Last week, I talked about how what we eat and how our internal plumbing affects our skin. A couple of you mentioned taking probiotics and how you derived benefits from it.
Well, when I was doing my personal research, I found that probiotics is definitely helpful for helping with digestion and bowel movement. What it is, is billions of beneficial bacteria introduced into your gut via a capsule or a yogurt or yogurt drink or even a drink like Yakult or Vitagen (I happen to love drinking the latter 2 as a kid, nevermind the sweetness. It was such a treat!)
The purpose behind probiotics is to introduce more good bacteria to balance out the bad bacteria in your gut. It is being touted as a new health thing and like all health things, there will naturally be pros and cons. If you look out there though, the pros outweigh the cons of taking probiotics by about a million to one. Probiotics is even said to be able to help people who have skin problems, allergies or acne.
Well, guess who discovered a small side effect of taking probiotics that isn’t quite as inspiring as all that? 😛
Yours truly actually had acne after taking probiotics. Yep. It defies imagination doesn’t it? Here is this capsule of all these supposedly good bacteria that’s supposed to help with digestive problems, clear up internal plumbing and maybe even help with clearing up acne on skin.
What I experienced was otherwise. I was having some spots. This was during the time before I decided to do anything to my diet. It was highly irritating. I was then suggested to try some probiotics. Everyone in my family was taking it and everyone was raving about how regular it made them. That was the primary reason for taking the probiotics I might add.
So I started taking it once a day. After about a week, I started to realize that my skin, which was bad before, was now stark raving NUTS! I was having huge, painful cystic acne on my chin and honestly, after not having such bad skin for such a long time, it was a downer. It wasn’t hormones, I might add. It wasn’t close to that time of the month when hormones go nuts, and I haven’t had hormonal acne for a while now.
I don’t know what made me think about the probiotics I was taking. One morning, I woke up and thought “I wonder if its the probiotics?” Perhaps it was some instinct so I stopped it. Within 2 weeks, I started to notice a difference to my skin. Coupled with my lifestyle and diet change, I found my skin was healing itself, with no lasting damage. Was it the probiotics then? Could it actually cause me to have acne?
I looked for information online but there was little to no information. Most people said it HELPED their acne problem. It was on a few little known forums where I found one or two people who mentioned the same things I experienced. Within a couple of days of taking probiotics, they erupted with acne along the chin and jaw line. After stopping, the breakouts stopped. Most people shot that theory down and told them to stick it out but I personally felt there was something there. I wasn’t going to stick it out, no matter what anyone said.
I’d gotten my problem under control by this time. Barring the regular random blackheads my skin was back to normal. So, I decided to experiment. I popped a probiotic capsule just last week in the morning. By evening, there was a painful hard spot forming on my chin. By the next morning, it was a full blown painful cystic acne spot. I wasn’t waiting around to see what happened if I popped another capsule!
So, going from my personal experience with probiotics, I’m going to stick my head out and say that yes, in some very rare cases (like mine) probiotics can cause you more harm to your skin than good. Probiotics can, in my case, cause you to break out and have acne problems where you had none before, or even make your problem worse.
I’ve stopped taking probiotics and am now treating the spot with the Nexcare patch which is helping to bring down the swelling and reduce the painful spot. Once it flattens out or comes to a head, I’ll go with tea tree oil and then perhaps a whitening spot corrector to get rid of the mark and hydration to get my skin back to normal.
Its a horrible process and if you ask me, I think this an awful way to discover that probiotics isn’t for me. I might add that it could also be the strain of bacteria used in this particular brand (it all looks like the normal stuff in most probiotics supplements though). Not being medically or pharmaceutically trained, I can’t tell. The only thing I will say is that I’m quite safely NOT going near anymore probiotic supplements from now on.
If anyone has shared a similar experience as I have, I hope you could share it. Perhaps you had a good experience with taking probiotics. Share it too! 🙂
Paris B
This year i went on this epic diet where I was obsessed with yogurt and had almost 500ml of it everyday for lunch. I broke up like crazy for 3 months because according to the dermatologist, there were too much hormones in the yougurt i.e from a cow = hormone crazy = crazy skin.
Wow! I didn’t know that could happen! Maybe the sugars in yogurt too? I’ve stopped taking yogurt since my lactose intolerance. Since the probiotics in there didn’t help with digesting the yogurt I guess it just didn’t help me there.
The acne is likely a bacteria die-off symptom.
You shouldn’t be writing articles like this without the proper research as some people will follow you and stop treatment which could lead to a much shorter or painful life
I had SIBO/leaky gut, you have to learn a lot to get through since e the doctors aren’t trained in the UK and you have to self diagnose/treat.
