A Facialist's Notes On: The Gut-Skin Axis

I know, this is a skincare blog, so why, Emmaline, are you talking about my gut? What does my gut actually have to do with my face?

Most of us have probably heard of the gut skin axis by now and we're becoming much more aware that what we put into our bodies can have a pretty big impact on our skin. What I don't think we always realise is just how closely the two are connected.

Long story short... you can't out-serum poor gut health.

You can have the vitamin C, retinoid, peptides and every other fancy pants ingredient TikTok has convinced you that you need, but if some of what's going on with your skin is being influenced by your gut, there is only so much another serum is going to do.

If you're seemingly doing everything "right" and you're still struggling with breakouts, rosacea, pigmentation or inflammation, it might be worth looking a little further than just your skincare routine.

So what has my gut got to do with my skin?

Your gut does an enormous amount of work behind the scenes. It absorbs nutrients from your food, communicates with your immune system, influences inflammation and even plays a part in the way we metabolise hormones, including oestrogen.

One thing I found fascinating when I started learning more about this is that the intestinal barrier separating the contents of our gut from the rest of our body is only one cell thick.

ONE CELL! Considering everything travelling through there every day, it's no wonder so much of our immune system is associated with the gut. Plus one cell?? That surely must be so so delicate.

Then remember that your skin is influenced by all of these things too. It needs nutrients, it's affected by hormones and we know inflammation and immune activity can influence conditions such as acne and rosacea.

And this communication between the two is what we call the gut skin axis.

And yes, "leaky gut" is actually a thing

I know leaky gut sounds like one of those wellness phrases someone uses immediately before trying to sell you a very expensive detox powder, but increased intestinal permeability is a real thing.

Our gut barrier obviously needs to let certain things through so that we can absorb nutrients, but problems can occur when it becomes more permeable than it should be, allowing substances across the barrier that can potentially trigger immune and inflammatory responses. Something that we absolutely do not want!

Then we have dysbiosis, which basically means the 'ecosystem' of microorganisms living in our gut has become disrupted.

This gets particularly interesting with SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, because research has found an association between SIBO and rosacea. That doesn't mean everyone with rosacea has SIBO, so please don't diagnose yourself after reading this and disappear down a Google rabbit hole, but it does show us another possible connection between what's happening in our gut and what we see on our face.

What about our hormones?

Our gut microbiome also plays a role in oestrogen metabolism, which becomes particularly interesting when we're talking about women's skin because hormones can influence everything from breakouts to pigmentation.

Melasma, for example, has a strong hormonal component. Obviously UV, visible light and genetics are incredibly important too, but researchers are also investigating the relationship between the gut microbiome, hormone metabolism and pigmentation.

Suddenly your gut and your face don't seem quite so far apart, do they?

So what can we actually do about it?

Gut health is influenced by your diet, fibre intake, sleep, stress, exercise, alcohol, medications and lots of other things, which brings me straight back to my Tsui Life Pyramid and why I keep saying that we have to look at the bigger picture with our skin.

However, I've recently started using a supplement that I'm genuinely really excited about called Decoded GS1.

It isn't simply another collagen powder or probiotic. It has been formulated around the gut skin axis and contains lycopene, vitamin C, glutathione, grape seed extract and collagen, combining antioxidant and nutritional support with ingredients chosen to support the gut and skin.

I actually spoke to the founder of Decoded about GS1 because I wanted to understand the thinking behind it, and this is what made it so fascinating to me. Rather than focusing on one trendy ingredient, the formula has been designed to support several different pathways involved in gut and skin health.

I've spent years working on my own gut health, so finding something specifically formulated around the gut skin axis really caught my attention, and I'm fascinated to see where the research into this area goes over the next few years.

If you're interested in trying the GS-1 supplement, please click here to order with me.

So the next time your skin starts playing up, have a think about what else has been going on. How has your diet been? Have you been stressed? Has your digestion changed? Are your hormones all over the place? Have you been sleeping properly?

Sometimes you might need a different serum, but sometimes it just might be a clue that something else needs attention and you need to step back and look at the bigger picture.

Unfortunately, no matter how much I love a good serum, you can't out-serum poor gut health.

I hope you've found this useful and thank you so much for reading,

Emmaline