Is Gluten Bad For Your Skin?

Gluten is a type of protein that is found in grains, including wheat, barley, and rye. It contains two primary proteins, glutenin, and gliadin, with gliadin causing most of the adverse health effects experienced by people who are negatively affected by gluten. Gluten is found mainly in wheat.

The two proteins found in gluten make the dough have an elastic quality that makes wheat-based products rise during baking and give them their texture.  Too much gluten has been found to have adverse effects on the body and the skin. For people who are gluten intolerant, they will suffer more serious effects of gluten on their skin. Gluten affects many gluten intolerant people or who have a wheat allergy and other diseases such as celiac disease. However, if you do not have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, it will not affect your skin.

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Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is the most severe form of intolerance of gluten with the most symptoms. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that reacts to gluten as a danger to the body. When you eat gluten, the immune system interprets it as a threat to the body and attacks it and the stomach lining. This attack of the immune system causes damage to the stomach lining, which affects the ability of the body to absorb nutrients, and deficiencies begin to occur. Because of this, the skin starts to get affected because it is not getting the nutrients it needs.

Your skin needs to get vitamins and proteins that help build the skin cells to be healthy and vitamins that provide nutrients. Proteins such as collagen and keratin help the skin to remain smooth and supple, which helps slow down the development of wrinkles. Vitamins have antioxidants that reduce inflammations on the skin and help the skin produce natural oil so that it is not dry. There may be skin issues such as eczema, acne, psoriasis, and very dry skin with celiac disease. You can get relief from these skin conditions if you opt to eat a gluten-free diet.

Eczema

Eczema is a skin disease that causes inflamed red and scaly areas to develop on the ski. These areas will often be itchy and, once itched, painful. It is also known as atopic dermatitis (AD). People with eczema are likely to be gluten allergic compared to those who do not have eczema. When gluten was eliminated, and they went on a wheat-free diet, the symptoms of eczema significantly reduced. It has made doctors find a relationship between eczema and gluten, and a gluten-free diet helps manage the skin condition.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) is a skin rash that is formed by small bumps on the skin. It is itchy and causes bumps and lesions on the skin. It is another symptom of celiac disease, and it is caused by the body's immune system reacting to the gluten in the body. With a gluten-free diet, your skin will clear, and the rash will not form on the skin since the immune system is not reacting to the perceived threat.

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Hives

Hives can occur on the skin of people who have celiac disease. Hives are bumps on the skin that are itchy. They are also known as urticaria. Hives also will form because of the body's immune system to gluten. Similar to DH, hives will drastically reduce and disappear with a gluten-free diet.‍

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin condition where the skin develops red, scaly patches of dry and rough skin. Scientists discovered that people who have stomach inflammation issues are also likely to suffer from psoriasis. People who suffer from this skin condition are likely to be gluten intolerant rather than the gluten intolerance causing psoriasis. Scientists have also found that psoriasis people are likely to have more antibodies that attack gluten than people without the disease. They have thought there is a relation between psoriasis and celiac disease occurrence though the relationship is not clear. But it is likely to be genetic since both diseases are autoimmune.‍

Rosacea

Rosacea is a skin condition that results in red inflammatory patches on the face. Rosacea develops from celiac disease because it comes from bacterial imbalances in the stomach. People who suffer from gluten intolerance tend to have stomach issues because of the stomach lining being affected. With a gluten-free diet, doctors have found that patients' skin improved, and the symptoms disappeared.