I was 8 stone, 2 below my minimum weight so I lost a lot of muscle, yellow from my liver working too hard to keep up with leaky gut and had a long list of undesirable symptoms.
It can get bad if you don’t know what to eat or why. Taking a probiotic is a good thing in a lot of cases.
You took a 4 billion to start with? I would take a 250/500 million to start as die-off symptoms (although a good sign, for sibo at least) can be harsh.
I take a 50 billion, I was so scared of timing and had as much time off from the doctor as I wanted so I went straight into a 50 billion and lived with the die-off.
I had:
Muscle Aches
Chills
Headaches
Skin Irritation
Excess Mucus Production
Brain Fog
Increased GI Problems
Start off with a simple acidophilus (small dose 250-500) and then work in a bifidobacterium of a similar dose, increase dose after a while, then add in more strains if desired (this is what I would recommend, you can go for any dose or strains you like, I now take a varied 50 billion)
You can also take enzymes for the lactose and see if you still react, it could be the A2 casien protein giving you a reaction or a whey intolerance (get some A1 milk or goat milk if you do react and retest)
I’m allowing your comment as I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinions especially when it involves personal experiences. However, I will like to point out that I did not encourage nor state anywhere that anyone who is dependant on probiotics should stop taking it just because they get some acne. The use of probiotics for the health of the gut is well documented medically. I was merely documenting my personal experience while offering no medical advice. That said, thank you for your input. I do not have any medical condition that requires me to take probiotics and I’ve thus far gotten by without having to take it. But your experience may help someone else.
I had to comment here as I have experienced the exact same thing. Started taking probiotics and within a day or two started experiencing the most painful large cystic pimples. I eat clean, ketogenic and very little dairy, and I find the “bacteria die-off” comment quite ignorant. I did some reading and googled the issue and it seems well documented that probiotics in excess can cause acne in some people. I think someone else ought to do some research…….
Great blog!
I had the same experience with the writer as well. Some people advised me to take probiotics saying it can help with my digestion and my acne. But I noticed that ever since I started taking it, I was having horrible cystic breakouts but I didnt stop taking it because I thought it wasnt the cause but then I decided to stop. My acne started to heal and my breakouts weren’t as bad as before.
I too have been breaking out with cystic acne. I have been taking probiotics every day for a month now and have terrible acne. Which I haven’t had since a teenager. I am going to stop taking probiotics starting tomorrow. I guess some people have this reaction.
I normally have very clear skin (even when I was a teen) and after being on probiotics for a week, I have up to 6 new breakouts DAILY!! I’m soo upset as they’re painful and unsightly. After doing my own research, I, too, am stopping these probiotics. Loved your article. Thank you!
I have been breaking out on the jaw line and chin which is an unusual area for me. This started after I took probiotics. Also a cystic pimple in Odd area.
I had your same experience acne got way worse and so terrible!
I have the same problem!!! I suddenly thought it might be the probiotics which is how I found your post. Are you doing anything else to help with good bacteria since you stopped taking probiotics?
I started my beautiful daughter on these and she went from having the most beautiful skin to looking like she was burned in a fire! I wish I could post a picture because we have put them in a chronological order and you would NOT believe it unless you see it.
My question is did all these people take a dairy probiotic or non dairy?! Because dairy probiotics break everyone out. And that high of dose causes more issues. It depends also if you are taking prebiotic too..I also can say probiotics have a die off if you have candida or SIBO like I did.
I recently started taking probiotics with prebiotic and vitamin B. I normally suffer from back acne but since taking it, I have been getting acne on my neck and chest that is quite painful (cystic acne). I think I have candida so I will stick with them until the end of the month and see what happens. I don’t like the acne but the other side effects like brain fog and headaches are much more concerning to me.
I took none dairy probioticand had huge breakouts. I dont think it’s the dairy source
This article should have emphasized that it was your experience because this is very misleading to people. Die off symptoms are very real and can be a sign of healing during a new probiotic regimine.
it does say that…quite a few times. Also, it never suggests others should stop
The blog is based on her experiences. I read it and understood that from the beginning.. After all, this is a personal blog; who else’s experiences would it be based on? Her writing and findings are quite clear.
I am a 54 year old woman who started taking Keifer after raving reviews from family and friends, unfortunately I ended up with acne , my whole face particularly my chin is covered in painful spots, if you had not wrote this article I would never have thought it could be the “miracle drink, “ thank you, as for the person saying you shouldn’t express your opinion,
Knowing side effects is as important as knowing the positive effects,
Same here! 54 started taking Probiotics and had horrible cystic acne. since I’ve started. Very painful couldn’t even sleep on the side of my face. Not worth it.
