In many cases, acne can be at least partially traced back to problems in the gut, and taking probiotics to treat acne may be one of the most important things you can do.
You body is made up of hundreds of trillions of bacteria. Most of us think of bacteria as a bad thing, but your body (and particularly your gut) is also made up of good bacteria which is absolutely essential to your health and wellbeing.
The good bacteria in your gut help you digest your food and absorb nutrients, boost your immune system, and eat up bad bacteria. They also help you to avoid digestive issues like diarrhea, constipation, IBS, lactose intolerance, and leaky gut.
When your gut is in balance, the good bacteria should outnumber the bad guys about 5 to 1, but when this is not the case, the bad bacteria can cause a host of gut issues – and since our body is holistic, the issues can stem out from there to the rest of the body and wreak havoc.
The skin is particularly linked to the gut and a poor bacterial balance can heavily promote inflammation in the skin. For a lot of people with acne, fixing up this ratio in the gut can go a HUGE way to clearing your skin.
Plus it will mean you can absorb and utilize your food much better, and make your body stronger overall – which means you can get away with “abusing” it a lot more (indulging in unhealthy foods, skipping nights of sleep, etc) without causing break outs.
Why Does The Good Bacteria in the Gut Get Outnumbered?
All sorts of reasons including use of birth control pills, inheritance at birth, consistently unhealthy & sugary food choices – but the big one is is use of antibiotics.
Antibiotics wipe out all bacteria good and bad, and give a perfect opportunity for the bad bacteria to overgrow and outnumber the good guys. The longer you take them and more powerful the antibiotic, the more damage is done.
This is, of course, unfortunate since most of us have used antibiotics at some point in our lives. And many of us have been prescribed antibiotics for acne, which often makes the acne worse in the long run since it damages the gut.
Just so you know – if you ever need to take antibiotics, always make sure you are taking a high potency probiotic during and after the course in order to prevent damage!
So How Do We Fix It?
Fixing gut problems can be complicated, but the core of it is adding more good bacteria to your gut so that they will eventually outnumber the baddies again.
You can just start taking the good bacteria on its own and it should definitely help – but you may also, for a period, try to kill some of the bad guys while adding good bacteria in order to speed this process up and make space for the good bacterial colonies to form and flourish. If you want help with this, check out my candida cleanse program.
Either way – you can add good bacteria to your gut by taking probiotics – which means either a supplement or a food that contains live, beneficial bacteria. Or both. The more the merrier.
Fermented foods are things like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kombucha, amongst others. Commercial versions of these foods usually contain little to no live beneficial bacteria, and if you’re going to use them as a therapeutic tool to fix up your guts, you should make your own.
Over the years, I’ve made several tutorials on making different probiotic foods. Check out my tutorials on kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented condiments, and beet kvass.
The less time consuming, albeit more expensive method, is to take probiotic supplements, which is what the rest of the article is about!
What to Look For In a Probiotic Supplement
There are almost as many probiotic supplements on the market as there are bacteria in your body! And not all probiotics are created equal. It can get very confusing, to say the least.
So what should you look for?
1. The Bacterial Count
Probiotic supplements always state the amount of CFUs the product contains (which means colony-forming-unit). For every day use, you want to be taking at least the equivalent of 10 to 20 billion CFUs per day. You may choose to take more as a therapeutic dose at the beginning of treatment.
2. The Type of Bacteria Contained in the Supplement
There are tons of different types of beneficial bacteria in your gut, and in probiotic supplements as well.
Probiotic bacteria are classified by their genus (e.g. bifidobacterium), their species (e.g. longum), and strain (e.g. HA-135). Each different type, right down to the strain, can have very different functions and effects on the body.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to take a diverse range of bacteria in your probiotics. You don’t want to put all your eggs in one bacterial basket.
For every day health and well being, you want to look for a probiotic that, at the minimum, contains a variety of these common and well researched types of bacteria:
- Lactobacillus (L.) — often found in probiotics in the form of L. acidophilus, L. casei, L. bulgaricus, L. fermentum, L. thermophilus, etc.
- Bifidobacterium (B.) — often found in probiotics in the form of B. longum, B. bifidum, B. infantis, B. animalis, etc.
