Yes, it actually does! All of the organisms that are located on our skin are collectively called the skin microbiome. They include, in particular, bacteria, fungi and mites. They live on the surface of the skin between dead cells in the stratum corneum, in the sweat and sebaceous glands and in the hair follicles. They feed on the fats, proteins and sugar components from the dead skin cells and lipids as well as on sebum and sweat that are more or less abundant depending on the area of the body.
Like the gut microbiome, the skin microbiome is important for our health.
It's important we have the correct balance of the different microorganisms. It is not a matter of having only "good" skin microbes and no "bad" skin microbes. Even supposedly bad microbes can stimulate the immune system to work more effectively, for example, and suppress more dangerous microbes, while even the good microbes can trigger skin problems if they become too plentiful or react to changes in body functions or environmental effects with a change in behaviour or metabolism.
If you’re wondering what factors influence the skin microbiome, pretty much everything!
Genetics, age, gender, general health, hormonal status, nutrition and lifestyle are as important factors as sunlight, climate, water quality and even pollution. They can have a positive or a negative effect on the natural protective functions of the skin, especially the barrier function against drying out and harmful environmental factors. The microscopic cohabitants of the skin microbiome also react to changes in their living conditions. Too many or too intensive changes destroy the balance of the ecosystem, which in turn impairs the skin's protective functions and jeopardises skin health. Stabilising the skin's protective layer and the skin microbiome makes the skin more resistant to internal and external influences.
A lot of people know about probiotics benefits in the gut.
But even though you have all these good nutrients in your bloodstream, the cells on the top layer of the skin - the epidermal layer - do not receive any new nutrition as there is no blood supply to those cells. So unless you apply probiotics on the surface of the skin, you are not going to get the full benefit of them balancing the skin microbiome. A healthy balance of the skin microbiome requires intact skin structures, normal skin functions and the rapid repair of minor damage and disruptions with regeneration processes. If the skin has sufficient, but not excessive fat and moisture and a strong protective barrier, the skin has a large variety of microflora in a stable balance.
