Can Prebiotics and Probiotics Help With Eczema?

Many different factors can cause eczema. Research suggests that your gut could be on this list. Your gut microbiome can influence the “gut-skin axis,” which is a connection between your gut and your skin. Your gut microbiome houses all of the microorganisms (like bacteria, viruses, and fungi) that live in your intestines and influence different parts of your body — including immune cells that affect your skin.

Probiotics are live microorganisms, like bacteria and yeast, that can strengthen the microbiome population in your gut and beyond. A healthy gut microbiome can offer health benefits like a stronger immune system and less inflammation. Studies suggest probiotics could help treat eczema by reducing inflammation, though more research is needed. Using probiotics during pregnancy and early infancy may help prevent atopic dermatitis, though evidence is mixed.

Prebiotics are parts of food that your body can’t digest. But they can help feed good bacteria found in your gut microbiome. Prebiotics can improve your gut health, boost your immune system, increase your body’s anti-inflammatory response, and offer other health benefits. Prebiotics have shown some potential to prevent and treat eczema. But more research is needed to determine how prebiotics could be an effective treatment option.   

Research is limited and mixed, so we need more information to know which prebiotics and probiotic strains are best for your skin. For example, Lactobacillus salivarius and Lactobacillus acidophilus probiotics may offer treatment benefits for atopic dermatitis. Using strains such as lactobacillus, bifidobacterium, and propionibacteriumbetween ages 6 months and 9 years may lower the risk of atopic dermatitis. Pre- and postnatal Lactobacillus rhamnosus or Lactobacillus paracasei may help prevent eczema in babies. Lactobacillus, Lactobacillus fermentum, or a mixture of probiotic strains can reduce the severity of eczema in babies and children.

Probiotics are in foods like yogurt and cottage cheese. They’re also available as dietary supplements. Prebiotics are found in high-fiber foods like oats, rice, and beans, and as supplements. Supplements come in capsules, liquids, and powders. One of the most promising methods for taking probiotics for eczema is as an over-the-counter topical probiotic that can relieve eczema symptoms in both adults and children. Talk to your doctor before using any prebiotic or probiotic.

There are benefits to getting probiotics from food, like building more diverse microbes, which helps overall health. But if you want to take a specific probiotic in a higher dose, you can use supplements. Talk to your doctor about using supplements. Most probiotics come as supplements you take by mouth. You should follow the instructions for taking each one. Most probiotic supplements should be taken daily for best results.

For the best probiotic, look for:

• The type of bacterial strain
• Colony-forming units, which are the number of bacterial cells per dose (Usually, you’ll want at least 1 billion)
• Storage requirements and expiration data, since supplements with a probiotic food source, like inulin, can be better for long-term storage 
• Science-backed strains and brand names (Look for studies, or talk to your doctor, about which brands and strains are supported by research.)
   

Topical probiotics have shown promising results for treating and managing eczema in multiple studies. Topical probiotics that use the Roseomonas mucosa strain can help balance out your microbiome and ease skin inflammation and itching. Talk to your doctor about whether a topical probiotic could help you manage eczema and which one would be the best fit for your symptoms.

Research on the best foods for eczema is limited. Here are foods that have probiotics that have been found to include some health benefits for eczema: 

• Yogurt is a great source of two major probiotics, lactobacillus and bifidobacterium 
• Kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, milk, kefir, kombucha, and miso have lactobacillus
• Tempeh includes lactobacillus and bifidobacterium
• Swiss cheese has propionibacterium added to it

Always check the label for storage instructions for your prebiotics and probiotics. How you should store them may depend on the exact product you have. For example, many supplements need to be refrigerated. Others you may be able to keep at room temperature. It depends on the type.