If you have a specific digestive issue like IBS or chronic yeast infections, you might find that your doctor or naturopath suggests a very specific strain of bacteria that is effective for that particular problem.
As far as I know, there isn’t yet a known strain specifically for combatting acne! We can only hope it will one day be discovered.
3. The Quality of the Product
The problem with probiotic supplements is that they contain bacteria that is alive. Which also means that bacteria can die (useless to you!). Low quality products can often contain as little as 50% of the stated CFU by the time it gets down your throat.
The amount of bacteria that actually makes it down to your guts depends on quite a few things, and here’s how you can maximize your chances that those little buggers are going to make it to your guts alive:
- Look for supplements that say that the minimum CFU count is guaranteed at time of expiration or “through to the end of shelf life”. Often supplements will say that the CFU count is guaranteed at time of manufacture, but that can mean half of them are dead by the time you start the bottle.
- Most of the time, probiotics need to be refrigerated unless it specifically says on the bottle that they don’t require refrigeration (even then, keeping them in the fridge is a good idea unless you’re traveling). So make sure the health store you buy them from is keeping them in the fridge, otherwise don’t waste your money. If you’re having them shipped to you through the mail, they can usually withstand a day or two unrefrigerated without too much carnage, but may need an ice pack if being shipped in the summer.
- Look for supplements that have an enteric coating, or somehow specify that they are delayed release, or resistant to stomach acid – this helps protect the bacteria as it moves down your system and increases the chance they’ll make it to your guts alive
- If you’re interested in a brand of probiotics, research the company before you buy; check out that they’re reputable with quality manufacturing methods.
Probiotic Brands I Recommend
Over the years, I’ve taken many different probiotics and recommended some of the brands I’ve tried – such as HMF Forte, which is a good quality supplement and came as a recommendation from my naturopath.
However, for this article, I took a peek at ConsumerLab’s probiotic report, which claims to unbiasedly test and compares several different brands of probiotics for their quality.
These are ones I’ve chosen to recommend as based on their tests and the above criteria (going from lowest to highest CFUs):
Nutrition Now’s PB 8
14 billion CFUs per serving, 8 different strains of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium. Dairy, soy, and gluten free. Is best if refrigerated.
This one doesn’t have enteric coating, but it checks out on ConsumerLab, has great reviews, and is a number one seller on Amazon. And you really can’t beat the price. Price for a 30 day supply comes to $6.24, or 20 cents per day.
Nature’s Bounty Advanced Probiotic 10
20 billion CFUs per serving, 10 different strains of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium. Gluten and yeast free. Doesn’t need refrigeration. Price for a 30 day supply comes to $10.75, or $0.35 a day.
ReNew Life Critical Care
50 billion CFUs per capsule, 10 strains of lactobacillus and bifidobacterium. Enteric coated. Dairy, wheat, and gluten free. Is best if refrigerated. Price for the product comes to $26.60 per 30 day supply, or $0.88 per day.
Renew Life also has a whole line of different probiotics including both lower and higher potency products (from 15 billion up to 200 billion CFUs), and ones specifically for treating women’s issues like yeast infections.
Garden of Life Dr. Formulated Once Daily Ultra
This is the mac daddy of probiotics from a very well known and reputable brand. Be careful with these, because they’re potent.
90 billion CFUs per capsule, 15 different strains of bacteria. Gluten, dairy, and soy free. Vegetarian. Needs refrigeration. No enteric coating though. Price $34.99 for 30 day supply, or just over $1.12 per day.
Garden of life also offers a wide range of probiotics for different purposes and in different CFUs. An extremely popular one is their Primal Defense probiotic line.
When to Take Probiotics & Other Considerations
A question that nobody seems to know the answer to is when the optimal time to take probiotics is – with food, or on an empty stomach?
I believe that if you want to repopulate your guts, take probiotics on an empty stomach. If you want the probiotics to help you digest your food, take them with food.
Something else to consider is that when you first start taking probiotics, you are introducing all this bacteria that is then going to go to war with the bad guys in your gut.
This may not make you feel very well at first. People often report more digestive symptoms – and feelings of general malaise – when they first start probiotics, especially if their gut needs a lot of work or they’re not used to taking in so much live bacteria.
