Ingredient Breakdown: Probiotics
Did you know that bacteria aren’t always bad? Bacteria are often thought of as something that causes disease, but sometimes bacteria are good for the body – including the skin. We’ve put together a few of the benefits probiotics provide the skin so you can easily see why probiotics are trending in the skin care industry.
What are probiotics? They are live bacteria and yeast that are naturally found in your body. Probiotics are beneficial to your health, especially to the health of your digestive system. This is why they are often referred to as “good bacteria”.
The benefits of probiotics start within the gut. Did you know your digestive tract contains 80% of your entire immune system? Therefore, a healthy gut is crucial to the health of our body, which includes the skin.
A Healthier Gut
An unhealthy gut lacks “good” bacteria and can lead to skin issues like eczema, acne, and canker sores. Probiotics work to replenish the good bacteria in the gut. This helps to balance the bacteria in your gut so your body can function optimally and your skin can receive the nutrients it needs. A good balance of bacteria, according to many digestive experts, is about 85% “good” bacteria and 15% “bad” bacteria.
Prevents Premature Aging
Probiotics are not only beneficial to the skin through the digestive tract, they are also beneficial as a topical application. Many anti-aging products contain probiotics that work to eliminate toxins and free radicals in the body that can lead to signs of aging of the skin. This good bacteria can help prevent wrinkles and promote a glowing, ageless complexion.
Healthy Skin
Probiotics help the body to assimilate the nutrients from the foods you eat. This allows your body to receive more antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that promote healthy skin. For example, probiotics play a part in the absorption of vitamin B12, which is essential for healthy skin. Vitamin B12 stimulates the growth of red blood cells, which improves the nutrition absorption and delivery to the skin. Vitamin B12 also helps to reduce inflammation, acne scars, and dry skin.
Manages and Prevents Eczema
Eczema is a skin condition that causes the skin to become irritated and inflamed. It is unknown what the exact cause of eczema is, but many believe it is the result of an overactive immune system responding to a perceived threat or irritation. As mentioned earlier, your gut greatly impacts your immune system. A healthy digestive tract acts like a barrier to prevent toxins and other damaging substances from “leaking” into the body and being attacked by your immune system. Probiotics help the good bacteria your gut needs to reduce inflammation and promote healing of the skin.
Now that you know more about the skin care benefits of probiotics you might be wondering where to find them. Here are a few of the common places to look:
- Most often probiotics are added to foods, such as cultured milk products and some fermented food and beverages.
- Probiotics can also be found in dietary supplements.
- A topical source of probiotics is found in skin care products.
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