u/Clear_Medicine_3086

Hi everyone. I decided to make this post because, when I was going through my journey, there wasn’t anything anywhere that made me feel seen or heard with my skin struggles. I really hope this post can be that for someone else.
Some background information: I’m 25 years old, and I’ve been dealing with acne since I was 13 years old. I’ve also had gut issues for as long as I can remember. They were never too severe, but I was always constipated and always bloated throughout my entire childhood.
Three years ago, during my undergraduate studies, I started experiencing extreme bloating to the point where I actually looked pregnant. For the first time in my life, my doctors became genuinely concerned. They ran some tests and found out I had H. pylori. During undergrad, I treated the H. pylori with a course of antibiotics, and it was successfully eradicated.
At the time, I had no idea where I got H. pylori from. I honestly just assumed I picked it up while traveling or from somewhere random.
Then, when I flew to Korea with my dad in August, he also decided to get a full medical checkup with me. That’s when we found out he also had H. pylori. He told me that he had actually been diagnosed with H. pylori when I was in early high school, but he never got it treated. I had no idea H. pylori was contagious or that it could spread through saliva, sharing food, or even sharing utensils. It really made me wonder if that’s how I got it.
What made it even crazier was that about a month later, my cousin, who had also been struggling with gut issues, found out she had H. pylori and gastritis too. It really made me realize how much more common this can be than people think.
However, that wasn’t the end of it.
About two to three years after treating the H. pylori, I started experiencing extreme migraines. Then, in January 2025, my migraines became so severe that I wasn’t able to go to work or even start my master’s program. My family became very concerned because I was living in a different city from them. I would wake up in excruciating pain every morning because my head hurt so much. I couldn’t even make my bed anymore, and getting up just to make breakfast felt like I had run 10 miles.
This was a really big deal for both me and my family because I’m someone who has always made my bed every morning and always prioritized exercise and healthy eating. I majored in nutrition and psychology, so taking care of my health has always been a huge part of who I am.
Throughout my life, I struggled with migraines and severe headaches. My doctors prescribed Motrin and several medications from my neurologist, but nothing ever worked. Just for reference, I had been prescribed a lot of NSAIDs since the eighth grade.
Eventually, I felt like I was dying. I had to quit my job, and my family became extremely worried about my health because I was crying all the time and became very depressed. I was in so much pain, and none of my doctors in America could figure out what was wrong. They kept telling me it was just stress, even though I honestly wasn’t stressed about anything. I have a very blessed life.
My family decided to fly me to Korea because my grandpa knew some excellent doctors there. They did a full-body workup, including scans, extensive blood work, stool testing, breath testing, and so much more. That’s when they found severe erosive gastritis and high-methane SIBO.
Everyone in my family was shocked because, in real life, I look very healthy and live a healthy lifestyle. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I’ve never really partied, and I’ve had the same routine for years. I only ate whole foods—nothing processed. I was the person drinking apple cider vinegar, taking ginger shots, eating grilled chicken breast with avocado, sauerkraut, kimchi, and all the foods that everyone says are healthy.
Ironically, those foods were actually making me worse because of my gastritis. The apple cider vinegar, ginger, sauerkraut, and kimchi were irritating my stomach. I was also eating quinoa, rice, starches, honey, maple syrup, and sourdough, which weren’t helping because they were feeding my methane SIBO.
I completed the two antibiotics that are commonly prescribed for methane SIBO, and I’ve been on my healing journey ever since. Starting this month, I’ve finally been able to eat about 90% of the foods that I couldn’t tolerate back in March.
I also wanted to mention something else. Throughout my life, I experienced random heat flashes, and I could never understand what was causing them. It turns out they were food-related. I’ve also suffered from headaches, heat flashes, and acne since I was around 13 years old.
I’m so happy to say that I haven’t had a single heat flash, headache, or acne breakout in over two months now.
Now I want to get back to the acne because that was the original reason I wanted to make this post. I couldn’t find anyone in the gastritis Reddit community or the SIBO Reddit community talking about their acne improving after treating their gastritis and SIBO. I just wanted to share that mine has. My skin is getting better day by day.
For more background, I’ve tried everything for my acne. I’ve been on doxycycline, minocycline, spironolactone, birth control, and even two rounds of Accutane. I’ve done every diet imaginable for acne. I’ve taken pretty much every acne supplement on the market—Clearstem, carrot juicing, turmeric, beef liver, chasteberry, dandelion root… the list goes on. If you can name a supplement, I’ve probably tried it. If you can name a skincare brand, I’ve probably tried that too.
My mom is also in the beauty industry, so I’ve done just about every laser treatment and high-end skincare treatment you can think of.
Nothing ever got rid of my acne until I treated my SIBO and gastritis.
Now, I do want to say one thing. I know not everyone’s acne is caused by gut issues. Acne can have so many different causes, and everyone’s situation is different. I’m only sharing my personal experience in hopes that it helps someone who might be going through something similar.
If you’re like me and you’ve tried absolutely everything, but your acne is still there, maybe it’s worth looking into your gut. For me, treating my SIBO and gastritis completely changed my skin in a way that nothing else ever could.
Be patient with yourself. Healing takes time, and everyone’s journey is different. Give yourself grace. I know how exhausting and heartbreaking it can feel, but I promise you’re not alone. I hope my story helps even one person feel seen, because that’s exactly what I was looking for when I was searching for answers.