This should go away after a week or two, but if you want to avoid this all together (or the reaction is just way too strong), it’s a good idea to start with a small dose of the probiotics and work your way up to the full dose after several days or weeks.
In order to achieve this, you can open the probiotic capsules and just take a little bit of the powder at a time (in a drink or sprinkled on food). Or you can start with a supplement that contains lower CFUs, and later switch to a higher CFU product.
This can significantly reduce or eliminate any “detox” symptoms you might experience.
Give your probiotics a run of at least 3 to 6 weeks to see if they are giving you any benefit. If after some time, you don’t feel like it’s making any difference, don’t be afraid to try different brands that contain different strains, or change to a stronger probiotic. Everyone’s gut is different and needs different things – probiotics are often one of those things where you may need to try a few before you get one that really hits the spot for you.
And when you find one that works for you, how long are you supposed to take it for? It’s up to you, but I don’t think it would ever hurt to always be taking a daily probiotic (or live fermented foods) to keep your gut – and skin – in tip top shape.
Any tips, tricks, or insights about probiotics and acne? Have you found a brand that works really well for you? Share in the comments below!
59 Responses
hey tracy, i just have a question. i notice you post a lot of amazon.com links but not amazon.ca, even though you are based in canada. do you personally order from amazon.com and if so, is it better than .ca? cheaper? is shipping more expensive? seems like they have more variety on .com but i always worry about shipping (and even duties). thanks.
Hi E.P. – I link to Amazon.com because most Love Vitamin readers live in the States… but if you live in Canada or elsewhere I’d try to find a source for what you want to buy within your own country to avoid shipping and duty. I don’t buy from the American one unless it’s something I really want but can’t find from a Canadian website
Super helpful post! I’d been doing great last year as far as diet and lifestyle, and my skin was doing really well. This year my skin has gone way downhill, and I started having more digestive problems, even though I haven’t really made any changes to my diet. I was getting really discouraged until I remembered that I was taking probiotics last year! Duh. So these brands look pretty good, but one I just found and am thinking about trying is Keybiotics from Whole Body Research. 14 strains, 37.5 CFUs/capsule, gluten and lactose free, enteric coating, and more. Pretty much the whole package. Does anyone have experience with Whole Body?
Hi Emily, I haven’t heard of it but it sounds really good 🙂
Hi, Tracy. Have you heard of Syntol? What are your thoughts on it?
Nope, is that a brand of probiotics?
It’s a probiotic that’s supposed to help with Candida, but I read you can use it as an everyday probiotic even if you don’t have Candida problems. I saw an ad about it in the April issue of Delicious Living magazine.
I would also recommend looking into the probiotic “Bio-Kult”, developed by the founder of the GAPS diet, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.
This contains 14 strains, including the reoccuringly highly recommended strain Bacillus subtilis, found in soil.
Another internationally famous probiotic to look into is one from the brand Dr. Ohhira’s. This unique product is fermented for three years.
I agree, I’ve used Bio-Kult before and have recommended it before. I think I have it linked from my resource page: https://thelovevitamin.com/resources/
Great article, Tracy!
Is there a particular fermented food/bacteria strain you have found more effective at combatting acne for you personally? I notice that milk kefir makes me *feel* particularly good, but I don’t make it enough to know if it helps with breakouts. (Raw milk is expensive!!)
Also, what serving size would you recommend for fermented foods on a daily basis? I’ve heard a couple tablespoons is sufficient, but I’ve not experienced any detox symptoms from having more than that. How much would you say is too much?
Excellent information as always. Thank you, I really enjoyed this article!
~Lauren
Glad you enjoyed the article Lauren 🙂 Yeah I’m not sure about the exact food or strains that work the best for me personally. I’ve tried all sorts of fermented foods and probiotics and they all seem to make an overall difference to my digestion and skin in the long run, but I’ve never really come across a single one that makes me go hallelujah, this one is definitely the best! I really want to try Garden of Life probiotics next, or possibly reNEW life – the ones that have a really high bacterial count and see what happens 😉
With fermented foods… I don’t think there is too much. I think you can overdo in the beginning if you aren’t used to them, but if you can do more than that without getting sick / feeling symptoms of detox, then I say the more the merrier. I haven’t been making kefir lately, but I used to have a cup every day.