Snap! i’m so glad i’ve read this – now the question is do i continue with them to see if it runs it course or do i stop. I’m already bothered with rosacea and this is adding to the problem ….as already mentioned cysts and sore spots.
Yup my derm mentioned how the hormones from the cows (all the stuff they feed them) has been scientifically proven to worsen acne. He cited some medical journal and advised me not to take so much beef, milk etc for my acne =/
*I’m new to your blog ParisB and am enjoying every post!
Hi,
I have to say…I’m experiencing BAD acne since I have started probiotics. I was trying to clean up my digestive system, but it seems the more I ingest of the stuff the worse my skin gets!!! Tomorrow will be my first day off them and I will see what happens, but this week has been so awful w the painful acne I’ve been experiencing!
Update???
I too took a probiotic for 10 months to help my IBS and as I thought it was helping it was worsening my acne and it also made my sleeping problem WORSE!! Which no one tells you. I also still had regular bouts of painful diarrhea too while on it. I cant win!
I’m not sure how to post on her blog so I’m replying here.
I started using Perfectly Probiotics about 3 weeks ago, and my face is broke out. Not horrificly bad like some of these posts, but enough that it’s irritating and made me do a search (wound up here). I’m going to tough it out and see if it goes away. If I get any in my eyes or mouth, though, I will stop them immediately. :-/
I don’t know how to reply to her blog either but I just recently discovered that my probiotics were the culprit behind my painful, cystic, chin acne. I found this out by default when I ran out of probiotic pills. I kept post poning buying them and in that time my acne completely went away! Sadly, the red marks from the deep cysts remain but those will go away with time. I’m so happy I discovered this because it was really starting to get me down on what it could be. I’m healthy, I eat right, not extremely stressed so it was a mystery. I’m glad I’m not the only one who discovered probiotics were the cause!
Oh my goodness!! I am almost in tears reading this post and all of your comments. This is the substantiation I have been searching for! I never had terrible skin until I hit 18 and then was able to heal it with simple natural products. All has been well, except the occasional breakout, until recently. I’ve always eaten a healthy diet but I decided to up my health game and try a probiotic about a month ago. Since then I’ve had horrendous cystic acne on my chin! I have been racking my brain to figure out what is going on as I haven’t changed much in this time. I still use simple natural skincare, eat a pretty healthy diet and exercise regularly. I’m even on the pill, so I’m thinking this really shouldn’t be happening! Anyhow, the main change is the intro of probiotics. Now reading all of this I am going to try to stop and see what happens. Thank you all for sharing, and wish me luck!!
I recently took about 5 probiotics pearls. My skin went crazy! It has been 5 weeks and I still am experiencing tiny breakouts on my lower cheeks.
Same boat on not knowing how to reply, but ive been on a probiotic for about 2 months now and my acne has gotten worse than its ever been in my life, I am on the pill so i know its not hormonal, I live a reletivly stress free and active life style, I even cut out dairy and most refined sugars from about a month after I started takimg the probiotic because i thought it was those things irritating my acne. It finally clicked that the first thing that changed before my acne got bad was the probiotic. I have so many scars now from not being able to control them and im so happy I found this article before it could get worse.
This could be die-off symptoms, read up on them first or go to my comment further up when it passes moderation (or if since I told her she shouldn’t have wrote this article but hopefully she can just edit that out)
I’m taking probiotics for the same reason my whole face is broke out really bad. Did you stop using or change to another product??
Yes, same thing happened to me.
I had the Probiotics with yogurt and 2 days later broke out on my arms and chest area.
Literally dozens of acne pimples.
Looked it up and discovered I took too much of the probiotics- my fault- but it can happen if you’re NOT careful.
As my son doesn’t drink milk we thought we would try him on actimel and he seemed to like it so we have been giving him one a day as breakfast for the past 6 or so years ….. but he has also been suffering from spots on his face for the same amount of time….. a year and half ago he was finally diagnosed with Acne …. I was completely shocked and questioned it as he had them since he was around 6 Years old. If I use the creams they prescribed it seems to make everything worse and very painful for him. He is now going through puberty and is very tall for his age…… I have tried everything and spend hours researching the internet. I did however wonder if it was an allergy to something and the Actimel stood out as he started drinking that around the same time the spots started…… after reading this I think I will stop it for a couple of weeks and see if that makes a difference to his skin.
