IBS and Skin Inflammation

There's only one thing that I feel I have an addiction to. Smoke? Drinks? Pizza? (well, kinda..)

No, I'm addicted to skincare. I don't spend my money on the latest clothing trend or takeaway food, but I totally fall when it comes to new skincare products. It's my daily self cuddle, and it feels like it can solve every issue.

My skin suddenly has spots

My skin has always been quite good, with just some spots here and there, delicate, very pale, but I never experienced major issues. I do not believe in the pore-less/glass-skin thing. Therefore, I always felt lucky. However, in the last few years, I noticed how, quite randomly, my facial skin would become more red and inflamed. This, along with some mosquito-bite-looking and feeling spots, like wheals. So weird.

Face problems flare with my IBS flares

Only lately, I realized that my face would get swollen and red, along with my IBS flare-up. Really? This too?

At first, I was puzzled. What on earth could my gut possibly have to do with my skin? But as I delved deeper into the mysterious world of gut health, the pieces started to fall into place. You see, when your gut is out of whack – whether it’s due to stress, diet, or good old-fashioned genetics – it can affect your entire body, skin included.

Suddenly, it all made sense. The days when my IBS was acting up were the same days when my skin decided to throw a tantrum of its own. Coincidence? I think not. It turns out, inflammation is the common enemy here, and my poor skin was collateral damage in the battle raging inside my gut.

Connecting my IBS and skin issues

When I first embarked on this journey of unraveling the connection between my IBS and skin issues, I felt like a detective on a mission. Armed with determination and a hefty dose of curiosity, I set out to uncover the root cause of my skin woes.

There were moments of frustration, times when I felt like throwing in the towel and resigning myself to a lifetime of red, bumpy skin. But deep down, I knew there had to be a way to break free from this cycle of discomfort and insecurity.

My diet's impact on my skin and gut

One of the biggest revelations on my journey was the impact of diet on both my gut and my skin. As I started paying closer attention to what I was putting into my body, I began to notice patterns. Certain foods seemed to trigger not only my IBS symptoms but also my skin flare-ups. It was like connecting the dots of a puzzle I never knew existed.

These dots were made of...Dutch cheese.

I couldn't believe it. I had cheese my whole life in Italy. Then I moved to the Netherlands, the land of milk and cheese, and suddenly my skin flares up.

What on earth do the Dutch put in their cheese? Is it fattier? Is it processed differently? I just know that when I eat this Dutch delicatessen, my skin gets horrible for the following week.
How unfair. None of my magical and expensive skincare can fix this. I guess that I can only learn to live with it, and avoid Dutch cheese!