No need to use raw milk, most people don’t. It works just as well, the grains want to eat the sugar in the milk and pasteurizing it doesn’t remove the sugar.
Yeah you don’t need raw milk. I do recommend at least organic though just to avoid added hormones & antibiotics in conventional milk. Although whether that actually matters to your skin depends on how sensitive you are to the hormones
Hey Tracy! Have u tried probiotic from bee propolis?our local organic honey store is selling it. also this one is out of topic but have u tried taking maca? I’ve read a lot of reviews that it’s one of the Superfoods and it’s good for hormonal pimples.I’ve started taking maca capsule 500mg last week and I had a terrible cystic breakout around the chin,jawline and neck area. So i stopped using it as of the moment. Have you heard side effects like that upon taking it?blessings, love and peace from above! Take care!
Hi Aia, no, never tried or heard of probioitics from bee propolis! As for maca, I know of it but I don’t have any experience with it which is why I’ve never really talked about it. I’ve heard, like most supplements, good and bad stories about it but I haven’t delved extensively into researching it. I don’t know if it’s known to have a purging period in the beginning or not! So I’m not sure if your breakout was that or maca just isn’t for you?
Hiya 🙂 we’re treating our rabbit with bee propolis at the moment, she has an awful boil on her face which wouldn’t go down with antibiotics the vet prescribed. The propolis seems to be working though, it has reduced in size considerably, so it must be good stuff. As for maca I took it daily at the start of this year, I had some mild acne at the time, but nothing serious, I mainly took it to help with my periods and energy. It did wonders for my periods and energy, and my acne was a lot better for a while, but after a few months my acne became much worse so I stopped taking it. My hormones have been all over the place since so I wouldn’t recommend, also on the back of the jar it says “not intended for long term usage” which I didn’t read until after taking it for months.
Wow Tracy, this is so so helpful. I had been looking over past articles when I first found your blog but I had not come accross the recipes you mentioned here, I’m super glad you posted these links. I have already participated in the survey, but if I may add, recipes like these and with detailed instructions and pics are awesome, so it’d be great if you would add more of those to the blog (also videos are super helfpul, sometimes you read something and no matter how well explained you can’t seem to figure it out, but a short video demonstration is better than a thousand words).
About probiotics, they are very hard to find where I live, but a few months ago I fortunately found some kefir grains at a natural store and have been drinking water kefir daily for a while. I have to say I think it has made a huge difference in my hormonal acne, huge huge… One comment above mentioned that making milk kefir was hard because of the price of raw milk, but making water kefir is super cheap (just water and sugar) and if you take care of your grains properly, you have your own home made kefir for life!
Thanks again for this post Tracy! Awesome!!
Hey that’s awesome! Yeah I should make a water kefir demo… I have some dried water kefir grains somewhere around here…! Thanks for the idea
No need to use raw milk, most people don’t.
I’m interested in making water kefir at some point as well. I got my milk grains from my local WAPF chapter, but I haven’t asked about water grains. I know water kefir and milk kefir have different strains (at least that’s what I remember reading in Wild Fermentation), so I wonder if water kefir would have a similar effect.
Tracy, it would be great if you did a water kefir demo! I think I’ll need to get more jars…. @.@ lol
Yeah they are different strains… I believe milk kefir is supposed to be much more powerful but I don’t know to what degree!
Hi Tracy, what do you think of this product? https://drbenkim.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=3
It’s a 100% organic super greens formula that includes a ‘comprehensive probiotic formula.’ Does this look like it would be good enough to serve as your sole source of probiotic, or would you take this in addition to a probiotic like the ones above?
Probiotics are the BOMB for digestive healing. I took a lot of dietary measures that helped a lot, but I definitely saw the biggest leap forward when I got on a good, therapy-grade probiotic. I had a pretty messed up digestive system though…grew up with acid reflux, sensitive stomach, multiple food allergies, been on antibiotics several times, etc. I guess I needed it a lot more than I initially realized. Now I take the probiotic supplement MOST days a week (when I remember) and make sure to be eating lots of fermented sauerkraut/pickles and drinking kombucha. Seems to work for maintenance. My digestion is stronger than it’s ever been in my life.
