As the body’s largest organ, the skin has an important role to play in keeping us healthy. While people don’t often think of skin as being a significant contributor to health, many of the germs and viruses we come into contact with on a daily basis never impact us, thanks to our skin. The protective microbiome is one of the main sources of protection against environmental allergens and aggressors, so when it’s damaged, we may experience problematic skin conditions as well as changes to our whole-body health. In this blog, you can learn more about the role of the microbiome in keeping us healthy, as well as explore some of our most recommended skin microbiome products.

Understanding the Skin Microbiome

When we look at our skin, we see a solid surface. But skin isn’t just one solid object. Instead, it is made up of an abundance of cells, proteins, fungi, viruses, and bacteria that all live and work together to support healthy skin. While it may seem strange to have a bunch of fungi, bacteria, and viruses living among our skin cells, the healthy skin flora that make up the microbiome actually prevents unhealthy pathogens from entering. When the microbiome is out of balance, the skin isn’t able to do its most important job – protecting us from external irritants, allergens, and aggressors. Best case scenario, that may mean some inflammation or itching on the skin. Worst case scenario, a damaged microbiome can lead to infection and other more advanced skin and whole-body health issues.

Common Skin Health Issues Related to the Microbiome

A healthy microbiome improves the health and appearance of the skin, but what happens if the microbiome is unbalanced? Some of the common skin health issues that are directly linked to microbiome health include:

• Acne
• Eczema (atopic dermatitis)
• Dandruff
• Seborrheic dermatitis
• Skin infection and inflammation
• Poorly healing wounds, especially in people with diabetes

How to Restore Your Skin Microbiome

If you’re looking to repair or strengthen the skin’s microbiome, keep the following skincare and lifestyle tips in mind to strengthen and restore your skin microbiome:

• Be gentle – Choose cleansers, exfoliants, and other skincare products that are safe and gentle to the skin. Avoid overwashing, using stringent products, or exfoliating too frequently.
• Pre and probiotics – Skincare products that include pre and probiotics provide the nutrients needed to allow fungi, bacteria, and viruses that make up the skin’s microbiome to thrive.
• Protect skin – To protect the skin’s natural barrier and support microbiome health, it’s important to moisturize at least twice a day. Moisturizers fill in gaps in the skin barrier and shield damaged skin from environmental aggressors, allowing them to heal. Additionally, it’s essential to apply sunscreen daily to any areas exposed to sunlight. Sun exposure can significantly damage the skin’s barrier and cause issues within the microbiome.
• Stay healthy – Drink plenty of water, eat a nutrient-rich diet, and get plenty of sleep. These factors impact the health of the whole body, but the healthier our body is, the healthier our skin will be.
• Manage stress – Chronic and prolonged stress can negatively impact the microbiome because stress hormones lead to inflammation. This inflammation in the skin can manifest as redness, itching, and other issues. Managing stress reduces stress hormone levels and improves the health and appearance of the skin.

Microbiome-Friendly Skincare Products

One of the best ways to achieve and maintain a healthier microbiome is to use skincare products that are microbiome-friendly. Below, our trusted dermatologists have curated a list of the top-recommended microbiome skincare products to support microbiome health.

SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator

In order to support a healthy microbiome, it’s essential to keep skin hydrated. This improves the environment that keeps the good microorganisms healthy and flourishing, to protect us from harmful organisms. That means moisturizer is essential. Specifically, moisturizers that contain hyaluronic acid offer maximum benefit. Not only do they add a boost of hydration to the skin, but the hyaluronic acid continues to attract moisture to the skin’s surface to promote a healthy skin barrier and create the ideal environment for the organisms within the microbiome. SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator uses an innovative combination of five types of hyaluronic acid to replenish lost hyaluronic acid and improve natural hyaluronic acid production.

SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel

SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel is another hyaluronic acid product that improves the skin’s microbiome. Safe for all skin types, this intense moisturizing serum offers long-term hydration and botanicals to soothe skin. Used daily, SkinCeuticals Phyto Corrective Gel leaves skin looking and feeling smooth and supple without causing oiliness or clogging pores.

Skinbetter Science Mystro Active Balance Serum

Skinbetter Science Mystro Active Balance Serum is designed to balance skin and leave it healthy and glowing. The P.A.T.H. Technology uses a blend of plant adaptogens to reduce the effects of environmental stress and age to improve skin’s balance. It improves the skin’s microbiome, allowing it to naturally adapt and respond to damaging environmental aggressors, preventing skin damage and improving health and appearance.

Revision Skincare DEJ System

If you’re looking for a quick way to improve your skin’s microbiome, it may be time to invest in the Revision Skincare DEJ System. This unique set of skincare products is designed to improve skin health at the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ). This is the space where the skin epidermis (the outermost layer) meets the dermis (the deeper layer of skin cells and proteins). Age, poor skin health, and a variety of other factors cause the junction between these two layers of skin to break down, leading to signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles. One way to improve skin health at the DEJ is to improve the health of the microbiome. For this reason, the Revision Skincare DEJ System products utilize prebiotics and probiotics to support health and biodiversity within the skin’s microbiome, which promotes skin health.

Nutrafol Hairbiotic

The Nutrafol Hairbiotic doesn’t improve your skin’s microbiome. Instead, this supplement is designed to improve the microbiome in the stomach. While it may seem a long way from the hair and skin, the gut microbiome contributes significantly to hair growth and skin health. Like the skin’s microbiome, the stomach’s microbiome is made up of living microbial entities that help our bodies break down what we ingest, distributing nutrients where they’re needed in our bodies. If the gut microbiome isn’t functioning properly, the result can be hair thinning and poor skin health. Nutrafol Hairbiotic improves gut health, to ensure nutrients are properly distributed throughout the body as well as reducing inflammation. This supports healthy, natural hair growth.

Learn More About Microbiome-Friendly Skincare

Whether you’re ready to improve your skin’s microbiome or just want healthy, more beautiful skin, we hope you’ll come back regularly to explore the dermatologist-recommended skincare products available from Derm Skincare. Each week, our blog highlights new products and skin health needs, so stop back to learn more.