What is and what you can do to reverse it
Does your face appear puffy, dull, or inflamed when you look in the mirror?
Are you plagued by breakouts on and around your chin?
Is your skin tired looking?
If any of these rings true, you might be dealing with “gluten face”. A stressful, chronic frustration that makes you want to avoid mirrors, selfies, and even socializing.
But with the right support, your gluten face can be a problem of the past.
The Distressing Signs of Gluten Face
Whether or not you realize it, consuming even microscopic amounts of gluten can show on your face.[1,2] Though it’s not a technical medical term, “gluten face” affects many people—and they’re commiserating on social media.
Even if you weren’t aware you had an issue with gluten, this pervasive protein can trigger facial problems including:
- Redness
- Puffiness
- Inflamed-looking skin
- Pimples, especially around your chin
- Discoloration
- Dull, tired-looking skin
- Patchiness
- Itchiness
- Bloated or swollen-looking facial appearance
Any of these unpleasant signs and symptoms can indicate that your body is dealing with a gluten problem. So if you’ve been feeling like your face doesn’t look like you anymore, the reason could be gluten.
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What Shows Up on Your Skin Starts with Gluten in Your Gut
Gluten is a surprisingly destructive protein, which sounds weird since it’s in so many bland foods like toast and noodles. It’s actually a mix of the main proteins, gliadin and glutenin, found in grains like wheat, rye, and barley.[3]
Those proteins can resist the standard digestive enzymes in your digestive tract. That means it doesn’t get fully broken down and neutralized the way other proteins do.[4] In fact, no humans can fully and completely digest gluten.[5]
The best your body can do is break down gluten proteins into smaller pieces called peptides. Those peptides might be smaller, but they still act like gluten. And they cause physical reactions, especially if you’re one of the millions of people with some level of gluten sensitivity.[6]
Those reactions start in your digestive system, mainly in your gut. That’s because gluten causes leaky gut in almost everyone.
The Gluten-Leaky Gut-Skin Connection
Your gut has a protective barrier that’s designed to trap toxins, pathogens, and other harmful substances safely inside so they can be removed without causing problems. The barrier has a network of tight junctions that fit together like jigsaw puzzle pieces to lock those harmful compounds inside the gut and out of your bloodstream.
When your gut needs to allow beneficial substances like nutrients through, a protein called zonulin tells the tight junctions to separate just enough to let them out.[7] Once those healthy compounds are released, zonulin signals the tight junctions to seal up so the bad stuff doesn’t escape.
Gluten upends this entire process. Studies show that gluten activates zonulin, creating too much space between the tight junctions.[8] Those openings trigger leaky gut[9], allowing all the harmful substances to “leak” out through the gut barrier and into your bloodstream. From there, they can travel anywhere in your body and do all kinds of damage.
Your immune system responds with a flood of inflammatory compounds to clear out all of those toxins and pathogens. In the short-term, this response helps neutralize the harmful substances. But with continued gluten exposure, the gut barrier doesn’t re-seal properly. The toxins and pathogens continue to circulate. The immune system is forced to respond with its biggest weapon—inflammation.[10]
All of that makes its way to your skin, your face, causing redness… puffiness… breakouts… and dull, lifeless-looking skin. All thanks to the destructive powers of gluten.
Gluten Isn’t Only Found in Food
Gluten is found in many foods, even some that you wouldn’t think of. But what you might not expect is that even non-food products can cause gluten damage that shows up on your face.
Even handling gluten-containing products can lead to unintended gluten consumption. And there’s a wide range of products that can start this problematic reaction.
Non-food products that surprisingly contain gluten include:[11]
- Pills and capsules for medicines and supplements
- Throat lozenges and cough syrups
- Lip balm, lip gloss, and lipstick
- Mouthwash
- Toothpaste
- Soap and shampoo
- Sunscreen
- Body, hand, and face lotions and creams
Even though you wouldn’t normally ingest some of these (gluten cannot be absorbed through the skin) the gluten could linger on your hands until you do eat something, and sneak its way in. Or in the case of others, small amounts could be accidentally swallowed.
So even if you’re scrupulously gluten-free with the foods and beverages you consume, gluten can still get to you and upset your face.
