There’s a whole lot happening on the surface of your skin that you might not have been aware of. Until now. Throughout our lives, without us noticing, there are communities of normal skin flora (bacteria, fungi, mites and viruses, collectively known as our skin microbiome), living their best lives on our skin. These resident microorganisms exist in a complex relationship with our immune system, helping to keep not only our skin healthy but our entire bodies, too. Read on to discover more about skin flora, how to maintain a healthy skin flora and microbiome skincare.
The role of Skin flora on human skin.
Did you know, there are roughly 10 times as many microbial cells as there are human cells in the human body! Our skin microbiome alone is home to around 10 billion skin flora . Each of us has a completely unique skin microbiome which is determined early on in our lives by factors like our DNA, what skin flora we were exposed to at birth, our mother’s breast milk, the environment and other factors. Because of this, we each have a skin microbiome uniquely suited to work with our own immune system – it’s like our personal bodyguard against disease.
Our skin is alive with human microbiome communities, which have evolved to live in the varying environments found on different parts of our bodies. There are three main microbiome environments:
1. Sebaceous, such as oily areas like the face
2. Moist areas, such as armpits
3. Dry areas like the arms and legs
Each one of these areas has skin flora that’s adapted specifically to its environment. For example, your eyelashes are home to the eight-legged Demodex mite. This mite does a great job of keeping your eyelids healthy by cleaning up dead skin cells and excess fat, amongst other things. And yes, we all have them!
Our skin is our first line of defence against the environment and our skin flora plays a vital role in preventing harmful microorganisms on human skin from penetrating and colonising the skin. They do this by competing with harmful microorganisms for nutrients, which helps to maintain a slightly acid pH. This pH allows good bacteria found on human skin to thrive, helping to prevent problems like skin infections. Because our skin microbiome is important, let’s take a look at how to maintain healthy skin flora.
Maintaining good skin flora.
As any good gardener knows, to grow healthy plants, you need to provide the right balance of water, sunlight and nutrients. Keeping your skin flora healthy really isn’t much different. For the most part, maintaining a healthy, balanced lifestyle, with good nutrition, staying well hydrated and good bodily hygiene will help to keep your skin flora healthy. There are also other ways to nourish your skin microbiota, like using probiotic, prebiotic and postbiotic skincare products. Let’s unpack these.
Probiotics
Probiotics contain live microorganisms, like the ones found on your skin or in your gut, that may help to maintain a beneficial gut or skin microbiome balance. This may help all the organisms work in harmony.
Prebiotics
Your skin flora needs to be nourished. This is where prebiotics could help. They’re like fertiliser for the helpful bacteria on your skin and can help it to grow and flourish.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are essentially the ingredients that the skin flora on your skin secrete. Even though these are not needed by the microorganisms on human skin, they may have skin benefits.
Explore Sanex products that help to protect your skin flora.
At Sanex, we create products that help to keep your skin performing at its healthy best. We carefully select ingredients and have a team of scientists who work tirelessly to formulate products that nourish and hydrate. Our Expert Skin Health range has been specifically designed to look after your skin microbiome to help keep it protected and balanced. Take a look at a few of our products and discover their great benefits:
Sanex Expert Skin Health Sensitive Shower Gel
Designed specifically for sensitive skin, this shower cream doesn’t just soothe, it also supports your skin flora with an advanced formula containing a prebiotic and postbiotic complex. It’s been dermatologically tested and contains 0% sulphates.
Sanex Expert Skin Health Hypoallergenic Shower Gel
This is a mild, hypoallergenic shower gel, that contains 0% soap and 0% sulphates, supports your skin’s natural defences. It contains a unique blend of nutrients with a prebiotic and postbiotic complex to help strengthen your skin flora.
Sanex Derma Care Sensitive 48H Spray
This anti-perspirant spray helps you to keep your delicate underarm skin, fresh, dry and comfortable. Dermatologically tested, it delivers effective odour elimination whilst respecting your skin’s natural bacterial flora. Formulated to be kinder to sensitive skin, it contains no alcohol, nor harsh additives. Wave goodbye to stinging and irritation, and say hello to lasting fresh, dry, healthy skin.