Also, sorry if TMI, but I read somewhere once that if you have any kind of digestive upset that involves diarrhea, that means your body has flushed out the majority of your gut bacteria, good and bad, and that it’s important to replenish immediately with the good guys. In case that helps anyone.
Which probiotic did / do you use, Kit?
I’ve been using Ther-Biotic Complete from Klaire Labs. I got it from my naturopath’s office. It’s expensive, but I started it while on a strict diet and it’s free of pretty much every allergen there is, so that was wonderful. I’m thinking of trying something cheaper for my next bottle now that I’m doing so much better, so I’m glad to see some suggestions here.
I am using iFlora now, but I want to try The Friendly Trio sold by Enerex. iFlora has “6 targeted probiotics and 30 billion cells per serving (which is two capsules).” Short chain fructooligosacharide, Bifido, and a few different versions of the Lactobacillus. I think it works ok. The Friendly Trio (L. Acidophilus, B. Bifidum and B. Longum) has 2 billion probiotic organisms per capsule. It inhibits growth of pathogenic bacteria, enhance growth of other friendly bacteria, reduces the production of harmful substances such as ammonia and indole etc. produces Vit B1 and other nutritional factors. I like that they have lots of studies to support their statements such as “further confirmation of the adherence of the Friendly Trio to the intestinal tract are studies showing their distribution throughout the intestinal tract after oral intake and their presence in feces after discontinuation.” Has anyone taken either the iFlora or the Friendly Trio?
Hi Tracy,
This is a bit off topic, but didn’t know where else to post it. Just letting you know I filled out your survey, but when I submitted it the page just reloaded to an empty survey again. Wasn’t sure if this is what is supposed to happen or if it was some sort of error. Just letting you know, either way. Thanks for all you do!
Hi Kassondra… hmm no that’s not what’s supposed to happen.. I looked up your name in my email and it doesn’t look like I got yours! Sorry about that, I don’t know what went wrong. Thanks so much for taking the time to fill it out though, I really appreciate it x
Bummer, I just tried it a second time and got the same thing 🙁 Maybe it’s because of the images, although there’s only four and they are relatively small.
I once smelled really bad, I had bloating and rancid smelling gas! Not joking, people were holding their noses! Then I experimented with probiotics (I took capsules, kefir, and made my own sauerkraut) now I’m not bloated, I rarely fart and when I do, they don’t smell at all. I can digest pretty much anything now, and people tell me I smell nice! Big difference in my life! It’s not genetics guys! It’s bacteria :O
Haha a resounding success!! 😀 Which brand of probiotics did you use Esther, along with your ferments?
HMF Forte Probiotic Capsules by Genestra, got them from my Naturopath.
Haha I guess all the naturopaths around here like that one 🙂 my naturopath gave me those ones too
Same with my naturopath haha
My Naturopath told me that the strain saccharomyces boulardii could be helpful with acne. My skin was great when i was taking that, maybe other factors too… I have noticed the die off/elevation of digestive distress when first starting to take a very strong probiotic (the Garden of Life one). I noticed if i took it during the day, I would be gassy and bloated and not feel well. I started taking it at night before bed and I didn’t notice feeling any of that, maybe because I was sleeping, then I felt awesome during the day.
Hey good tip on taking it at night! Thanks C! Also yes, S. boulardii is supposed to be really great for combatting candida and such (I haven’t tried it myself but I’m interested in it and have heard first hand success stories from others too)… I guess it’s a type of *good* active yeast that crowds out bad guys. Except I’ve heard that it does go from your system as soon as you stop taking it (ie. doesn’t take over and keep repopulating on its own)
Tracy! Wierd question… when I eat fermented foods my stomach burns a little but only if I eat like 1.5 cups worth… my stomach also burns from probiotics. So Im wondering if I have a candida issue (I was on antibiotics for 9 years and stopped 2 years ago for my acne).. currently eating no grains/legumes/dairy…. 2 fruits a day. Wondering if I have candida or suspect I do should I go OFF fermented foods?