So glad I found this article! I was trying out Truvani glorious gut probiotics to see if it would help my digestion. No breakouts but no real difference noticed in my digestion. I got through the bottle and decided to take one of the “cheapy” probiotics I had been using to make my homemade coconut yogurt. Holy Moly! My stomach was on flat flat with the increased waist elimination. I thought, “hmmm, what will two of these Pb8 probiotics a day do?” They broke me out on the forehead and by my nose. I have great skin so any eruptions are always caused by something I’ve ingested. I decided to by a more expensive fermented prebiotic and probiotic combo, Dr. Ohira brand. I experienced the chin acne a lot of others who’ve commented on here has experienced. Before the O’hira probiotics came I experimented with taking the Pb8 twice a week (just one pill each time). No breakouts and a little improved regularity. I think I will go back to that.
Oh my goodness, that’s horrible! I haven’t taken any probiotics in my life even though doc recommends it. All the more reason to stay away from it now. Do you think it is getting rid of the bad toxins in your body and if you continued, everything will clear up? Well, actually, even if it’s the case, I wouldn’t wait around to find out 😉
I know! Everyone recommends it but after this experience, I’m not going to try it again bah! What a way to figure it out. I did read sometimes it maybe the bad toxins coming to the surface etc. but I wasn’t prepared to stick it out and find out 😛
Paris B…The reason the probiotices make your skin break out is because you have a bacteria in your colon that is trying to get out and the probiotics are killing it off so its escaping thru your skin.
Taking Probiotics doesnt do this to everybody…only those with a bacteria infection.
I suggest you persevere with the Probiotics, otherwise this bacteria will come back to haunt you with another illness later on…It has to be destroyed.
Wow. That is the most uninformed statement I have read in a while. A bad bacteria in your gut is trying to escape through your skin? Really? And yet only through the sin on your face? Wow, that’s an odd escape route from the gut, lol.
I’m on this page because I, too, broke out with horrible acne multiple times in the past few weeks. It seemed random, but now I’m realizing that it corresponded to my drinking kombucha!! I had no idea this could be a side effect. 🙁
I don’t usually break out. I might get an occasional pimple, but nothing like what’s been happening lately. I’ve tried everything (changing sheets, combing through what I’ve eaten to see if it’s an allergy, etc.) . The only consistent factor to these seemingly random breakouts is the damn kombucha. I drank Dr. Brew brand each time.
Anyway, I’m going to stop drinking the stuff and see if my skins improves.
My son just started drinking Kefir and has broken out in a rash on his legs, arms and cheeks. I found several articles that suggest this happens during the initial “cleansing out” phase when starting probiotics. Ive attached one of the sites.
Totally not uniformed. I have been diagnosed with a Candida overgrowth (bad bacteria). I did an initial stage of die off (not eating sugar, starches, carbs, etc), got acne during that time. Then stabalized, moved onto anti-fungal treatment to further kill off the bad stuff, got acne again, then cleared up. Now adding in probiotics and having acne again, i expect in a few weeks it will clear up as the good bacteria has a chance to start taking over from the bad. There is plenty of information available that Candida overgrowth causes a host of problems, including acne, as as you kill it you have varying detox symptoms as the body deals with it in a bunch of different ways.
Did it clear up? I have the same thing going on with me.
My brother breaks out when taking vitamins due to the capsule containing cellulose (derived from corn)
Candida is yeast/fungus, not bacteria. It over grows when your “good” bacteria is depleted. In such case, both fungus and “bad” bacteria run rampant.
can i ask how long you had to refrain from eating sugar, starch and carbs to get through the first stage of die-off? i think i may be in the same boat. after a bout of pneumonia and taking antibiotics i just started to taking probiotics because i just never quite felt back to 100% as before.
i just started taking probiotics this week and i’m experiencing the chin cysts already but I’m willing to ride it out as long as this bacteria is expelled – and if you could tell me an estimate of how long it took you it would be the light at the end of the tunnel!
another helpful resource i might add is: books by the Medical Medium (Blog), this guy Anthony William makes a strong case for the streptcoccous- something-something bacteria being the underlying cause behind acne (all acne – even hormonal) – maybe something worth looking into for anyone as desperate as I! (I bought my celery juice today)
thanks in advance for the info!
This is me too. Everytime I drink kombucha I break out with horrible painful acne.
