Hi guys

Had anybody experience of tum probs caused by longishntwrm use of mild antibiotics to treat acne. I’m wondering if my skin probs were caused by bad digestion in the first place and the anti biotics are making it worse the skin is mainly cleared up but I seem to have really bad tumny upsetsevery ten days or so which make smsl outbreaks of spots appear again. The doc wants me to continue but I’m thinking of coming off and trying to alter my diet to help things.

In a word? Yes! Remember the skin, too, has its own unique microbiome. You might want to google “gladskin” – and yes Cleverguts is perfectly sensible – with a twist- the 5:2 diet is very anti-inflammatory and might really help your skin so I’d purchase The Fasting Diet book too

Thanks Graham advice helpful.

I have had this problem too, long term antibiotics (lymecycline) for rosacea wrecked my gut, I have changed my diet, no sugar, no grains, no junk, lots of fermented food, sauerkraut, kefir, soya yogurt, specific probiotics, I even open a capsule of probiotic & mix with E45 cream & apply to skin. I take some supplements, digestive enzymes, bile & olive leaf. No antibiotics for almost a year now & no rosacea, guts improving, + fungal nails have cleared too (I applied E45 mix)

Hi Madski
Thanks for your reply its most helpful I’m slowly getting started on something similar now have been taking a probiotic tablet for ages(Acidopholus & Rhamnosus) and have just started Kefir production(I’m drinking about 200/250 ml a day. Do you make your own Sauerkraut or buy it. I’m not even sure the Lymecylcline wholly get shutof the Rosacea anyway but am scared to come of it as its greatly reduced it but nybstomach is like a witches cauldron my mood swings terribly and libido is greatly dimmed

Thanks again.

Bikerboy: Are you diagnosed with acne vulgaris OR papulopustular rosacea or both? They can look very similar but are very different. There is a thread around here on acne and rosacea if you run a search.

What dose of lymecycline are you prescribed, one that kills bacteria/ acts as an antibiotic OR low dose anti inflammatory only? The dose is relevant in the effects on the gut microbiome.

Low dose doxycycline is licensed for rosacea in some countries, not sure about lymecycline. Some cases are treated with a short course of higher dose antibiotics initially, dropping down to a low dose.You might discuss this with your pharmacist or the prescribing doctor.

A nutrient dense, anti inflammatory diet absolutely is important in the health of our largest organ. In rosacea a super gentle, barrier supporting skincare routine is also recommemded.

Bikerboy – yes, I make my own sauerkraut, I used to buy it until I realised the one I was buying was pasteurised & useless. I also make kefir. I found that until I gave up the antibiotics my stomach just got worse as they were just killing off the good bacteria that I was putting in, there is a risk of C diff with long term antibiotics, your GP may (should) have told you this. I put no antibacterial things on my skin, each morning I wash with a mix of neem powder & E45, then apply a small amount of E45 with probiotics in. I have introduced the probiotics into my diet one at a time to assess my reaction to them. Each type of probiotic has a different effect & each person will be lacking different types. You are wasting your money taking probiotics that are being killed by the antibiotics, Ganeden BC30 is a probiotic that is quite tough & may help (according to research) ward off c diff. & has been proven to survive digestion, I take it as tea each morning (Stir tea). You say your libido is dimmed, although I can’t verrify this, I have read that the probiotic L reuteri is good for this.

Hi Madski
Can you say more about E45 and fungal treatment mix. For toe nails? Also about L reuteri. Many thanks.

You can read about L. reuteri on ‘selfhacked.com’ this site is updated regularly & information is referenced.
NB> L reuteri can cause weight gain …. L Gasseri is good if you need to curb your appetite or sugar craving.

For skin problems my theory is that modern washing products destroy all our friendly bacteria on our skin, thus allowing bad bacteria, that become resistant to harsh products, to flourish, use just water to clean your skin if not very dirty, wash only dirty areas with simple soap, no shower gels etc & certainly nothing antibacterial. I never use soap on my face (too drying) I mix 1 teaspoon of neem powder into about 3 tablespoons of E45 cream (not lotion) mix well, use in shower as can be messy! use on feet for fungal infections. after drying appy E45 probiotic mix ( 1 teaspoon of E45 mixed with one (open) capsule of probiotic), I have used L Gasseri & Alflorex. sand down thick nails with emery board to allow better absorption. Use twice daily. I think my no sugar, no junk diet helps too + I take olive leaf capsules which are also anti fungal. After many miserable years of battling rosacea my skin is now clear.

Please note:- Please take adivice of your GP especially if you have any underlying problems with your immune system before using probiotics.

Madski: you may find interesting the published research into the structure and function of the skin barrier, effect of modern skin cleansing chemicals, effect of modern skin cleansing techniques, microbes that have been implicated in some common skin conditions.