Second question: Do you/or does anyone know of a soy/gluten free sunscreen that wont break me out? 🙁
Love your site
Hi Jo, 1.5 cups is a lot!! haha… well… what kind of fermented food are you talking about? I’m picturing you eating 1.5 cups of sauerkraut lol. If you mean kefir or something I guess it’s not that crazy. So, well… can you just eat less of it and maybe work your way up? Yes you definitely might have candida, if you were on antibiotics for 9 years, you probably have some repair work to do down there. Just start off with the smallest amount of probiotics / fermented foods that don’t feel uncomfortable and work your way up over time
Also, here’s the sunscreen article with recos: https://thelovevitamin.com/4013/sunscreen-and-acne-part-three/
Hey Tracy,
have you ever heard of probiotics causing some break outs for people?
My breakouts minimized after doing an AIP diet however I noticed after starting the probiotics i had a minor break out.
THanks!
They could definitely cause an initial breakout because if they’re going to battle with the bad bacteria, the bad bacteria will release toxins & such when they die… did you have other symptoms too?
Hi Tracy,
I will definitely try your simple and sweet formula for acne. I’ve suffered so long and now so tired of costly conventional treatments. I hope it would work for me.
Regards,
Maribel
Hi Tracy,
My naturopath recommended I take HMF Forte as well. I used it for two months and throughout those entire two months, I started to get painful, large, cystic acne. I thought maybe the acne would subside, but it didn’t. After two months, I stopped the probiotics and the acne subsided. When I went back on it again a few weeks later, the cysts came back. Do you have any idea why this would happen? I have digestive issues and I had a gut bacteria test done that showed I had a lot of bad bacteria and not enough good bacteria, but I don’t want to make my acne worse and painful. But, not taking anything will leave me at my status quo of constant acne.
Thanks.
Unfortunately everything gets worse before it gets better. My skin is like a roller coaster. Super nice, then bad, gets better in a month, gets bad again, not too bad but bad enough. And it continues it sucks but it WILL get better
Hey Tracy! I just started working at Popeyes supplements and they have the Progressive brand probiotics. 150 billion! I have bad cystic acne on my forehead and was wondering if that might help, my naturopath put me on 50 billion but it only has 4 strains and progressive has 14 including lacto and bifido. Wondering if anyone else has tried this brand or not! 🙂
Hi Tracy. Ive recently gone on the 1st Century vegetarian probiotics -1 capsule a day(manufactured in Arizona) . Please advise if this is a good brand. Its the only one i could find in Harare.
Sorry, I don’t know, but if that’s all you can get then give them a go!
Hi Tracy. Ive recently gone on the 21st Century vegi-capsule, 8 billion CFU Probiotic (manufactured in Arizona) . Please advise if this is a good brand. Its the only one i could find in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Hi Tracy, I started taking Prescript Assist probiotics, and Blue ice FCLO about a week ago and my acne has basically exploded all over one side of my face in this short amount of time. It is so painful and inflamed, not like before. Is this normal or should I stop taking? I am not seeing any improvement, only worsening.
Hi Tracy,
I liked your article.
I read elsewhere that taking a natural anti fungal in combination with a good probiotic can be helpful in clearing acne caused by taking a probiotic. Of course they need to be taken at opposite times of the day. Thoughts?
Hi Danielle, I agree.. I highly recommend candida cleansing to superboost your skin’s healing, and that’s kind of the premise of it… kill bad bacteria with antifungals (and a sugar free diet), and use lots of probiotics (yes at another time of day) to fill in the gap. Results in healthier gut flora, leading to lower inflammation in the body and happier skin. Antifungals should only be taken for a shorter amount of time though, one or two months at most. You can have a break and go back but you don’t want to be taking them constantly, where as probiotics are good all the time!
