The gut and microbiome support the healthy functioning of the rest of our body ’ facilitating absorption of nutrients from food, regulating our immune system, processing and excreting toxins and signalling to the rest of the body to maintain homeostasis.
The microbiome (that is, the 100 trillion organisms living on our skin and in our gut) is comprised of many species of microorganisms ’ mainly bacteria with some ’good’ and some ’bad’. In an ideal world, our microbiome lives together in harmony and balance to support our overall health and wellbeing.
The unhealthy gut and dysbiosis
Lifestyle factors such as a poor diet, lack of sleep, chronic stress, drugs, alcohol and certain medications can disrupt the delicate balance of the microbiome.
An imbalance in the microbiome - or ’dysbiosis’ - and poor gut health can lead to chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, suboptimal nutrient absorption and poor waste excretion.
These can have wide ranging effects throughout the body, including on our skin - and an unhappy gut on the inside often reveals itself as unhappy skin on the outside.
The impact of dysbiosis on skin health
Systemic inflammation, sub-optimal nutrition, increased circulating toxins and oxidative stress can all impact on skin, both directly and indirectly. This leads to:
· ™ skin sensitivity and inflammatory skin conditions
· ™ acne, blemishes and breakouts
· ™ premature skin ageing
· ™ skin dehydration
· ™ poor wound healing
Poor gut health is also linked to many chronic skin diseases like eczema and psoriasis, and may even lead to premature ageing.
Healthy vibrant skin needs a healthy balanced gut
While the gut-skin connection is extremely complex, we do have the power to help our body maintain its delicate balance. The Ultimate - Complete Skin Food Elixir™ provides your daily dose of pre and probiotics, nourishing plant-based nutrients and collagen, supporting good gut health and healthy populations of good bacteria in your microbiome. By nourishing and nurturing our gut and microbiome we ensure our gut-skin connection functions optimally, and our skin receives all the essential nutrients it needs to thrive.
Shop Optima right here.
