12/31/2025
According to a human clinical study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (PMID: 18456568), 46% of patients with rosacea tested positive for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) using breath testing, compared with only 5% of healthy control subjects. This showed a strong association between rosacea and underlying small-intestinal dysbiosis, suggesting the condition may extend beyond the skin and involve the gut.
In the same study, rosacea patients with confirmed SIBO were treated with rifaximin, a non-systemic antibiotic used to eradicate SIBO. After successful SIBO eradication, 92% of patients showed significant skin improvement, including complete clearing in 71% and marked improvement in 21% of cases. Patients whose SIBO was not eradicated showed no improvement, supporting a direct gut–skin connection rather than a placebo effect.