The microbiome of the skin, gut, oral cavity and vagina are quite different. Furthermore what is healthy to take internally isn’t the same as what is beneficial to apply topically: olive oil (oleic acid rich) is a prime example.

Madski: Although a bacteria has been implicated in papulopustular rosacea, and a yeast implicated in seborrhoeic dermatitis, *these microbes are neither different nor much more abundant than in those without these conditions.*

Instead it seems that symptoms are partly based upon excessive irrritation/ inflammatory reactions to their waste products (a protein in rosacea, oleic acid in SD). In both conditions the skin barrier itself is weakened due to some combination,of genetics, diet/ lifestyle, environmental factors, skincare products and habits/ techniques.

Thanks Firefox7275. It’s Rosacea not acne and have bedn onone tablet of Limecycline a day
for about 10 months now. I’ve always had what’s termed a dicky tum but since the Limecycline its muh worse so am gonna stop taking them soon improve my diet( its ain’t that bad tho) and stop my probably damaging rigorous facial cleansing for a more sensitive one. Thanks for your input

Thank you Madski. All v helpful. Will try E45 mix and note your warnings. Food58

Bikerboy: you may notice some improvement in your skin as quickly as a week after ceasing a harsh cleansing regime. Fingers crossed for you!

Please consult a pharmacist before adding anything to a drug or cosmetic product. Randomly applying microbes to damaged skin could worsen irritation or even cause an infection.

Thank you Firefox7275 your input has been very helpful. I was floundering hopelessly with a miserable combination of bad gut’s and a fear of my Rosacea returning if I stopped the Lymecycline. When I stopped b4 for 3 weeks the spots returned so I resumed but the stomach and gut problems just got worse and worse giving me al sorts of problems night sweats constipation gut pain etc. I was also using a quite harsh washing regime using a rough face cloth and towel thinking the exfoliation would help. Throughout all this the spots were better but I felt they were just being kept subdued and were just under the surface waiting to explode again. Ten I saw the clever gut’s diet in the Daily Mail and it all just clicked. It’s a week since I took a tab now and I swopped my cleansing routine I’m stil frightened they’ll return but hopefully my lifestyle changes will slowly help improve things I’m making my own Kefir and Saurkraut and removing the harmful stuff from my diet. By the way I would never add things to my face i was unsure about I’m just using the Simple range of products wash, clay mask and moisturiser now and can feel a reduction in the burning sensation around my nose. Thanks again

Bikerboy: Progress already!! 🙂 Rosaceans do get flares and remissions over the years, but they can be mild and brief if you have the basics in place.

Have you tried azelaic acid 15% gel (Finacea) on prescription? On top of the great things you are doing skincare and diet-wise, the anti inflammatory effect may be the extra kick needed to keep the pimples away.

Azelaic acid is gentle but often itches for the first few days of use, so apply to small areas or you may have to sit on your hands!

As above – look at Gladskin. It specifically re-balances the skin microbiota in a healthy direction

How are you getting on, Bikerboy?

Hi Firefox

A mixed bag really I came of the Lymecycline 3and a bit weeks ago having begun in the previous week or so to make slow changes to my diet in line with the advice on here and in the books also the Clear Skin diet book. Last week the yellow filled pustules began to return on my nose ending up with about 5/6 reluctantly I returned to taking them and after a week they’re just about gone but my stomach is beginning to screw up again . I’m gonna go to taking them every other day now and try to slowly ween off them whilst improving my diet even more. If they come back I’ll see the doctor and talk about another treatment tho I’d really like to beat this without going down that path. Do know anything of the Gladskin products a couple of people have mentioned on here. Thanks for your interest and concern its helps with my confidence to contact other sufferers I was really despondent last weekend when the spots returned.

I’m 23 and have been on lymecycle since I was about 14/15! It has always worked and it is the only thing I have ever found to work. I have a history of acne in my family which has never gone away and I am the lucky one that this treatment has worked with. I didnt think I had any side affects until recently realising that I’d been taking essentially an antibiotic for roughly 8 years which surely can’t be good for your gut.
Around 2 years ago I was diagnosed with coeliac disease. Since then I have been on a very strict gluten free diet and whenever I do have gluten it really bloats me for a couple of days and then I get a cold.
Prior to being diagnosed I was not allergic to anything and went about my life eating whatever I wanted but I was having colds back to back most weeks for 6+ months and feeling exhausted which is what eventually made me see the dr. At this point they put me on iron tablets after a blood test revealed it was low and after the 2nd blood test when I had an even lower iron level after 6 weeks high intensive iron tablets. I then had a endoscopy which revealed my coeliac disease.
Is there any correlation between the fact that I had been taking antibiotics back to back for 8 years and then being diagnosed as a coeliac? I hear that antibiotics can cause the gut to behave in a similar way.

Thanks