Inside out: your internal flora promote healthy skin - innerbeauty

In last month's column, we looked at healthier, gentler alternatives to conventional skin-care products to help cleanse your skin and restore its original glow. But beauty is much more than skin deep. For really healthy skin, we have to go below the surface and address the delicate balance of our inner body ecology.

According to Oz Garcia, New York-based nutritionist and author of Look and Feel Fabulous Forever, many stubborn skin problems are driven by hormonal and immune-related issues governed by the tiny, unseen bacteria in our intestines. Fungal and inflammatory skin conditions such as dandruff, acne, Candida, eczema, nail infections and even athlete's foot can arise when pathogenic bacteria and fungi gain power in our gastrointestinal (GI) tracts and on our skin.

in balance

At any given time, the average healthy person is host to countless beneficial and potentially harmful microbes. For example, the H. pylori bacteria, infamous for causing ulcers, is present in one out of every two adults, but causes no problems in most. The yeasts Candida albicans and Pityrosporum ovale--also known as Malassezia ovalis, a common cause of dandruff and skin rashes--are also common in healthy humans, and can cause their head-to-toe symptoms when your immune resistance is low or your army of defending beneficial bacteria has been depleted.

Immune problems, stress, high blood sugar, steroid drugs, oral contraceptives and chlorinated water can deplete the protective intestinal-and skin-dwelling "good" bacteria that normally keep pathogenic microbes in check. Anti-bacterial soaps, as well as antibiotics, have also been shown to both wipe out protective bacteria and indirectly give rise to more powerful pathogenic strains.

The most obvious and immediate signs of such imbalance--which may show up when you're taking an antibiotic--are digestive symptoms such as diarrhea and bloating. What may follow is the proliferation of unopposed pathogenic bacteria or fungi. Malassezia yeasts, for example, can cause not only dandruff, but red, flaky patches near the eyebrows and eyelids, in nasal folds and even in fingernails. Candida infections can proliferate in your mouth, feet, nails and genital area.

What is less obvious, though perhaps more serious, is the cascade of inflammatory reactions that may result from this internal imbalance-sometimes long after you've finished your antibiotic regimen.

gut reaction

A common cause of allergies, rashes, skin eruptions and more serious autoimmune problems is leaky gut syndrome (LGS). With LGS, the lining of the intestines becomes inflamed, allowing undigested bacteria and food particles to pass through the intestinal lining into the bloodstream. The body may begin to treat such particles as foreign invaders and stage immune responses, which can wreak havoc on the skin.

Most skin problems seem to be caused by one of three factors: offending pathogens; reactions to irritating substances or autoimmune responses to compounds; or hormones within the skin. And the most challenging skin problems result from a combination of all three. For example, many health care practitioners believe that acne arises from a combination of an androgen hormone called DHT and an individual's particular sensitivity to that hormone. According to Garcia, hormone activity is profoundly affected by the balance of "good" and "bad" bacteria in our intestines, which affects the liver's ability to metabolize hormones.

Some nutritional experts, such as Michael T. Murray, ND, author of Natural Alternatives to Over-the-Counter and Prescription Drugs, even believe a connection exists between the stubborn skin disease psoriasis and incomplete protein digestion, which naturally can arise from leaky gut syndrome.

In addition, issues such as insufficient stomach acid, food sensitivities, nutrient deficiencies and faulty fatty acid metabolism--problems that can arise from internal bacteria imbalance-have been linked to skin conditions, including rosacea and eczema.

In fact, poor probiotic ecology and leaky gut can exacerbate the hormonal, digestive and immune imbalances that can affect virtually all chronic skin diseases.

fight the good fight

Perhaps the smartest strategy for healthy skin isn't a skin strategy at all, but a campaign to build up the protective bacteria that keep our bodies in balance. Here's the best way to get back your pro-beauty inner ecology:

* Avoid bacteria-disrupting substances such as antibacterial soaps and antibiotics as much as possible.

* Avoid sugar and white flour, which feed yeast and other pathogens.

* Install water and shower filters to reduce chlorine exposure.

* Eat cultured foods such as yogurt and kefir. Keep in mind that even if you have trouble digesting milk products, you can likely digest cultured products since they contain the enzyme that breaks down lactose.

* Take probiotic supplements, which contain friendly flora considered essential for both upper and lower GI health.

Reestablishing good bacteria may take a few months. Meanwhile, these suggestions may relieve inflammatory skin conditions: