How Dermal Therapist Marcelline Goyen, BSc, Uncovered the Skin–Gut Connection

Marcelline Goyen
Jun 29
5 min read

Updated: Jul 17

By Marcelline Goyen, BSc

Dermal Therapist, Skin-Gut Axis Specialist & Author

Published: June 29, 2026

Introduction to the Skin-Gut Connection

In this personal reflection, I share how ten years of working as a dermal therapist (BSc) led me to notice subtle patterns in my clients’ symptoms — patterns that revealed a deeper skin–gut connection, now widely knows as the skin-gut axis, and reshaped the way I approached skin health. Over time, I also became curious about internal factors that might be connected to skin symptoms, even though I did not yet work with these insights in practice.

The skin-gut axis book, written by Marcelline Goyen, BSc (Dermal Therapy).

Working Within the Traditional Dermal Therapy Framework

As a dermal therapist, I was trained to focus primarily on the skin itself — its structure, its symptoms, and the external treatments that could help restore balance. My daily work covered a wide range of therapeutic approaches: acne therapy, microdermabrasion, chemical peels, scar treatment, camouflage techniques, and managing excessive hair growth through electrical epilation and laser therapy. I also supported clients with oedema therapy, bandaging and ambulant compression techniques, and offered practical lifestyle guidance for chronic skin conditions such as eczema, including advice on protective clothing and skin‑friendly routines.

For the first ten years of my career, I worked fully within the traditional dermal therapy framework. During the later years of that period, I began noticing patterns that didn’t quite fit the external approach I had been trained in — subtle signals that something deeper was influencing my clients’ skin, even though I couldn’t yet pinpoint what it was.

The Turning Point in My Dermal Therapy Practice

The turning point came when I began asking more questions. Not just about skincare routines, but about daily habits, stress levels, digestion, nutrition, and emotional well-being. I also saw how profoundly severe skin conditions could affect people's confidence, self-esteem, and even their mood. What started as curiosity soon became a pattern I could no longer ignore.

For example, I noticed that clients with acne often experienced meaningful improvements when they adjusted their diet—reducing cow's milk, cutting back on sugar, increasing their vegetable intake, or managing stress more effectively. In many cases, the inflammation inside comedones visibly decreased, and the skin calmed more quickly than expected.

Of course, not everyone found these changes easy. Teenagers, especially, struggled with motivation or simply loved their milkshakes too much. But even then, our conversations opened new doors: they began to understand how their choices influenced their skin.

At the same time, I became increasingly aware that the relationship wasn't only physical. Many clients with severe skin conditions struggled with embarrassment, low self-confidence, or feelings of sadness. This reinforced my growing understanding of the skin-gut-brain axis: the deep interconnection between the skin, gut, and brain.

The Real Breakthrough in Dermal Therapy Practice

The real breakthrough came when I started exploring digestive patterns. By asking clients to keep a simple food and symptom diary — including their bowel habits — we could often identify connections between what they ate and how their skin, digestion, or energy responded. For many, this was the first time they saw their body as an interconnected system rather than separate parts.

This was an eye‑opening period in my career. For the first time, I felt I could contribute not only to short‑term skin improvements, but also to long‑term wellbeing. When clients discovered sensitivities to foods like gluten, tomatoes, or sugars, they finally had tools to make informed choices that supported their health.

My training in lifestyle‑based digestive health support became a true gamechanger. During my additional training, I learned to understand digestive patterns more deeply and to recognise how food reactions, lifestyle factors and gut‑related symptoms could influence the skin. This broadened my perspective and helped me guide clients in exploring their own patterns and responses.

It shifted my perspective from treating the skin externally to understanding the internal factors that influence it. I learned that every person responds differently — while many foods cause no noticeable issues for most people, individuals with skin or digestive concerns sometimes observe patterns in how certain foods affect them. For some, dairy might coincide with breakouts, while others notice digestive changes such as bloating, gas, or altered bowel habits. Similar variations appeared with foods like grains, gluten, tomatoes, or eggs. These differences highlighted how unique each person’s dietary responses can be, and they encouraged me to look deeper, ask better questions, and approach each case with curiosity rather than assumptions.

It wasn’t always an easy path. It wasn't always an easy path. At the time, the skin-gut axis was still far from mainstream, and finding the underlying causes of skin conditions often meant looking beyond conventional approaches. Much of the connection between the skin and the gut had yet to be understood, so I spent years continually learning, exploring, and connecting the emerging evidence. But it shaped me into the educator, author, and publisher I am today. The skin–gut relationship became a central theme in my work — a lens I could no longer set aside.

I was fortunate to learn from inspiring teachers throughout my career, especially Heilpraktiker and educator Dr. Ralf Abels, founder of RP Sanitas Humanus, and nutritionist, naturopathic dietitian, author, and educator Marijke de Waal-Malefijt. Their knowledge and guidance helped shape my understanding of the relationship between nutrition, gut health, and skin.

I am also deeply grateful to Ron Legerstee, MSc in Wound Healing and Tissue Repair, who became an invaluable sparring partner throughout my journey into the skin-gut axis. At a time when my ideas were still evolving, he believed in the vision behind my work and encouraged me to keep writing. Without his support and confidence, my first book might never have been published. Years later, he also translated my second book into English, making it accessible to an international audience. I continue to value his friendship, generosity, and remarkable expertise in skin biology and wound healing.

The greatest discoveries often begin by listening

But I also owe a great deal to the clients who trusted me with their most personal stories—about digestion, bowel habits, mood, lifestyle, and the physical challenges they navigated every day. Their openness gave me far more than clinical experience; it revealed patterns that challenged conventional thinking and inspired me to keep searching for deeper answers. Every conversation became an opportunity to ask better questions, explore new connections, and gradually develop the integrative perspective that ultimately formed the foundation of my books and the educational work I now share with professionals worldwide.

Skin Gut Axis

How Dermal Therapist Marcelline Goyen, BSc, Uncovered the Skin–Gut Connection

Introduction to the Skin-Gut Connection

Working Within the Traditional Dermal Therapy Framework

The Turning Point in My Dermal Therapy Practice

The Real Breakthrough in Dermal Therapy Practice

Further Reading & Clinical Foundations

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