The Promise of Probiotics for Clear Skin

Clear Skin: It Starts in the Gut with Probiotics

If you speak with any knowledgeable nutritionist, then she’d tell you that probiotics help a great deal with overall digestive health. This might not be immediately obvious to you; but the actions they perform in your digestive tract translate to clear skin – as well as treat a host of other skin conditions. Some of the top beauty companies employ probiotic acidophilus such as lactobacillus in their dermatological products.

The Scope of Probiotics

So what can probiotics do to help you obtain clear skin? The range of applications runs the gamut; from wrinkles to treatment for acne and even eczema. You can find many of the relevant bacteria in these kinds of substances and foods:

• Yogurt has lactobacillus acidophilus
• Kimchi possess lactic acid bacteria
• Kombucha imparts the complex gluconacetobacter xylinus, which has yeast-combating properties

There are shake-powders such as Hyperbiotics Pro-15; a name-brand product. Other brands of shake powder such as Frank Lipman’s Be Well Probiotic – search for brands within your price range; there are plenty.

In the following, you’ll see some of the more specific benefits that probiotic nutrition has for helping you obtain clear skin.

Anti-Aging Benefits

There have been Japanese studies using a lactobacillus plantarum supplement to greatly reduce the appearance of wrinkles on the skin. In fact, the supplement, over a span of about four months, added a healthy sheen to the skin, and restored it's to youthful elasticity. It works for very dry skin, and especially well for the removal of the deep wrinkles that plague aging skin.

Skin Disorders Such as Rosacea & Acne

The results are real; even the American Academy of Dermatologists stand by the benefits seen in both formal and informal studies/observations. In Korea, a trial run of 56 acne sufferers consumed a lactobacillus-fermented dairy drink, and found that their body’s over-production of oil decreased, and the number of acne lesions were reduced.

Similarly, in Italy, another study involving both rosacea and acne patients imbibed an oral probiotic to experience increased clarity of skin when compared to patients who hadn’t taken the probiotic supplement. In particular, the supplement seems to work very well in conjunction with regular, prescribed acne treatments in so-called combination therapy, as witnessed by dermatologist Whitney P. Bowe at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York’s Mt. Sinai Medical Center.

In sum, probiotics seem to work – but restrict your usage of them to healthy foods and beware that products containing it aren’t yet regulated by the Food & Drug Administration. Perhaps soon in the future, you’ll see some useful topical medications – but you don’t have to wait for them when there’s kimchi and kombucha around.