How to Get Rid of Skin Problems Supporting the Skin Microbiome

We are used to treating the skin when problems occur. However, diseases like acne, eczema, psoriasis, or even skin cancer, are just a symptom that an unbalance in the skin microbiome may be happening. In this blog post, we will explain what the skin microbiome is and how a vast network of bacteria, fungi, and viruses create a second protector barrier and how important is to keep it healthy using what we eat and what we put in our face and body in our favor. Keep reading!

The human skin consists of an enormous variety of microorganisms that are harmless and beneficial to the host. Microbial colonization plays a vital role in the prevention of infections as it functions as a tool in educating the cutaneous immune system.

Skin microbial communities are located in different parts of the body. there are almost 3.000 different spices (See graphic 1) whose mission is to remain in balance to prevent the entry of pathogenic organisms that affect human health.

Human skin microbiome functions as a second skin barrier. It is estimated that there are about 1 million microbes by cm2 covering our entire body: from the scalp to the face, body, and feet.

These beneficial microorganisms avoid the invasion of infectious agents. When this barrier is under balance we say that we are in homeostasis. When this balance is disturbed, we call it dysbiosis and is when skin many common skin diseases may occur.

We will talk about how to have a healthy skin microbiome so, keep reading!

To understand how to have a healthy skin microbiome, we need to talk first about what happens when the human skin microbiome is in disease.

You probably would like to read about Parameters to measure young skin’s healthiness in this previous blog.

Although skin microbiome research is still very young in skin science, several dermatological pathologies, such as atopic dermatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, acne, and rosacea have been associated with a dysregulation of the skin immune system.

Not all skins behave the same, and not all ages are good for keeping skin healthy. Hormonal changes during the teenage can affect the microbial balance of resident skin bacteria, which can lead to inflammatory skin diseases.

Also, if the skin is genetically prone to alterations, which is the case of sensitive skin, imbalances in the skin microbiota likely occur, which is manifested in common skin disorders since childhood such as rosacea or atopic dermatitis.

• Stress. It may be hard to believe but stress is one of the most dangerous skin enemies. It creates an inflammation of human cells which affects all of our immune systems including the skin microbiome.
• Medication. Antibiotics should be used only if necessary as these affect the skin microbiome balance. Something that I usually see in my fellow moms, is that they wait too much to provide their teenagers with a proper skincare routine, and once acne occurs, they rush to use antibiotics. You don’t need to get that late.
• Hygiene. This is a very important point because sebum and dead cells are important for the human skin microbiome balance. We need to remove only the excess but not remove them at all.

Sun, pollution, or how we interact with animals can have an impact in our skin’s immune system.

Gentle cleaning helps improve the microbiology of the body, however, sometimes the wrong skincare routine can come between you and a healthy skin microbiome. Let’s check on the most important aspects of your skincare routine if you want healthy skin:

The use of soaps is one of the more harmful things you can use on your skin. Remember that «homeostasis» should be our goal when refers to skin microbiome, which means that those commensal skin microorganisms should be in balance. As the bacterial communities in our skin are used to live in an acidic environment (our skin pH is about 5.8), taking them to an alkaline environment is what happens with the use of soap (pH of 9 to 10), which can facilitate the entrance of pathogenic bacteria.

Cleansing the skin is necessary, however, harsh surfactants affect skin interaction in multiple forms with microorganisms.

Excessive cleansing with strong surfactants in cleansing products can remove too much sebum, leaving our skin barrier unprotected from the attack of the wrong bacteria. Sebum has antibacterial properties, therefore, what we want to remove is only the excess of this which can block hair follicles but leave the necessary amount to keep our skin protected.

In our blog about choosing the right face wash, you can see why I recommend the two-step cleansing process to avoid disrupting the skin microbiome.

We exfoliate to remove dead cells from the skin surface of the skin because these can block hair follicles which lead to clogged pores. however, dead cells keep feeding our healthy bacterial communities, so, excesive exfoliation can create skin wounds, produce skin inflammation and lead to skin microbiome unbalance.

You can read more about correct exfoliation here.

Despite we love to try different products, we should keep our routine as simple as possible and with brands that use no more than 20 ingredients per product. More than that could be excessive.

Yes, the use of prebiotics or postbiotics in skincare is increasing, however, science is still developing in this field, and official certifications should take place shortly. Keep in mind that a lot of players in the cosmetics industry use the «microbiome-friendly» claim as a marketing tool, without a real substantiation behind it. But that will be a topic for a future post! so don’t forget to subscribe to our blog to be informed about interesting ways to take care of your skin!

Below you can download this infographic that will remind you how to keep your skin microbiome healthy. Save it and share it!