The Surprising Link Between Your Gut and Your Skin: An Expert Explains

I bet a lot of us don’t think about our gut on a daily basis… that is, until something feels off.

However,  there really has been an explosion of research into the field of gut health over the last decade and now gut health has been linked to so many different aspects of our health, from our immune system, to our mind, and yes - even our skin.

Meaning if skin health is a goal, gut health is a topic worth noting.

You see, when our gut microbiome is balanced it plays a crucial role regulating inflammation and ensuring our immune system stays healthy, but when the balance between good and bad bacteria is disrupted it can lead to a whole range of issues; and for some people these can affect our skin. How?

Well, let’s dive into the wild world of gut-skin connections and chat through how our digestive health can impact our face. 

Firstly, the gut-skin axis highlights the connection between your gut health and skin conditions, where imbalances in gut bacteria might be influencing skin concerns like: acne, rosacea/psoriasis.

Additionally, more and more studies are finding where there’s gut inflammation, there’s skin inflammation which can directly manifest in the skin as irritation, rashes, breakouts and redness. (However, these concerns may also pop up from the use of incorrect topical products so it’s always best to chat to a professional to decipher what’s going on.)

Moral: the balance between good and bad bacteria in the gut is essential to our overall health. 

Good bacteria helps to digest food and absorb nutrients, they make beneficial anti-inflammatory compounds called short chain fatty acids (SCFA’s) and they regulate the immune system to reduce inflammation.

While too much bad bacteria can have adverse effects and contribute to inflammation. 

So what can we do? Well, the most effective thing we can do to ensure our gut health is on point is to make tweaks to our diet. Good bacteria needs food to thrive and what do they love? 

Fibre. Fibre. Fibre. 

Meaning we need to up our intake of:

Fun fact: we now know way more about gut health than we ever have, but science is continually evolving. A few key things to note for different skin concerns below. 

We all know the driving force behind acne is increased sebum, blocked pores and inflammation, but  there is research that indicates that some people with acne can also experience imbalance in their gut microbiome and it’s believed that the inflammation caused by the gut microbiome imbalance may contribute to acne. 

Studies have also been done on people who have lived to an advanced age that have shown that they have greater microbe diversity which I personally find really interesting. And while we don’t know if this means good gut health may help us physically look our best - but it will help us feel our best. 

Fun fact, rosacea was one of the first skin conditions linked to gut health, with research indicating that an overgrowth of helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) can be more common in people who have rosacea and more recently, SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). All of which can cause irritating  symptoms/inflammation which then contribute to skin flushing. Also research into psoriasis is still in its baby phase but it’s suggested that people with psoriasis may have less diverse gut bacteria.

As a Nutritionist, I am a food comes first type of gal. Always. Supplements can then be a fun addition to your every day, kind of like a cherry on top, and it’s always best to chat through deficiencies with your doctor. However, a few that could be an easy addition to your every day below.

WelleCo The Super Elixir Refill Jar - Blood Orange 300g - The Super Elixir contains 40+ naturally derived ingredients, including wholefoods, herbal extracts, vitamins, minerals and probiotics and the blood orange flavour actually makes it quite palatable. Yes, even straight with water. Trust me!

The Beauty Chef Glow Inner Beauty Essential 150g- Using a wide range of antioxidants, polyphenols and phytonutrients,  this is a cult powder designed to feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Also tastes like berries and is very easy to throw into a smoothie. 

JSHEALTH Detox + Debloat - 60 Tablets - Formulated with Turmeric, Milk Thistle and Fennel, these are really easy to take to help ease discomfort from bloating when you might feel like your tummy is playing up

Avene Cicalfate+ Skin Repair Serum 30ml - If you are dealing with inflammatory skin, a soothing serum in your routine is also a must. This one has been clinically tested to restore the skin’s barrier and soothe skin when it’s feeling angry.

Avene Redness Expert Soothing Moisturising Concentrate 30ml - this is a new light, fragrance free concentrated cream designed to reduce the look of redness, (apparently also  a Lindsay Lohan favourite!) 


Cosmedix Clarify Salicylic Acid Foaming Cleanser - an acne skin’s favourite! This is a gentle salicylic acid based cleanser, lightly foams doesn’t strip - just remember not to do it when treating acne. You need to know where all your actives are in your routine.