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
Shane says
It’s incredible to come across this post AND the comments that support my exact same thought. I too started taking probiotocs 1 week ago, taking a higher count of bacteria, and taking 3 capsules a day. 4 days after starting i shaved and was shocked at how many pimples along my jaw line. Some hard too. So ive been battling them for a few days and woke up this morning and thought, gee, i wonder if its the probiotics so i googled it.
You’re definitly on to something. I will cease for now, then maybe just try 1 capsule/day.
HollyD says
I experienced the exact same thing you described in your blog! I went on a mission trip to Honduras in March and came back with some stomach issues and began taking probiotics. I researched to find the best recommended ones and started taking them immediately. It helped my stomach problems for the most part except for slight constipation. What I did notice was my face breaking out with big cysts, mainly on my chin but also around my nose! I had changed my face regiment products so thought it could be that so changed all of that. My face only got worse. And then, similar to you I woke up today and thought \”I wonder if it\’s the probiotic\”. So I googled the question and found this information. I\’m so relieved to find this because I\’ve been dealing with this for two months! I stopped taking it this morning and am expecting good results!
Kristina says
I’ve been taking probiotics for about 2 weeks now and all of a sudden I have been getting the most painful cystic acne ever! At first I thought hormonal (near my period) but now I’m not so sure. I currently have 5 . . . 5!!! Very painful cystic active bumps 🙁 oh so sad. I actually took the probiotics to help with my mild acne and now it’s worse. I think I will stop and see if it clears up. Glad I found this post.
Mihaela says
I’m so glad to see this blog and all these confirming replies. I too, have problems with probiotics. I used to be chronically constipated. Tried probiotics and got the nastiest yeast infection ever and my skin started freaking out. So I quit that in a hurry. I tried it again several times later. Different brands and stuff. Same reaction. I saw my chiro and she have me some pills with magnesium, malic acid and B6. I take 3 in the am and 3 before bed. No problems with constipation at all anymore. I got the flu two months ago. They gave me an antibiotic cause it was taking longer than normal to heal. So I ate Greek yogurt daily. I took the antibiotics just 10 days. But for the past two months, almost daily, I’ve been eating chobani Greek yogurt. I’m broken out like crazy and especially all over my scalp and hairline and on the back of my neck. They itch and hurt at the same time. And it just hit me that it’s got to be the yogurt. It’s similar to probiotics. Gonna take a 2 week hiatus from yogurt. I bet my skin will clear up.
Fernando Perez says
Lindsey, you can try topical probiotics that delivers the spores where the acne is present. You could read about Probiotic Action!
holly says
For the past month my face has been breaking out badly! Like you Michelle I\’ve been getting a lot of little pimples and some hard cystic ones on my chin and forehead. I wasn\’t sure what was causing this bc I\’ve never had acne before unless it was an allergic reaction to medication. Ive been really upset bc i hate that my skin looks this bad. It hit me tonight though! Could the probiotics Im taking be causing my breakout?! Im so glad I found this article bc I just had no idea what was causing all this acne and i really hope it is a simple fix and its being caused by the probiotics especially since i was doubling the dose. Praying that it gets better. Thanks for this awesome article and Im the last person on earth to hear about those Nexcare patches. Im going to get some in the morning! Thanks again!
Lauren says
Yep. Me too. At least, I suspect.
I finally decided to try probiotics and within 36 hrs, I started breaking out with cystic pimples along my jawline and chin, but also in a crease of my earlobe (near the jawline). There is one on my forehead, right on my hairline. After day 3, it dawned on me that it might be the probiotics. I stopped them, the breakouts have stopped and the cysts are slowly clearing up.
I also ended up sick with a horrible sore throat, which may or may or may not be related.
Trish Raven says
That has been my exact experience! I started to take probiotics to help clear up my skin and then I would get breakouts along my jawline. I tried on three different occasions (over the course of 1 year) to give probiotics a try – given all the health benefits and also assuming it was my imagination about the breakouts, but each time, the same breakouts occurred. Very interesting how I\’d breakout either on my chin, or mostly along the jawline – my normal occasional breakouts are usually above my mouth or along the forehead. Anyway I am done with probiotics in pill form, I haven\’t noticed this if I eat/drink yogurt w/ probiotics. Any other recommendation to get benefit from probiotic without taking the pills? Thanks for sharing
cco says
Hi, so glad i found this post. My 5 year old daughter has been getting recurring yeast infections for the past 6 months and i was told that too much sugar could be the cause. So i took her off yakult right away and instead bought her a powdered form of probiotic made for her age group which i might add cost a great deal. After about a week for beautiful little face was covered in red spots around her mouth, chin and cheeks. First, i thought it was the chicken pox so we went to the doctor and they said it wasn\’t but that it was probably just her dry skin ( she gets bouts of eczema at times). So anyways, 3 doctors visits later and they still don\’t know whats causing it. I suspected the new probiotic and asked my doctor what he thought but he wasn\’t buying it. Well i don\’t know but i took her off just yesterday and i will see how she gets on. Wish her luck.
Birgit says
I\’m, you are so lucky you figured out so fast. I ugly, painful sores up both of my legs and arms. I finally went to the doctor when it spread to my back and stomach. Some of my skin will never recover, the top of my feet look like I have huge birthmarks!! People, please do not take this stuff unless you talk to your doctor first. I may never be able to wear a skirt or a dress again!!
Wendy says
Hi, I drink kombucha and have started having the same hard lump cystic acne. I was thinking today the only thing new in my diet in the past few months is fermented foods
Danielle Yates says
I am so happy to have found this article I started probiotics and knew my breakous were from them and like you had a huge place on my jaw line come up. I will never take probiotics again. I do not get breakouts and this one is very painful..
m says
This happened to me just yesterday. Took Yakult and 2 cystic pimples appeared on my jawline. Taking Yakult was the only change in my diet and this was not hormonal. Also, I never get pimples on my jawline. Usually the cheeks.
Nick says
I breakout like crazy after taking probiotics, and the “better” they are – the worse it is. I keep coming back to them because I believe they’re “good” for me and I keep hoping my skin can tolerate them. But it seems like I always have the same experience – whiteheads around my chin and mouth.
I seem to tolerate sauerkraut okay, and some non dairy drinks (Kevita seems okay, I don’t do well with kombucha). But it seems like the stronger the probiotic the worse my reaction is.
I find that some psyllium fiber seems to help my digestion and my skin the way I wish a probiotic would work for me.
It’s refreshing to read these posts – it seems like a lot of people swear it helps their skin. I feel validated that others have had the same experience! Thank you for sharing.
Ellie Robinson says
Hello! I have the exact same experience — I’m getting cystic acne from my probiotic supplement. I found your article when I googled it to see if it is “a thing” or known side effect. I have experienced such a huge improvement in my IBS symptoms that I don’t want to stop taking the probiotic — but the acne is horrible.
I’m planning to stick it out though and see if it clears up after a few weeks. Will let you know!
Also, in the past when I have had bouts of acne, Vitamin B6 (pantothenic acid) supplements have really worked to clear up my skin. I’m going to add that to my current regimen and see if it helps.
sanes says
I recently decided to jump on the probiotic bandwagon buy purchasing Natures bounty Probiotic from costco. After 2 weeks, intense breakout.
Amy says
Thank you so much for this post and blog. I have also been having rough acne problems and I suspect my probiotic. I’ve never had great skin, struggling with acne, but it got better in my 20s. The last few years I’ve been taking different probiotics to help with IBS like issues and I’ve gotten so frustrated with these horrible zits. Some are small all over, others are large, deep and painful. It’s been a struggle. I’m going to test out stopping the probiotic. Thanks for sharing all of your experiences!
JCW says
Yep…. it’s happened to me too.
Started a highly rated probiotic about 8 days ago and my facial skin has gone nuts. I am 52, male, have the occasional pimple, but otherwise very good skin – started probiotics for better health….. Eight days of stomach upset, and breakouts of mammoth proportion – cystic on chin, and zits where I’ve never had them before, a sudden appearance of blackheads, and today a rash that has spread across my face leaving it red and with a burning feeling…..
Not a good time, to say the least. This is the only site I’ve found where others are sharing they’ve had the same issues. That’s the end of probiotics for me – used a cortisone cream on my face this evening to start to counter the rash & hoping all clears up in short order…… Why is there not more information on these negative side effects out there? What I found before this was that things like psoriasis might get worse for a few weeks before getting better, but no mentions of acne or rashes.
Thank you for blogging about this issue – I was starting to feel really desperate and am now confident about what’s causing the issues.
Diana says
I started taking them 4 days and have 2 painful bumps by the vaginal area. My stomach hurts 24/7. I kept thinking what changes have I made. Couldn’t find anything on the Internet until these posts. I’m so glad I didn’t give up. Mine were purchased from SAMs Club, members mark and similar to align. Never again!
Chantal Akkary says
I’m facing this issue at the moment, my face got crazy with acne after starting with probiotic supplements, but the pharmacist told me that it needs time to clean deeply and afterwards my skin will be good as new. waiting to see!