Am I suffering with ‘leaky skin?’

How to tell if your gut is driving your chronic skin issues.

Have you been experiencing flaking or sensitised skin?


Do you find your skin is easily irritated, dry and sensitive?

Perhaps you have heard your skin health has a large connection with your gut health, but have don’t have any obvious ‘gut symptoms?’

Well if this is you, or if you feel your skin conditions may be from an issue beyond skin deep, here is some support for you!

Often chronic and inflamed skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis have been labelled ‘leaky skin’, as they have been shown to have a strong connection to the health of the gut.
In particular, the health and quality of your gut lining has been shown to have a strong connection to the integrity of your skin microbiome.

Particularly a condition commonly known as ‘leaky gut’, or intestinal permeability. 

This refers to the quality of your gut lining.

If there are any ‘gaps’ or ‘leaks’ within the tight junctions of the gut, this can lead to food being leached out into the bloodstream, which leads to inflammation in the body.


This inflammation has been shown to have a strong connection to these inflammatory skin conditions, hence where the term ‘leaky skin’ comes from.

So, how can ‘leaky gut’ lead to flaking and sensitised skin?

Your gut is composed of your microbiome. The health of your gut microbiome has a large role in your skins health, as your skin too has its own microbiome. This connection between your gut health influences the skin and changes on the skin, including; the health and quality of your microbiome, as well as the quality and integrity of your gut lining.


Now interestingly; there has been an increase in research over the last few years about the connection and relationship between inflammatory skin conditions and gut permeability, hence where the term ‘leaky skin’ comes from.

Intestinal permeability is when there are gaps or ‘leaks’ in the gut lining, which leads to food particles being leached out into the blood stream. As food particles are not able to be broken down properly, this causes undigested foods to leach into the blood stream, further driving inflammation in the body.

As our gut health is so important for our skin health and integrity, if there is this inflammation internally, this is going to show up and exacserbate this inflammation showing up externally.
Particularly in chronic skin issues and conditions like intestinal permeability. This leads to food particles, which have not been able to break down properly, literally ‘leaching’ into the bloodstream, which can trigger many symptoms, and particularly skin issues.

So, how does ‘leaky gut’ impact my skin?

Inflammatory skin conditions are often due to the overproduction of the inflammation occurring internally, which shows up externally. This includes T cells, cytokines and interleukins, and a gene called flaggerin gene, which plays a vital role in skin hydration.

Now, these are normal cells that are produced when the body perceives it it is being invaded by a foreign pathogen, virus or bacteria. 
The issue is when there is an overproduction of these, or in the case of auto-immune conditions, this leads to ongoing inflammation in the body, which can drive these excessive skin issues like eczema, and dermatitis.

So, how can intestinal permeability can impact your skin:

Mutations in the flaggrin Gene (FLR).

Fillagrrin is part of the structural component of the skin, and is an essential part of maintaining the skins barrier function and hydration. 
However, if there is a mutation or deficiency in this gene; this can lead to an overproduction of inflammation and loss of hydration on the skin.
 This has also been shown to have a strong correlation with inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, dermatitis and psoriasis.

This increases trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) 

This causes an overproduction of T cells, interleukins and inflammatory cytokines. These are what our body sends out to signal when a foreign pathogen or invader is entering the body (like a virus, bacteria, or pathogen), which helps to fight off against this bacteria from entering the body.

However, the problem is when there is an overproduction of this gene, the body begins to perceive some of its own cells and tissues of the body as ‘foreign’, and sends out these cells, which creates an overproduction, or excess inflammation in the body, commonly driving these skin conditions .


Excess inflammation increases Cortisol

High cortisol also causes an increase in TEWL which reduces moisture in the skin.
 This excess inflammation in the body essentially increases stress in the body, and shifts the body into ‘flight or fight’ mode. This increases the bodies cortisol production. 
High cortisol can lead to sensitised skin conditions, as the skin begins to loose its moisture content, and looses it water in the skin, further contributing to this dry and inflamed skin.

Dysbiosis or low hydrochloric acid (HCL)
If we do not have a healthy gut microbiome, or if our gut is in a highly dysbiotic state (higher in inflammatory bacteria), this also impacts our skin microbiome.
Low HCL has also been shown to have an impact on our skins health, as this affects how well your food is able to be digested or absorbed.
If this process is not happening properly, this can also lead to nutritional deficiencies and contribute to chronic skin issues.

What are some tips to support these conditions?:



• Include key nutrients like Glutamine, Vitamin C and Zinc

  These are essential for supporting and repairing the cellular lining and lining of the gut.
  Vitamin C and Zinc also provide anti-oxidant properties, and work hand in hand to support cellular renewal and reduce this oxidative stress. 



• Include supportive foods like bone broth, slippery elm or psyllium husk

  These help support and maintain the quality and health of your gut lining, and provide beneficial support for the healing and repair of gut imbalances.
 Bone broth also naturally contains collagen which is vital to help rebuild and repair skin tissue and integrity.



• Avoid inflammatory foods
  
This include foods like packeted, processed foods, refined sugar, and refined flours, and for some diary and gluten products. 
Refined grains and flours like crisps, processed breads, and white breads are also inflammatory foods.
  These foods can further lead to inflammation in the body, which can worsen chronic skin issues. 
These also contain emulsifiers, additives and preservatives, all of which can further impede the gut lining and integrity. As these foods are already foreign to the body, and harder for the body to break down. Therefore, in a time of healing and supporting your gut integrity, it’s best to avoid these.

• Include antioxidants
  Focus on consuming foods that is going to be easier for the body to absorb and digest. Ideally you want to focus on broths, soups and slow cooked stews. 

Include drinks like miso, green tea, herbal teas, matcha lattes and turmeric latte.
  These provide antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory which will help support and repair the gut lining!

  

If you feel your gut may be driving your chronic skin issues, or if you are ready to get to the root cause of your skin issues, but are not sure where to begin, then I am here to help you!

  Simply head to skinnutriotionco.com.au for more information, or to book an appointment. Also, if you know a friend or family member who needs to here this, then please share this with them.
 My only hope is to help empower as many people as I can experiencing chronic skin issues, with the right knowledge and guidance to help them support thier skin, from the inside out, for good.

Thank you again, until next time.


Dominique

Skin Nutrition Co.
contact@skinnutritionco.com.au
www.skinnutritionco.com.au