I am a 73 year old healthy female that started drinking kombucha about 18 months ago. After about a month, I started experiencing acne breakouts on my chin. As time went on, the cystic acne outbreaks spread to my shoulders, then eventually to my chest and back. Please know that I have NEVER had skin issues prior to starting the kombucha. As a matter of fact, people frequently commented on how beautiful my complexion was for a women my age. After about 9 months of dealing with these outbreaks, despite acne treatment medications, I started to question if the kombucha could be the cause, so I stopped drinking it and the acne outbreaks started slowing down and my skin finally cleared up.
Months later, my grandson came to visit for a week, during his spring break from college. Knowing he loves kombucha, I purchased a couple bottles and put them in the fridge. During that week I also drank about 4 ounces on two separate occasions feeling confident that the small amount would be just fine!! Boy, was I wrong!! By the end of that week I had one breakout on my chin and 3 large cystic acne breakouts on each shoulder. I am TOTALLY convinced that kombucha was the culprit!!! Thank you for sharing your story.
My dad’s arms broke out, and he said that he thinks it’s the bacteria (as you said). My face is broke out. I’m going to persevere, as well. I agree with you.
Yes i agree with you??
I thought the same thing but am stopping probiotics to see if my normally clear skin stops breaking out.
I am experiencing the same breakouts with probiotics yet in totally helps my digestive problems! ?
Third time and type tried.
1st type no breakouts don’t recall brand as they were given to me by sister in law.
2nd type tried in 2015 as well and cystic type acne came out nowhere like in twenties so stopped right away.
3rd type gummies and used to combat effects from amoxicillin and again great for digestive. Little small acne bumps all over face though.
Your correct in saying it could be the toxins being flushed out 🙂
It’s likely to be bacteria die-off symptoms and they are a good sign in a lot of cases but you should start off on a lower strength probiotic to minimise them.
She started on a 4 billion, judging by the picture. I would recommend a 250/500 million and an acidophilus base.
Probiotics saved my life ^-^
Thank you so much to the author and the commentors of this article! In my case I think for me, it was the milk AND the probiotics!
Even though I’m not lactose intolerant, I noticed that whenever I ate cereal, I’d get terrible cystic acne the next. I narrowed it down to the cause being the milk (not the the cereal food). And my skin’s been going great for a while having avoided milk but then I about two weeks ago I began to have a craving for Yakult (milk with probiotics) to the point that I drank it every day… and gradually my skin got worse than when I had ONLY drank milk! I just woke up to my second breakout after three months of good skin :(( and that’s when I immediately looked it up (and now here I am!)
I should just quit milk altogether….
I personally only take probiotics after taking antibiotics and that sort of thing, to put back in what was possibly killed, you know? But I think anything we put into our bodies can cause acne, or not, everyone’s skin is just so different. It’s why I hate things that claim to be “non-comedogenic” because that’s really a person-to-person thing. I think we just have to be careful of only introducing one new thing at a time, so it’s easier to figure out what the cause of a breakout/reaction is, that seems to be the only way around this stuff.
I agree with you totally! We are all built differently so there’s no way we can say that one thing works for everyone. What it may work for is the majority but there will always be exceptions. I’ve gone back to taking fish oil. Working well for me!
I’ve been reading your various posts on acne and thought I’d share this.
I’ve had acne since my student days in the UK. Fast forward to today, I’m almost 50 years old and still have acne. My breakouts are mainly around the chin area, which everyone says it hormone-related. Well, I went for my routine check up and my gynae confirmed that I have fibroids, which basically mean my body produces too much of female hormones. Sad thing, I’m due for surgery soon to remove my womb and I’m hoping that despite this bleak diagnosis, my problem with acne will finally be over. So ladies, do go for regular checkups.
Thank you for sharing! I will agree that a chronic and long lasting problem may signal that something is wrong internally and should get checked out. Im sorry to hear of your impending surgery 🙁 I hope it will not only solve your acne problem, but also any other medical issues related to it.
It could be the probiotics detoxify toxins from ur body…and the only way those particular toxins to come out is unfortunately it chose ur face its exit and as pimples.
Yup! That’s what I read too but I wasn’t keen to stick it out and find out. Partly, most people who did experience breakouts had small pimples that went away after a few days. I was having painful cystic acne that was getting worse everyday. When I stopped, it got better. Didn’t want to risk staying on it 🙂 could just be me though 😉
I had the exact same experience. Started taking probiotics about 3 months ago. The past six to eight weeks have been horrible. I’ve never had good skin, but these chin pimples were huge, hard and cystic. One after another and I haven’t been able to figure out what is going on. Today it hit me – maybe it’s the probiotics! I’m stopping today and we will see. Thanks so much for the post because I thought maybe I was the only one.
