A quick beginner's guide on probiotics for your skin health, because who even knows where to start.

Skin care is a difficult concept to nail.    

With a market overflowing with products and new trends every week, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and not know where to start.

I am very into my skincare, like, REALLY into my skincare. So take it from me when I say that less is more. A lot of the time, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. 

And I’m not necessarily talking about what you eat. 

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I know we’ve all had that moment after a block of chocolate where we just knew that our skin was going to break out, but the evidence shows that there is no link between chocolate and acne. 

There is, however, a link between hormones and acne, stress and acne and even gut health and acne. Acne and skin health in general. 

So eat that chocolate if you feel like it and have a look at the other reasons why your skin might be breaking out. 

Now let’s talk gut health and skin health.

Listen to You Beauty, the daily podcast for your face. Post continues below. 

FYI: Your body is full of bacteria (I know that sounds a bit icky, but stay with me, it's a good thing). Most of the bacteria in your body isn’t the type that makes you sick, it’s ‘good bacteria’. 

These bacteria are normally found in the nose, throat, vagina and digestive tract. They not only help with digestion but also help to fend off foreign bacteria.

Most people live their day-to-day life unaware of all the great things that your naturally occurring good bacteria does for you, until they’re off balance. 

Experiencing an imbalance of good bacteria in the body happens reasonably often for a lot of people. Like if you’re sick, stressed or on certain medications (if you know, you know).

“But what does all of this have to do with my skin?” I hear you shout. 

Okay so here’s what happens:

Your skin can reflect what's going on inside your gastrointestinal tract through the gut-skin axis.

The gut-skin axis is the connection between your gut and skin, which is facilitated by your immune system. Fancy!

So basically, your skin issues can sometimes be an indicator of an imbalance happening in your gut.

So how can we support this axis? Well, it's always the right way to go with a multi-faceted approach. Look at your lifestyle factors like any stress you're experiencing, and your exercise levels too – plus, pay particular attention to your diet too. 

And I've got one word for you: prebiotics.

Prebiotics are a type of fibre that we eat. They are also important in maintaining your gut health because they feed the good bacteria that lives there. 

However, they’re found in food (like bananas and asparagus) and exit the body once digested. They don’t live here. 

On the other hand, some foods (like yoghurt) have in them live beneficial bacteria which can integrate themselves into your gut ecosystem.

If you're looking to top up your intake of beneficial bacteria, they also come as supplements called probiotics, and can come in a couple of forms, like capsules, powders and drinks.

I prefer capsules or powders myself because you can just swallow the capsule and forget about it, or you can take the powder and create your own adventure by adding it to drinks, smoothies or food. 

When you swallow your probiotic the good bacteria knows what to do: support the beneficial bacteria already in your gut.

So when your gut microbes are happier, it can have a hugely positive influence on your skin.

Mine isn't doing so bad lately! Image: Supplied.

In fact taking a daily probiotic has a variety of benefits including: supporting nutrient digestion, digestive system health, immune system function and helping to restore beneficial flora.

So where do you get your probiotics? 

There's one brand I particularly like, Life-Space, and they take quality really seriously, and ultimately work to support your gut health and your skin health. 

You should be just as selective about the probiotics that you put into your body as you are with the products that you put on your face. They work hand in hand.

Just like skin care products and the fact that it’s essential that you pick the products that are right for you and your skin type, you need to pick the probiotic mix that’s right for your needs. 

I hit up the Life-Space website to do some research and make life easier for probiotic newbies and I’m happy to report they've made choosing the probiotic to support your skin nice and easy, as each probiotic targets their own focus area.

A win for people like me who often get a bit overwhelmed by too many choices. 

So let’s break down the three easy products: glow, rebalance and renew. I bet you already know which one you want, purely based on the name. 

Image: Supplied.

Probiotics+ Skin Glow

Probiotics+ Skin Glow is formulated to maintain and support collagen formation, support digestive system health and maintain skin elasticity and healing. 

It's also made to assist in the production of connective tissue which plays so many important roles in your body. 

It’s a tropical flavoured powder (so we can pretend we're sipping in Hawaii, which is what I've been doing), so you just mix and go, which is great for people who are super busy (show me a millennial woman that’s not).

Probiotics+ Skin Renew

Probiotics+ Skin Renew is made to help restore good bacteria in your digestive tract, help with the assimilation of nutrients, and support the formation of collagen. This all leads to helping you maintain the health of your skin!

This one is also a powder and is raspberry flavoured so that’s a win.

Probiotics+ Skin Rebalance

This one not only helps with collagen production but also helps reduce the occurrence of acne symptoms, and the appearance of congested pores and blackheads. Probiotics+ Skin Rebalance does just that while supporting your skin to heal as well as your body's immune system function. Best of all, it’s a capsule. 

There’s a lot to digest here (pun intended) but I'm hoping the key thing that sticks is that skin health is ABSOLUTELY more than just about what you put on your face.

Image: Supplied.

So next time your skin is breaking out, don’t beat yourself up, check in with yourself. Are you sick? Are you stressed? Is there maybe something going on inside? And always remember that no matter the reason, there is support out there that can help. 

Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. Supplements should not replace a balanced diet. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional.

Feature Image: Instagram/@laceyjadechristie