5 Tips to nurture your skin microbiome

The thought of our skin being covered in a team of microbes may make some people feel a little squeamish or you may even think it’s a bad thing at first given the bad press microbes get in skin conditions like acne. However, in reality these microbes play an important part in maintaining the overall health and appearance of our skin.

The microbes that live on our skin are collectively known as our Skin microbiome and they are responsible for maintaining the optimal barrier function of our skin, providing defence against pathogens, reducing inflammation and general maintenance of healthy skin tissue.

As a naturopathic practitioner that has a special interest in the holistic management of skin conditions, I find the role of the skin microbiome is an often-overlooked part of the health and appearance of our skin.  So here is all you need to know about what the skin microbiome is and how you can look after yours.

The skin microbiome: what is it and what does it do?

The skin is our bodies first line of defence against the external environment and maintaining its balance and integrity is important for maintaining general health as well as preventing a number of skin conditions such  atopic dermatitis , acne, rosacea and the skin aging process. The microbes that live on our skin mainly fall into four phyla: Firmicutes, Bacteroides, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria as well as some fungi, yeasts and viruses. It is a balance between all these bacteria that keeps our skin looking and functioning at its best. Changes in the skin’s environment can create an imbalance of these bacteria known as skin microbial dysbiosis which may lead to conditions like acne.

Now you know what the skin microbiome is and how it works to maintain healthy skin it is important to understand what may affect its function and what you can do to support it.

Choosing the right pH skin care products

Our skins role is to create a barrier defence against the external environment. The maintenance  of this barrier relies upon several important enzymes that will only function if the skin is at a certain  pH level, the pH level of skin is generally more acidic ranging from 5.4 – 5.9. Skin conditions such as irritant contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris and candida albicans infections often have an altered skin pH level.

There are various things that may disrupt the skins natural pH levels including skin moisture, sweat, sebum (our skins oil production), genetic predisposition and personal care products. A simple way to correct and maintain the natural pH of your skin is to choose skin care products that have a similar pH level to that naturally occurring in the skin. Using cleansing products in skin conditions like acne that have an acidic pH compared to alkaline products like a conventional soap bar reduced skin irritation, inflammation and breakouts.

If you can’t find the pH level of your skin care products listed on the packaging, you can call the manufacturer and they will be able to advise you. 

Avoid harsh cleansers and over washing

Over washing of the skin either with harsh cleaners or even with water alone can disrupt the balance of the skin microbiome, it washes away the beneficial bacteria that forms the skins microbiome.

Washing even with water tends to adjust the pH of the skin, creating an environment where beneficial bacteria and the balance of the microbes on the skin is disrupted.

Support you gut health

Gut health plays an important role in maintaining the microbiome on the skin as well as nurturing its general health. Our body has a total microbial count which is 10x greater than that of our bodies own cells, with the largest concentration of these microbes being in our gut and then our skin. The synergy between what happens within our gut and skin microbiome cannot be overlooked in skin health.

Gastrointestinal disorders are often accompanied by skin manifestations, this is due to the way the microbes in our gut play a role in regulating inflammation and our immune system. Disruptions in our guts microbiome tend to have an effect on the skin’s outward appearance.

Probiotic supplementation in cases of adult acne supports skin clearance by reducing particular drivers that change the skin environment, which has a flown-on effect to the microbial balance on the skins surface. Whilst research is only in its early stages there also appears to be some benefits being uncovered for the use of topically applied probiotics in maintaining a healthy skin microbiome too.

One of the easiest ways to support your gut health and microbiome is to provide plenty of food for your good bacteria to thrive – and that means plenty of dietary fibre. The fermentation of fibre in your gastrointestinal tract results in the production of Short chain fatty acids (SCFA’s). These SCFA’s play a pivotal role in the balance of the species present in our skin microbiome.

Low GI Diet

Whilst there are many things within our diet that can support and disrupt our skin microbiome one of the most researched  is the impact a high GI diet has on our skin. When we eat foods high on the glycaemic index it may increase the production of hormonal androgens, these hormones increase the production of sebum in our skin. Now in normal levels sebum maintains the bacterial balance of Propionibacterium in our skin microbiome, when we have excess sebum secretion this creates an ideal breeding ground for this bacterium and can see an increase in the species commonly linked to acne Propionibacterium acnes (p. acnes).

So, adopting low glycaemic index diet  helps support normal sebum secretion and a balanced skin microbiome. These benefits appear to reduce the inflammation caused by the overgrowth of P. acnes and may help to reduce overall breakouts in those with acne.

The benefits of a low GI diet also include balancing insulin signalling which may be particularly important for those with metabolic conditions such as Polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Reduce Stress 

Often, I will see patients that have skin complaints that are aggravated by stress, you may not see it at first or even if you do, you may find it hard to understand how this effects your skin.

When we are stressed we release neuropeptides into our body and these have an effect on the sebaceous glands in our skin upregulating the sebum secretion and affecting the immune and inflammatory process in our skin as well as leading to an increase in blocked pores. The changes in the skin resulting from stress can create a dysbiosis in our skins microbiome, exacerbating condition like acne.