I used to get deep cystic acne on my forehead but when I started to take the Webber Naturals 30 billion probiotic supplement (http://www.webbernaturals.com/product/probiotic-30-billion/), I no longer got deep acne on my forehead. I started working with a naturopath for other health issues and she said I didn’t need all the bacteria in the Webber Naturals supplement and instead switch me to a bacillus laterosporus probiotic which has a lower bacteria count, although the bottle doesn’t say how much (http://www.latero-flora.com/). Interestingly, when I switched from taking 1 Webber Naturals to 1 Lateroflora supplement a day (30 minutes before breakfast), I started getting deep acne on my forehead again. Everything else in my life was the same – good diet, exercise and stress levels. Once I bumped up to 2 Lateroflora supplements a day and followed that for 1-2 weeks, I stopped having deep acne on my forehead. I have no idea what the physiological explanation for the link between probiotics/gut bacteria and forehead cystic acne, but for me the connection is crystal clear.
I should say that I had many many rounds of antibiotics for strep throat as a child until I had strep throat 6 times in a year and my tonsils were taken out at age 7. I’m pretty sure this skewed my gut flora from a young age.
Okay so I’m 13 years old and I have been experiencing horrible acne on my chin for 5-6 months now. It has been going on for so long and I have enough of it. I have been drinking kombucha for about a week now ( I started of drinking a bit and I slowly increased my intake) and I also added silk yogurt which is dairy free and is a probiotic yogurt for 3 days now and I noticed I am breaking out on my chin a little worse. I’m getting bumpy skin and whiteheads all over my chin. I’m not sure if that’s a bad reaction that something is not right or if its purging. I’m also not sure if I should continue what I’m doing or discontinue it. Any advice or help? I would really appreciate it 🙂
I’m 49 years old and have been dealing with Acne on and off since I was 19. I’ve read many articles stating that probiotic help clear up acne. Well it doesn’t help everyone. My skin had been clear for about a year until I started taking probiotics. At first I didn’t make the connection, but after doing some self test realized probiotics make me break out. I recently took them for 6 months (trying to stick it out)hoping that my skin would clear after getting rid of all the toxins. Well things are worse. My skin is itchy, dry and new pimples are appearing. It’s very frustrating. By the way, I eat mostly organic food, no fried food or fast food and drink at least 12 16oz bottles of water day. I wanted to write this to make people aware that everyone is different. Great for those it works for, but some of us are more sensitive. Also, I read in this website that some people like bio-kult, well it’s the one I’ve been using and it’s definitely caused my skin to itch and breakout (thinking it’s the soy and milk content)
Very unpleasant! If anyone has broken out from probiotics and later found one that doesn’t make them breakout please let me know. I may be willing to try it.
Hi Ani — look into SIBO. If probiotics make all your symptoms worse (in various ways), you could have this. Probiotics will usually cause the ‘detox reaction’ initially but that should subside – if it keeps going and keeps getting worse, it could be SIBO
Hi Tracy. I recently got blood/stool tests done with a holistic doctor in my area and have been avoiding my food sensitivities for about a month. After the stool test came back I was given a couple of different digestive enzymes, collagen/bone broth protein, and a very strong probiotic. Ironically, I was very clear (outside of some old red marks) before this appointment and was actually told to add more variety to my diet to become healthier and heal my gut. All felt fantastic until the 3rd day, my skin began to go nuts. I chalked it up as an initial breakout/purge from the supplements, mainly the probiotic and continued to persevere. It progressively got worse, and I mean WAY worse, in the last week and a half, basically clear to almost severe. Given that it hasn’t even been two weeks yet, should I remain hopeful and stick it out with my program as my doctor suggests? The probiotic is 100billion cfu, and my hope is that it is simply shaking things up. My good bacteria was basically non-existant according to my stool test, which is a result of a few months of antibiotics from a derm one year ago. Safe to say the microbiome of my gut is completely out of whack. Just wondering if this can be a normal reaction or if I should cut my losses now. Everything otherwise feels just fine and may even be improving in terms of digestion. No other symptoms of toxin die-off outside of acne purges. With a reaction this intense, how long of a trial run would you suggest I give these supplements?
Hi Cory — it’s not uncommon for probiotics to create a healing crisis/worse before it gets better — but if it keeps getting worse and worse, ask your holistic doctor about SIBO — sometimes that can be a reason that probiotics make things worse. This is when you have an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine where it shouldn’t be (even if it’s good bacteria)
Are probiotic supplements available in a form other than capsules?
There are probiotic powders out there too!