Recently microbiome has been talked about a lot when it comes to skincare and beauty. Due to significant scientific research in microbiome, we are now looking at microbiome differently and our better understanding of it has also led to improvements when it comes to taking care of it.
Microbiome: What is it?
Before we get deeper into our discussion about microbiome is better to become more familiar with it first. The microbiome or better referred to here as the human microbiome are composed of literally trillions of microorganisms. These microorganisms that compose the microbiome are made up of bacteria, fungi and other microbes’ which are situated inside our bodies. Most of the microbiome are actually located in our gut.
Microbiome are formed in our bodies the moment we are born, and they have an important job to do. Their job and function are to essentially manage and connect all of our body’s systems together. By communicating important signals, they shape how our bodies function.
In the past there has been extensive research into the microbiome situated in our gut which has led to more interest into skin microbiome. So far research and investigation has shown that a balanced skin microbiome plays an important supporting role in the overall health of our skin!
Due to its importance when It comes to playing a key supporting role in the overall health of our skin it is important that we protect and keep it functioning properly.
Skin microbiome a closer look
Now that we have defined what microbiome is in general, it’s time to have a closer look at the skin microbiome which are large groups of microbiomes that live in our skin. The skin microbiome covers every inch of our skin. The vast majority of our skin microbiome are located on the topmost layers of the skin such as in the hair follicles and the epidermis.
Most of the skin microbiome are harmless and actually offer benefits to the overall health of our skin. The benefits they offer include strengthening our skin’s immune system and protecting our skin from temporary pathogenic organisms. Due to their invisibility, we cannot see these temporary pathogenic organisms, but our skin’s microbiome can detect them and protect us from them. These pathogenic organisms which our skin microbiome protect us from can cause infections, UV damage, premature aging and irritations.
The skin microbiome is a shield like protection that protects us from pathogenic organisms but at the same time this shield like protection is also very fine and delicate. By being exposed daily to things like pollutants from the environment, chemicals, harsh cleaners and cosmetics, it can lose its balance and actually become irregular.
Signs of a damaged skin microbiome
When our skin microbiome loses its balance and becomes irregular it is no longer able to protect us from harmful elements. In these situations, our skin is more likely to show signs of damage that can lead to causing acne, blemishes, inflammation and other irritations. Therefor it is essential to maintain our skin microbiome healthy and vigorous so it can protect us and make our skin resilient.
Ways to treat a damages skin microbiome
We have written extensively in the past about protecting the skin barrier and here again it plays a key role. Since our skin microbiome is located in our skin barrier, repairing our skin barrier will also help us to protect our skin microbiome.
Another way that the skin microbiome can be resorted and replenished is adding probiotics in our diet. By adding probiotics into our diet, we can feed good bacteria to it so the microbiome in our skin and gut can thrive and grow. We can add probiotics in our diet either by supplements or by adding foods such as garlics, onions, bananas and oats which are all rich in probiotics.
Further ways to replenish our skin microbiome are to avoid using harsh cleansers that may not be adequate for your skin type and improving the blood flow to our skin. By improving the blood flow to our skin, we can nourish it with oxygen and nutrients which are both essential for a healthy skin microbiome.