Tiny Amounts of Hidden Gluten Cause Big Ongoing Problems
If you have any level of gluten sensitivity—which experts estimate up to 20 million Americans do[12]—even the smallest bits of gluten can affect you. And since gluten is everywhere, practically unavoidable, you’re probably exposed more frequently than you might realize.
Even tiny amounts of unintentional or hidden gluten can trigger ongoing health problems by promoting a leaky gut. So gluten can lead to low-level inflammation being turned on all the time, affecting gut and skin health. After all, a pot on even the lowest simmer will eventually come to a boil.
That’s why it’s so important to proactively protect yourself against the possibility of potential gluten contact.
Targeted 3-Step Support to Combat Gluten Face
It takes constant care to keep yourself free of gluten consequences.
Your first step is to take a mindful approach to the gluten content of the foods you eat and products you use (even if they’re labeled as gluten-free). Avoiding as much gluten as possible can go a long way toward heading off the damage it can do.
Your next step is to adopt a balanced diet that avoids inflammatory foods—like refined grains and sugary snacks—and prioritizes foods that help calm inflammation such as green leafy vegetables, berries, dark chocolate, fish, and walnuts.[13]
Your third step is to provide targeted support to help your body deal with any unexpected or hidden gluten it may encounter. Gluten damage comes from its ability to resist being fully broken down during digestion, leaving destructive pieces that can trigger zonulin. You can combat that with specific support designed to deal with gluten:
- Special gluten-neutralizing enzymes, Tolerase G and DPP-IV. These powerful enzymes work specifically to break gluten down into tiny, harmless amino acids so your body can manage them more easily.[14]
-
Protective probiotics including Bacillus subtilis HU58™, Bacillus coagulans, and Saccharomyces boulardii. These probiotics help your gut deal with gluten for increased digestive comfort and support.
- Bacillus subtilis creates gut-soothing compounds called short chain fatty acids[15] and promotes balanced immune responses.[16]
- Bacillus coagulans helps break down gluten proteins[17] and works quickly to support gastrointestinal comfort.[18]
- Saccharomyces boulardii helps dissolve gliadin proteins[19] and encourages nutrient absorption.[20]
- Betaine HCl, a compound that helps maintain healthy stomach acid levels for proper digestion and nutrient absorption.[21]
When you combine this natural support system with a mindful diet that excludes as much gluten as possible, your body will be better able to handle the unintentional gluten it does encounter.
Say Goodbye to Gluten Face with Gluten Away
Gluten Away helps your body deal with unexpected gluten effectively. And since gluten is everywhere, even in surprising products like lip gloss and soap, your body needs all the help it can get. The Gluten Away formula helps your digestive system fully break down accidental gluten so you can enjoy continued GI comfort and efficient nutrient absorption.
Gluten Away contains:
- Gluten-processing enzymes, Tolerase G and DPP-IV
- Gut-friendly probiotics, Bacillus subtilis HU58™, Bacillus coagulans, and Saccharomyces boulardii
- Stomach acid superhero, Betaine HCl
Adding Gluten Away to your daily routine gives your body the best chance of successfully managing unintended gluten encounters, supporting effective and complete digestion… and giving your immune system one less thing to worry about.
>> Ready to say goodbye to gluten face? Be proactive with Gluten Away starting today.
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- Chakraborty A. A Critical Appraisal of Gluten in Skin Disorders, the Evidence So Far, and Updated Recommendations. Indian J Dermatol. 2024 Mar-Apr;69(2):152-158.
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- Groschwitz KR, Hogan SP. Intestinal barrier function: molecular regulation and disease pathogenesis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009 Jul;124(1):3-20; quiz 21-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2009.05.038. PMID: 19560575; PMCID: PMC4266989.
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- Cardoso-Silva D, Delbue D, Itzlinger A, Moerkens R, Withoff S, Branchi F, Schumann M. Intestinal Barrier Function in Gluten-Related Disorders. Nutrients. 2019 Oct 1;11(10):2325. doi: 10.3390/nu11102325. PMID: 31581491; PMCID: PMC6835310.
- Chen L, Deng H, Cui H, Fang J, Zuo Z, Deng J, Li Y, Wang X, Zhao L. Inflammatory responses and inflammation-associated diseases in organs. Oncotarget. 2017 Dec 14;9(6):7204-7218. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.23208. PMID: 29467962; PMCID: PMC5805548.
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