 

A Food-First Approach: Starve Inflammation, Fuel Your Gut: Food is one of the most powerful tools you have to support gut health and, in turn, calm the inflammatory immune response. However, this isn't about just eating more salad. Even people with seemingly "clean" diets can have sneaky foods that are quietly driving inflammation and affecting their skin.

• To truly calm internal inflammation, certain foods must be addressed. Potentially controversial, this isn’t about moderation; it’s about removing the fuel for the fire.
  • Sugar in All Its Forms: This is non-negotiable. Sugar and processed carbohydrates feed the harmful bacteria and yeast in your gut, leading to dysbiosis. This includes the obvious culprits like candy and soda, but also the "healthier" sugars like honey, maple syrup, dates, and coconut sugar, which can still fuel these unwanted microbes.
  • Gluten: It's time to be direct about gluten. Whether you have celiac disease or not, research shows that gluten's proteins (like gliadin) can trigger the release of zonulin in the gut, a molecule that increases intestinal permeability, or "leaky gut". This allows inflammatory particles to enter your bloodstream, making it a primary suspect in any inflammatory condition.
  • Seed Oils: These are highly inflammatory and hidden in countless foods (dressings, packaged snacks, pasta sauces, the list goes on). We're talking about oils like canola, soybean, sunflower, safflower, corn, and cottonseed oil. They are high in unstable Omega-6 fatty acids that directly promote inflammatory pathways in the body.

The strategy is a two-phase approach: first, we must strategically remove the primary offenders that feed "bad" gut bacteria and drive inflammation. Then, we can focus on rebuilding with nutrient-dense, value adding foods.

With the inflammatory triggers removed, you can now focus on rebuilding with foods that nourish your gut and calm your system.

• A Rainbow of Produce: Your goal should be variety. Eating a wide array of colourful vegetables and low-sugar fruits (think berries) feeds a diverse community of beneficial gut bacteria. Aim for 30+ different plant types a week to create a truly resilient microbiome.
• High-Quality Protein: Focus on sources that are raised with integrity. This means 100% grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, wild-caught fatty fish (like salmon and sardines), and pasture-raised eggs without the hormones and antibiotics. These provide clean building blocks for your body without the inflammatory baggage of conventionally raised meats.
• Healthy Fats: Replace inflammatory seed oils with healing fats. This includes avocados and avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, coconuts and coconut oil, and fats from well-sourced animal proteins. These fats are crucial for hormone production and reducing inflammation.

2. Rebalance Your Microbiome

This might not look how you'd assume it would... we're not talking about just adding in a generic probiotic or prebiotic-rich foods (this can actually make it worse sometimes!).

So why can that seemingly healthy advice backfire? It comes down to the current state of your gut. If you have an underlying issue like Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), where bacteria are overgrown in the wrong place, adding more bacteria (probiotics) or fuel for them (prebiotics) is like pouring gasoline on a fire. It can lead to more bloating, gas, and inflammation. Similarly, for those with histamine intolerance, certain probiotic strains can actually increase histamine levels, worsening itching and rashes.

A smarter, more effective approach is strategic. It’s about preparing the environment before you add in the good guys, and knowing which of the good guys you actually need more of.

• First, Clear Out the Weeds: Before you can plant a bed of flowers you have to remove the weeds. In the gut, this means addressing any underlying overgrowths of bacteria, yeast (like Candida), or other pathogens that are driving inflammation. It requires understanding what's specifically happening inside your gut. This is often the most crucial step and where a one-size-fits-all plan can fail, and can be the missing link to why you've tried adding in a prebiotic before but didn't see any improvements.
• Plant the Right Seeds: Once the "weeds" are cleared, you can start to reintroduce beneficial microbes. This should be done with precision:
  • Targeted Probiotics: Instead of a generic blend, the focus should be on specific probiotic strains that have been researched for your specific use. For example, repairing & strengthening the gut lining, reducing inflammation, and supporting the skin barrier.
• Feed and Maintain the New Ecosystem: Now that you've planted the seeds, you can provide the right nourishment to help them grow and thrive for the long term. This can be quite simple when you're eating the right diet it doesn't necessarily have to be something that is always on your mind. Sometimes it can be more about what you're stripping back then adding in, however, some beneficial things to incorporate are 
  • Prebiotic Fibre (slowly): Once any overgrowth is under control, slowly introduce prebiotic-rich foods that feed your good bacteria. These include asparagus, garlic, onions, leeks, green banana flour, and Jerusalem artichokes.
  • The single best way to maintain a diverse and resilient microbiome is to eat a wide variety of plant foods. Each plant feeds different types of beneficial bacteria. Aim to mixup your produce in different meals throughout the week to create a truly robust microbiome.
  • Polyphenols: These are powerful plant compounds found in berries, green tea, olive oil, and colourful vegetables. They act as antioxidants and are also excellent fuel for your beneficial gut microbes.

3. Use Targeted Supplements

Once again, this should be tailored to your unique skin concern and underlying root-cause. Any deficiencies that can impact your skin should be address, as well as incorporating supplements to help temporarily support the systems that need it while healing.

Some examples of skin supportive supplements include:

• L-Glutamine: Fuel for Your Gut Lining L-Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and serves as the primary fuel source for the cells that line your intestines (enterocytes). When the gut is inflamed or "leaky," these cells are damaged. Supplementing with L-glutamine provides them with the direct energy they need to repair and regenerate. This, in turn, supports your skin by reducing the amount of inflammatory triggers that can enter your bloodstream and contribute to flare-ups of acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
• Vitamin D: Crucial for immune regulation and skin barrier function. Often a vitamin most people are deficient in, therefore supplementation is often necessary.
• Zinc: This mineral is a powerhouse for skin health and possessing anti-inflammatory properties.

4. Master Your Stress

A calm (regulated) nervous system and calm skin go hand in hand.

Your Personalized Path to Lasting Skin Health

While these strategies provide a powerful foundation, your root-cause is personal. The specific triggers and imbalances driving gut issues & immune dysregulation, and therefore your skin concerns are unique to you. A one-size-fits-all approach can often fall short because it doesn't account for your individual biology, history, diet, and lifestyle.

Understanding your unique internal landscape is the key to creating a truly effective and lasting healing plan. This is where a more tailored strategy becomes essential. That's why we champion personalised root-health protocols, which are designed to identify your specific root causes and create a targeted roadmap to help you restore gut health and achieve the lasting, radiant skin you deserve.

Your Skin Is a Mirror

Your skin is more than just a surface; it's a mirror that reflects your internal health. The persistent flare-ups of acne, eczema, and psoriasis are not a life sentence. They are messages from your body telling you something is out of balance asking you to make changes to rebalance your internal environment.

The journey to clear skin isn't about finding the perfect topical solution; it's about understanding the constant conversation between your gut and your skin. You now have the framework to change that conversation. By focusing on internal balance, calming inflammation and addressing the unique root causes within your gut, you move beyond simply managing flare-ups. This inside-out approach isn't a temporary fix; it's the foundation for lasting radiant glowy skin health and a deeper connection to your body's overall health.