The gut-skin axis: current research and the potential of probiotics as a therapeutic intervention in chronic, immune-mediated skin disease

For many years, gut health and skin health have been seen as separate processes that lead to distinct disease states with little overlap in pathogenesis. Recent research challenges this assumption and supports the existence of a connection between gut health and skin conditions termed the gut-skin axis . The gut-skin axis is thought to be mediated by the immune system and inflammatory pathways. Impairments in immune system development and regulation occur due to gut microbiome dysbiosis, otherwise known as imbalance, and influence cutaneous responses seen in many dermatologic disease states. This article will explore the known mechanisms facilitating the gut-skin axis. Then, a brief overview of commonly implicated disease states in the gut-skin axis will be reviewed, including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and acne vulgaris. Finally, emerging adjuvant treatments for disease states concerned with gut-skin health will be explored, focusing on current literature regarding the role of probiotics as a potentially promising treatment modality. This article concludes that further research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms driving the complex relationship known as the gut-skin axis and investigate possible treatments for relevant disease states.