That’s how I felt too cause I experienced the same thing,,. Terrible breakouts. But they really were helpin my stomach. So I’m tryin to find an alternative now. If you have any insight let me know ?
I too wish can find 1st brand tried didn’t break me out.
Don’t recall name and last two have.
Cystic before
Now only little pimple type acne not bad if it was temporary I know it will go away
I realize this blog post has been around for awhile but thought I’d comment anyway. I have also had the problem with cystic acne being caused by probiotics, in yogurt and also in a green superfood powder containing probiotics that I was drinking for a little while. I also didn’t want to continue the probiotics if they were going to cause painful (and ugly!) cystic acne!
I agree. If you look up the candida diet, a lot of people push out toxins from die off which can come out through your skin if you start with too many probiotics right off the bat and aren’t taking supplements to help with the detox such as molybdenum or drinking lots of water. It’s best to gradually introduce probiotics to prevent die-off (starting with 10 bu then gradually increasing from there). Probiotics made me break out for a little while, but then when the candida finally receded my skin was clear as ever and I am full of energy that I’ve never had before! They have also helped me with a lot of digestive issues and milk intolerance (I was seeing how you were saying that the yogurt wasn’t helping and it’s because most of the bacteria don
t make it past your stomach acids, so you have to include bacteria in capsuled form 😉 ).
How long did it take for your skin to clear up?
It’s been a couple months for me and no changes…
Hi! How does your acne went away finally?
I think I’ll try to ease up I have gummies and was taking 2-4 a day.
I’ll drop it down to 1 see how skin and digestive system react. Then maybe try 2 at most a day. I hope it works
I read lentils are a good source of molybdenum.. I’ve had kefir for a week and today 2 spots have appeared. i’m going to have a diet change to more of a candida one… going to keep going with kefir but less of it .. might experiment with water kefir asit might be the full fat milk I’ve been drinking a lot more of this past week
Yea, that is fine if it eventually goes away, but I have been having problems with sever Acme for over a year now, and I am thinking it is might be because of the pro-biotics I take after reading this article. For those of you jumping on this lady, realize that every body is different, and they react differently to the same things. So if you have not had this problem and found pro-biotics helpful, congrats. But don’t bash those of us trying to figure out why we have severe acme at the age of 42 when we didn’t even have it this bad as a teen.
I never knew probiotics could help or stop acne. Good post!
It helps with digestion primarily so I guess the helping to cure acne problems maybe a positive side effect 🙂
Maybe because the probiotics were cultured in milk? To people who are allergic to milk and that might cause problem. I am taking probiotics too, and you just reminded me to test if it is causing the random acnes I am having lately, because I am lactose intolerant 🙁
That’s an interesting point! I am slightly lactose intolerant although my intolerance manifests mostly in stomach indigestion. I can’t recall if I got acne due to eating dairy foods, to be honest! But it could be a reason!
sorry to hear what happened, but i guess at least it’s spots that you can deal with, though it’s quite a long healing process.
am just starting to take probiotics that’s included in cereals, hopefully i don’t get any adverse effect!
Probiotics in cereals usually don’t come in such high doses so I guess you’re safe 🙂 its a horrible healing process 🙁
My sister had the same problem and she did stick out for weeks and her skin turn out well after that.
But I don’t have the same optimistic level as her and don’t want to go through weeks of hell to have a clearer skin (yes, that’s a lot of negative in one sentence).
I think my skin is alright at the moment and I am perfectly fine with having occasional spots and dealing it with continuous using serum.
Hats off to your sister! I’m afraid that like you, I’m not prepared to try sticking it for weeks in the hope something good will come out of it. What if it only gets worse! *gasp* I’m very happy with my skin now too *touchwood* just got to get rid of this damned spot and I’m good 🙂
i love yakult and it would be a shame if it causes acne. i can’t go one day without it. but so far, i didn’t have any breakouts on my chin lately. *knocks on wood*
I am just curious.. you took probiotics in the morning and by evening a pimple popped out? that’s pretty fast.. i thought it takes much longer for the pimple to surface actually..
Yup, within a day. It might have been an unfortunate coincidence but I wasn’t waiting to see if it was! None others have popped up since I stopped though. But it’s good to know it works for you. My family can’t understand either lol!
I can completely relate to the acne around the chin line while taking probiotics. After taking them for years, this is new for me. I actually get itchiness on my forehead from breaking out with little pimples, also, then the painful cystic ones along my chin. Once before I stopped taking all my supplements and my skin cleared up. After some experimenting, I thought it was my fish oil or Vit D. Now I’ve stopped the probiotics and no new eruptions or itchiness. Once this break out has cleared up, I’m not going to go back on probiotics again unless through food. Thanks for sharing since there wasn’t much info regarding this online.
