Rosacea and Leaky Gut Syndrome

Each year, millions of people suffer from both rosacea and a leaky gut. While you may know that you have rosacea, it is easy to struggle with a leaky and not even know it. In fact, many people do not know that their skin woes may be directly linked to their gut.

What Is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

The lining of the digestive tract resembles something like a net with microscopic openings so that only certain substances can pass through while the large particles are filtered out.


Damage to the lining of the digestive tract causes the openings on the lining to become bigger so that any substance, including toxins and undigested food particles can pass through. When toxins pass through to the bloodstream, they can impair your immune system, which ceases to function normally.

Your Gut And Your Skin

There is robust scientific evidence showing a connection between the health of the gut and that of the skin. The gastrointestinal tract has lymph tissue, which is responsible for as much as 80 percent of the immune system’s functions. The skin too contains numerous microbes that interact with the immune system. Bacterial overgrowth within the small intestine has been found to interfere with the skin’s ecosystem, increasing the chances of skin problems such as rosacea.

Parodia et al (2008) studied the clinical link between rosacea and small intestinal bacterial growth. The researchers found people who had abnormal bacterial growth in the small intestines were 10 times more likely to have acne rosacea than in people who had healthy bacterial growth.

link between leaky gut and rosacea

Leaky gut, which is scientifically known as intestinal permeability, occurs when food stagnates along the digestive system due to the bacterial overgrowth. Food stagnation then results in a leaky and inflamed gut, which in turn contributes to skin inflammation, a primary rosacea symptom.

One study showed that patients with acne or acne rosacea reacted more drastically to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), endotoxins found in the blood while healthy individuals did not demonstrate such a reaction. This, among other related studies suggests that the increased inflammation and leak in the gut is a significant contributor of acne and other similar skin problems.

The skin serves as a protective antimicrobial barrier and defense system for the body. However, factors such as gut inflammation and stress can compromise the skin’ s health and strip away its function as an epidermal protective barrier. This may also cause a decrease in the skin’s antimicrobial properties, which in turn increases the skin’s proneness to infection and inflammation.

Alterations in the gut’s flora have a significant impact on the skin. Altered gut microbial activates the secretion of substance P, a neuropeptide released in the skin, gut and brain and plays a key role in skin problems. At the same time, alteration of the gut’s microbiota may change the structure of lipids and tissue fatty acids, which impacts on the production and composition of sebum and related fatty acids.

Administration of probiotics has been found to stop these processes, therefore gradually alleviating skin conditions such as acne and rosacea.

Healing Your Skin by Healing Your Gut​

While there is no known cure for rosacea, treating a leaky gut is a good place to start. The following steps are recommended:​

  • Eliminate foods and other substance that irritate the gut
  • Add healing foods to your diet
  • Use doctor recommended supplements to repair your gut
  • Restore balance in your gut using probiotics

Here is a list of my recommended Probiotics to help you restore balance to your guts and skin: