In the world of supplements and natural healing, probiotics are suddenly the new black.   Their effectiveness at treating gut health is pretty well documented, and I can personally attest to their benefits.

I’ve been using probiotics for some time to assuage gastrointestinal distress and general yuckiness that seems to plague my temperamental tummy, and I can always tell when I’ve gotten lax on taking them. Suddenly I look about 3 months pregnant and feel like a beached whale. Doesn’t that paint a pretty picture? Suffice it to say, probiotics are my new best friend.

But according to Christine Lang, Managing director of OrganoBalance, new research is finding that probiotics may be the next big thing in skin health as well.

The potential benefits of skin probiotics would depend on how each microorganism is selected, and the specific effects that they have on the skin.

It’s not much of a stretch, says Dr. Mercola, who has documented several studies where probiotics seem to reduce the risk of eczema in infants and children.

He goes on to say:

You needn’t wait for a cosmetics company to develop a special probiotic skin care line to take advantage of these benefits, on your skin or elsewhere in your body.

In addition to probiotic supplements, cultured foods like kefir and yogurt and cheeses made from raw milk, as well as fermented foods are great sources of probiotics and should be an integral part of every nourishing diet.

Right now this is all very new, but I’m definitely keeping an eye on emerging research on probiotic benefits for skin health.