I must say this is an informative site on probiotics. Thank you Paris!!!
I tried probiotics almost two years ago. I took two pills, and It really helped my stomach pain. However, The VERY NEXT DAY I developed a cyst on my chin! Just for the record, I have great looking skin. At any rate, I checked online for probiotics side-effects AND customers reviews regards to acne… they all stated the same thing “it helps acne”. Although, I was sure that probiotics caused the problem, because I monitor my intake… I continued to take them – as instructed- for a few more days and my acne worsen. I immediately stopped taking the pills and my skin started to clear up and the breakouts ceased.
Long story short, last night (1/19/17) I had stomach pain – very bloated, so I took two probiotics within an hour my belly felt GREAT, once again, I woke up this morning … Friday, January 20, 2017. with a cyst on my chin and bump on neck:-(… This is a sad to say, but I rather deal with the bloating than acne. I just refuse to take another pill.
I’m baffled … not one Probiotics costumer posted acne problems.
If anyone finds a probiotic that doesn’t cause breakouts, please share! It works wonders for stomach problems.
When I was a teeny tiny kid, I love love love Vitagen. Now, I just can’t stand the sweetness. Drives me nuts!
I don’t purposely take any form of probiotics. But I do like plain yogurt with fruits every not and then. Probably once a week. So, I hope that’s not too much for my skin. 😛
I haven’t had vitamin for years?! Haha I do like taking it though but only in th original flavor and only if it’s very chilled. I wonder if it’ll make me break out too? It probably doesn’t have as many bacteria as the capsules I was taking. I stopped taking yoghurt due to lactose intolerance. Surprisingly, the probiotics in it didn’t help with that!
I’m so sorry about your experience 🙁 I personally do take a capsule of probiotics daily and have been for the last 5 years as I have a very horrible digestive system. Mine is kinda inherited ( mum, sis & bro have it too) and it has been a God send for me.
I guess it works differently for us all 🙂 I’m glad it helps with your digestion though. It’s so important to have the digestive system working properly right? Really bothersome otherwise!
Hi Paris,
I’ve been a reader for a loooong time, but haven’t gotten a chance to comment.
I have the most problematic (asian) skin – sensitive, oily, dehydrated, extremely prone to redness!! I can’t even use Clarisonic for 2 days in a row, without getting a breakout!! On good weeks, I can probably use the Clarisonic twice a week… and that’ the max, before my skin screams murder!!
I’ve been taking probiotics for a few years, mainly to help with my gastric problem. On good months when i diligently take my probiotics day and night, my skin actually cleared up. My skin has only gotten worst when I OD on sugar and dairy, coupled with Probiotics. I’m a sugar-fiend, and cutting back on sugar is worst than someone taking away all my credit & debit cards. So while I think Probiotics may not be for everyone, cutting back on sugar and dairy definitely has brought about significant changes to my skin!! Perhaps you can take the probiotics 1st thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, with lots of water.
Hi there! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I think it’s so interesting how we all have different experiences with everything so it’s educational to hear from others, good or bad! 😀 cutting back on sugar and dairy wasn’t hard for me because I don’t eat much of either 😉 I was taking the probiotics first thing in the morning with water. I guess it’s just not for me 🙁
PARIS! you are right! i cannot take not only probiotics, but any form of supplements, be it zinc, vitamin b, vitamin c or multivites, it makes me skin go STARK RAVING mad as well! absofreakinglutely crazy!!!
Wow! It’s nice to know I’m not alone 😛 I can take oat supplements but am taking fish oil now. That shouldn’t be horrible for your skin right?
oh yeah fish oil so far has been ok for me, but really nothing else. man i tell u the zinc ones last time murdered my skin!
Watch out! Fish oil or any high omega 3 supplement or foods give me the worst possible cystic acne. Every time. Its nuts. Within a week i will have 5 huge cysts and more coming. Omega 3s are supposed to help acne but i have to go easy on all fish oil and even chia and hemp ?
Yup, probiotics doesnt work for me either 🙁 they always made my stomach upsets and it goes on for weeks before my stomach settle down. But I never heard the side effects that you had either, so I guess probiotics arent that wonderful and suitable to everybody. Sucks!
I’m sort of glad to know that you can’t take probiotics either. Well, not glad that you cant but glad that I’m not alone 🙂 I think we all react differently to different things.
