Using Probiotics to Benefit Skin
Dermatologists often hear their patients complain of sensitive skin. It’s not a clinical definition but rather a general recognition this is skin that can easily be irritated.
What sparks dry, reactive, itchy, burning skin that flakes, peels, forms rashes, redness, or breaks out easily? The culprit could be a reaction to environmental factors like wind, sun, cold, heat; internalized reaction to stress or hormone changes; or exposure to various products:
- Soaps and detergents
- Shampoos and dishwashing liquids
- Bubble bath
- Disinfectants like chlorine
- Contact with juices from fresh fruits, vegetables, or meats
It is possible to be generally sensitive; acquire sensitivity from specific skin conditions; or, your protective fatty outer layer of skin, the lipid layer, may merely be thinner or more easily damaged.
Here are some other things to know about sensitive skin:
- Dryness and sensitivity go hand in hand. When the lipid fat barrier or protective outer layer of skin is thin, various irritants can penetrate more easily and cause irritation. On the flip side, moisture can escape, creating dryness.
- Your own immune system can trigger skin sensitivity. When a threat is perceived, an inflammatory response like redness, pain, scaling, and itching can occur. This also happens when conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea materialize.
- A skin allergy can develop over time. Should immunity become especially sensitive to some specific substance, multiple exposures could result in permanent allergy.
- Skin becomes more sensitive with age. When regeneration of the lipid barrier slows down, dryness may occur. Products previously used without problem could become reactive with our skin.
- Don’t wash or exfoliate sensitive skin as often. It’s counterproductive. Use cool or lukewarm water and gentle cleansers only once a day.
- Use products that are fragrance-free. Find products with simple, recognizable ingredients free of common irritants, preservatives, alcohol, dyes, sulfates, and chemicals that trigger allergies and skin outbreaks. Do embrace ingredients that retain skin moisture or replenish the lipid barrier including emollients, humectants, ceramides, and fatty acids.
It’s almost impossible to identify what causes and triggers sensitive skin for every person since there are so many variables. Finding dependable remedies are also tricky. They may not work, or they may contain ingredients you would rather avoid like petrolatum, parabens, or propylene glycol.
In fact, dry, prickly skin is a fact of life for some people. For instance, the inflammatory skin condition atopic dermatitis, aka eczema, affects nearly 28 million Americans from children to adults. Ninety percent develop this condition before they are five years old although the affliction can appear during puberty or later ages.
So is there any natural and effective product that can help soothe dry, sensitive skin and improve its appearance? Yes, there is!
Since the 1930s, scientists and researchers have studied the relationship of probiotics like L. acidophilus bacteria with gut health, inflammation, and emotions like anxiety, stress, and depression. When toxins interfere with the body’s ability to eliminate waste properly, inflammation occurs. A healthy gut strengthened by good bacteria like L. acidophilus reduces toxicity being reintroduced back into the bloodstream and diminishes inflammatory response.
Quality of Life offers Exequel™ containing L-92™, a patented sterilized strain of L. acidophilus bacteria that occurs naturally in the human gut. These bacteria are also a starter for fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, butter, cheese, sauerkraut, and wine.
The powdered L-92 is shown capable of balancing the response of immune system cells called cytokines and lowering levels of immunoglobulin E in the blood. This effectively lessens allergic reaction and helps promote a healthy gut and healthy skin.
Lactic acid bacteria are a well-studied group of friendly bacteria, extensively tested for safety and efficacy. It’s good to have a natural solution for sensitive skin that works from the inside out!
