Balancing Intestinal Health May Ease Rosacea

The American Academy of Dermatology has been questioning the link between gut health and rosacea for years. There is research being done on the effectiveness of probiotics to help reduce the symptoms of Rosacea. So far, there are few verifiable studies, but there's been a lot of talk among people in online rosacea groups about adding probiotics to the diet or skin care regimen.

It's long been a belief that your gut health is essential to proper function of your overall health. Having high numbers of beneficial bacteria in your intestines proves helpful in digestion, of course, but also in things like proper growth. Some researchers are even finding a possible link between higher counts of e coli bacteria and colon cancer.

The Belief

Every person's skin has mites, bacteria, and other things living on the surface. With some people, the body's immune system sees them as invaders, and an inflammatory response occurs. This can lead to the redness and puffiness that people with rosacea experience. With products containing probiotics, it adds a shield between the skin and things like mites and airborne allergens and bacteria. Probiotics can also help reduce the inflammatory response sent by the body.

Some of the Studies

Italy performed a study using oral probiotics that were paired with the rosacea patient's regular prescription for rosacea. The patients given the probiotic had clearer skin than the patients who were given a placebo.

Move to Korea where Korean specialists did a study of rosacea patients and found that about 5 out of 10 were helped by drinking a yogurt drink each day for 12 weeks. Not only did the formation of pustules reduce, but the oily skin some rosacea patients experienced also lessened.

What to Try

So far, results tend to be mixed. Probiotics taken orally are working for some people in an online rosacea group, but others are having less success. Researchers feel there is no issue giving it a shot to see if it works for you. One dermatologist has patients applying thing layers of yogurt to their skin to see if the probiotics in yogurt will be successful.