Hi, I just wanted to add to this discussion what I recently experienced, taking a Probiotic. During the last 3 days or so, I’ve noticed raised “Air bumps” or Whelps on the inside of my left arm, the only place they appear. Being a 3 time Breast Cancer Survivor, I do take many medications to manage both my resultant chronic pain and other ailments that accompany age (64 1/2). Anyway, a Doctor I saw yesterday called what he saw were “Hives” but the description of Hives and what I was seeing on my arm did not match, in any manner at all. But I do kind of remember seeing these “bumps” some time ago while taking the same Probiotic. So, I just thought I’d add my two cents to the discussion to see if anyone else had had such a experience. Replys would be helpful..Thanks Much
I took probiotics that were all natural soy and gluten free bought from Costco. Happy at first my stomach feels great, then after 2 weeks I noticed my feet itched horrible. I thought yucky fungus and washed and put lotions and medicine, but then my legs and wrists,,, I thought mosquitoes,, gnats,, bedbugs! Washed and cleaned and searched… Then welts everywhere and I realized it would be impossible to be so many bites without seeing any bugs,,,, then it occurred that it all began when I started taking the pills. So I quit 1 week ago, but the itching continues. Mostly wrists and top of feet now, hopefully next week it will be over!?
What you have is actually a disease which called Lichen planus.
Very itchy on the rists, legs and under the feet.
It is an autoimmune disorder, caused by Leaky gut syndrome “most of the time”
It could be adrinline fatigue, a lot of stress, or Vitamins deficiency.
I don’t think that your problem is caused by probiotics.
Be careful and find a doctor really fast.
Hope you get better!
This is a bit bizarre for me to read… as the I thought the science behind the concept of probiotics helping skin was pretty sound – eg – http://www.optibacprobiotics.co.uk/resource-centre/faq/category-precise-conditions/46-can-probiotics-help-with-acne-or-spots.html – granted this is written BY a probiotics company haha!
You mention you were taking them with water – but were you drinking lots of water Paris ? I suppose if they work they could displace toxins in the body so its necessary to make a real effort to flush these out..?
I don’t doubt the science behind it, but I will have to say that as with all medicine/supplements every body will react differently. There are people online who I’ve found had similar results which leads me to my conclusion that it isn’t something I’m willing to take. Yes, I was taking a lot of water but it never got better, only worse and it cleared up when I stopped taking the probiotics so I guess that answered my question 🙂
Paris, I also break out really bad with anything that has probiotics in it. My sister does too.. We think it’s a genetic thing. Sad part is that I keep trying them because I love healthy things and detoxing my body… I already have really bad acne as it is, but taking probiotics in pill form, drinking kombucha or kefir; you name it, I break out everytime! And just like you, I get the cysts.. It’s no fun!
Hi Karen B, I’m sorry to hear of your experience but I’m sort of relieved I’m not alone in this! I guess we belong in the minority here
My daughter is going through the same exact thing . We are waiting on testing with autoimmune dr and in the meantime we were trying to heal her gut with probiotics . Her face has been a mess within 24 hours of starting them . I had no idea they could cause this until I started reading more . We are stopping today and hoping her face heals quickly .
I just call my term, to see if she can change my prescription I take oral meds for my acne made my skin so clear pimple free, i was recently told by my family Dr to take a probiotic everyday, i started going to the bathroom regular but my face started to break out so bad, i have been trying to figure out why all of a sudden this happened, I was online looking for a new Derm Dr thinking the one I have wasn’t for me but after reading i now believe its the probiotics… I won’t take for a few days and see what happens. Thanks for the information.
Paris, I’m with you!, I am in my early 50’s and have had no problem with acne except for an occasional pimple every 6 months, or so… For the past couple of months, I have been experiencing large, cyst like breakouts on my chin, along with rash like, bumpy break outs on my forehead, scalp and cheeks, along the hairline. I couldn’t figure out why it was happening because I haven’t changed any routine in my skincare, haircare or diet. EXCEPT, I starting taking a probiotic every day a few months ago!!! Today, I am convinced it’s the probiotic, and will update you in a couple of weeks to let you know if the break outs have stopped!
Thanks for sharing your story Cindy! I hope your breakouts stop once you stop the probiotics! Apparently, whilst it may be good for the general populace, some of us can’t handle it!
I’ve only been taking probiotics for a week and they were helping my digestion so much, but now my face is braking out with spots that look like pin point blood spots, Not blisters. So now I don’t know what to do, except quit the probiotics.
Please let me know your results I’m having the same issues. Thanks