What You Need To Know About Your Skin Microbiome.

First it was the gut, now it’s our skin. Bacteria, probiotics and all other aspects of the microbiome are enjoying a moment in the skincare spotlight, but how can you manage yours? what you need to know about your microbiome.

 

What is the skin microbiome?

“The skin microbiome is a whole community of organisms that live on the skin,” explained Professor Carsten Flohr, a British Association of Dermatologists accredited consultant dermatologist who specialises in eczema. “That includes bacteria, viruses and fungi, but the primary focus of research for skincare is bacteria.” Essentially, this little ecosystem controls a lot about our skin, from how well products are absorbed to the overall health of our skin. “Your skin is a fairly hostile environment, generally speaking,” added Professor Flohr. “Your skin pH is quite acidic, and we have these natural defense mechanisms against bad bacteria like sebum, which is actually antimicrobial.”

It’s a pretty crowded party, as Dr Richard Gallo who leads a research lab into the skin microbiome at UC San Diego, noted: “There’s about a hundred species of bacteria, but thousands more strains of them.” All these different bacterium coexist in harmony most of the time, according to Professor Flohr. “Your skin bacteria and skin immune system talk to each other, and they talk to the bacteria in

your gut. Just like with your gut, having a diverse balance is the key to a happy microbiome.”

 

How is it under threat?

Don’t allow yourself to feel unclean at the thought of all this bacteria - it’s actually good for you. “The human microbiome has evolved over many, many years. For example, there are unique lipids the skin produces which we need to keep the skin healthy,” explained Trevor Steyn, who worked in organic chemistry for many years before launching ESSE Skincare. However, our lifestyle habits have changed greatly in the last hundred years or so, and our microbiome may be taking the hit. 

“We’re not sufficiently equipped to handle daily hot showers or baths, or chlorinated water, or a sugar-heavy diet,” added Steyn. Also in the crosshairs is our growing soap usage, with Steyn noting that some surfactants and cleansers overly strip the skin. This stripping of natural oils which leads to redness, sensitivity and dryness is referred to as transepidermal water loss, and causes moisture to escape from the skin.

 

What’s the relationship between the microbiome and eczema?

For anyone suffering with eczema or dermatitis, the above may have hit a little close to home. The relationship between the microbiome and these atopic conditions is a fascinating one, and one that both Professor Flohr and Dr Gallo are currently researching. Dr Gallo said of his current research, “We’ve discovered that some of the bacteria that live on the skin help prevent dermatitis, and that people with eczema are missing these good bacteria. Having now made a cream with the good bacteria, we’ve shown it can help people with eczema.” Professor Flohr added, “Eczema also makes the skin somewhat ‘leaky’, so to speak, and so it leaves the skin more open to being affected by an irritant like hard water, for example. It’s something of a vicious cycle.” There are some microbiome-focused products already on the market that are aimed at alleviating the symptoms of eczema, such as La Roche Posay Lipikar Baume, but take-home versions of the kinds of research being tinkered with in these trials is still forthcoming.

 

What are probiotics and prebiotics?

The two get grouped together a lot, but they’re not identikit. “A probiotic is a live microbe that is good for you, while a prebiotic is a food that favours beneficial microbes over nasty ones,” explained Steyn. If you’ve ever been long term on antibiotics, you may have been advised to take probiotics of some sort, or they may be a fixture in your diet regardless thanks to their ability to help restore microbial balance. Just like in the gut, probiotics and prebiotics could indeed be beneficial for skin that’s feeling off kilter, but as Steyn delineated, it’s not so straightforward: “Probiotics are measured in colony forming units per gram, or cfu/g. This is the number of microbes that are alive and able to grow to form colonies, and it’s essential to their potency. But, it presents something of a double-edged sword, as skincare and cosmetics need to be preserved, and the preservatives kill the microbes, taking your cfu/g down to 0.” Steyn added that it took “extensive safety and efficacy testing” to get ESSE ready to market with their super-strength strains, as well as ensuring that they had the right prebiotics.

Aurelia Skincare take a different route with their award-winning skincare. Instead of using live bacteria, the products use a non-live strain called bifido bacteria, fused with a peptide from milk. The aim is to help strengthen the skin’s immune responses to stressors like pollution. Meanwhile, Mother Dirt uses a patented strain of live bacteria to convert irritants like ammonia found in our natural sweat into by-products such as nitric oxide that benefit the skin. The brand have dubbed it the “peacekeeper bacteria”, and claim that untouched tribes around the world still have this bacteria naturally on their skin.

So, time to stop showering and generally return to a more prehistoric way of life? Not quite. These first findings certainly give us food for thought, especially considering the links between gut bacteria and skin bacteria that are starting to be uncovered, while any news of a potential ease in the symptoms of eczema will no doubt be a balm to sufferers.

If anything, most of us don’t give our skin enough credit for the incredibly efficient, exceedingly complex protective job it does for us - don’t forget, the skin is the largest organ of the body - so anything we can do to be a little kinder to ourselves and show gratitude is a plus.

Credit: Vogue