"Biome" means a home for biota - microbes, bacteria, fungi and viruses.

Over the past few decades, medical science has learned the microbiome of 80 to 100 trillion tiny creatures that live inside our intestines is extremely important to our health.

That naturally refers to digestion, but also our mental and immunological health.

What's New

Both skin doctors - dermatologists - and the personal care industry are now taking long looks at the microbiome on our skin.

Although the research is still new - and ongoing - we are finding your skin's biome affects both its health and its beauty.

One prominent company calls the skin microbiome the "future of cosmetics."

They're predicting the day will come when you supply your skin with the exact balance of microbes it needs to feel - and look - at your best. 

About Your Skin Biome

That's a trillion or so bacteria, fungi and viruses - around 1,000 species growing in your upper epidermis and the upper parts of your hair follicles. 

Some of these species are harmful to us. One example is Corynebacterium Kroppenstdtii. This is a normal kind of bacteria to have on your skin, but it increases redness.

Fortunately, many species are neutral. They don't directly affect us one way or the other. But, when able to grow and spread, they take space and nutrients away from harmful species. That prevents the pathogenic, bad guy bacteria from colonizing your skin.

Some species also help us keep harmful species under control by secreting chemicals the bad bugs don't like and by stimulating your skin's immune system.

The exact composition of our skin's microbiome depends on factors in your environment: sunlight, exposure to harmful substances, temperature, your location and so on. 

It also changes according to the area of your body. Some species prefer moist skin, so more of them will live in your armpit than your elbow.

When we touch other people, we "trade" skin microbiomes, but only a little bit. However, it's likely we probably share many species with the people we live with.

The microbiome in your gut and the microbiome on your skin communicate with each other, in what's known as the gut-skin axis.

In short, our microbiomes are interconnected, complex ecosystems.

The Four Product Approaches to the Skin Biome

1. Kill all the bugs - biotacide

2. Encourage healthful bacteria by feeding them - prebiotics

3. Put new, healthful bacteria on your skin - probiotics

4. Add byproducts of bacteria onto your skin - postbiotics

Why "Kill 'em All" Doesn't Work

Back in the 1800's when Louis Pasteur and other pioneers were working out the Germ Theory of Disease, their focus was on finding the causes of fatal infections.

They wanted to cure people of illnesses that were killing millions. They didn't care about bacterial ecosystems.

The discovery and development of antibiotics allowed us to kill many disease-causing bacteria. Vaccinations enabled us to train our immune systems to fight back against specific disease-causing viruses.

Still, that leaves gazillions more microbes that could cause harmful infections, so science encourages us to use good hygiene, such as washing our hands frequently - NOT a common practice in the 1800's!

The general public got the idea germs = disease, so, to prevent illness, they want to kill ALL germs.

The cleaning products industry and Madison Avenue teamed up to sell us all disinfectants that kill microbes wholesale - indiscriminately.

The problem is, even if you kill 99.99% of bacteria, that leaves TRILLIONS more still alive.

All around us. 

We can't escape, and we don't want to. We would not survive long in a world sterilized of all bacteria and viruses.

The Key

Balance.

We need to manage our microbiomes, not attempt to wipe them out. That means encouraging the growth of good bugs, to discourage the bad ones.

Signs of Skin Microbiome Dysbiosis (Unfavorable Mix of Bacteria)

* Eczema

* Redness and high inflammation

* Acne

* Psoriasis

* Rosacea

* Wounds that don't heal

Skin biome dysbiosis may also be a factor in causing:

* Albinism

* Toenail infections

* Warts

* Dandruff

Benefits of a Favorably Balanced Skin Biome

1. Fighting infections on your skin

Some species of bacteria keep your skin acidic, which makes it inhospitable to many bad bugs.

2. Fighting infections on the inside

Your skin biome communicates with your immune system, signaling the presence of enemy organisms, so your immune system can gear up to fight back.

3. Resisting damage from the sun's ultraviolet light

4. Reducing harmful inflammation

Anti-Aging Benefits of a Healthfully Balanced Skin Biome

The journal Frontiers in Aging on January 11, 2024 published a study on how your skin's microbiome affects the appearance of skin aging.

The research was jointly conducted by the Center for Microbiome Innovation (CMI) at the University of California San Diego and L'Or�al Research and Innovation.

They found two clear associations:

1. Between skin microbiome diversity and crow's feet.

2. Between skin microbiome diversity and how much water evaporates from the skin.

Suggestions for Healthfully Managing Your Skin Microbiome

1. Wash, but don't over-sanitize

Dirt is not good for your skin's health and beauty, so of course we want to stay clean. However, that means washing with soap and warm water, NOT scrubbing with disinfectants and other harsh chemicals.

2. Eat plenty of lightly processed plant foods

This feeds your inner, gut microbiome - which does connect with your skin's biome.

3. When you put something on your skin, use products with real plant-based ingredients 

With an avocado wrap or mango buttercream, you're also supplying nutrition to healthful bugs.

(Be careful with any product promising to contain bacteria. You don't know what you're getting and the product should be kept refrigerated.) 

4. However, nonliving probiotics may help you

For example, one ingredient you might find in a product - not labeled as a nonliving probiotic though it is one - is bifida ferment lysate.5.

5. Vitamin C

Found in quantity in most all fruits and vegetables.

6. Spend time in a natural environment

Whether you're in the woods, a field, near a body of water or climbing a mountain, your skin will gain exposure to many new species of skin bacteria.

7. Keep your skin moisturized

That encourages the growth on your skin of healthful microbes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CxJVdeyltw

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/skin-microbiome

https://www.loreal.com/en/articles/research-innovation/the-future-of-cosmetics-is-playing-out-in-the-microbiome/

https://today.ucsd.edu/story/researchers-discover-potential-microbiome-links-to-skin-aging