The Microbiome – Protective Shield of Our Skin

The skin's microbiome, also known as skin flora, plays an important role in healthy and beautiful skin. More and more new research in recent years has shown how the microbiome, when in balance, ensures holistic well-being, fends off skin-damaging factors and sustainably improves the skin's appearance.

What is the skin microbiome?

The skin microbiome is the totality of all microorganisms or microbes on the skin. As part of the skin barrier, it consists of more than 10,000 different types of microorganisms that live on the skin and protect it from the penetration of pathogens and allergens. Most are single-celled or consist of only a few cells. The skin flora includes various bacteria, fungi and viruses that densely populate the surface of the skin. They are part of the skin's own protective mechanism, which ensures that the bad (pathogenic) germs do not take over, displace the good microorganisms and are kept in check by them.

The composition of the skin microbiome varies from person to person and differs depending on skin type and skin area (e.g. hands, feet, back, face, scalp, armpits, intimate area). Incidentally, the skin microbiome of women has a significantly higher diversity of microorganisms than that of men.

Amazingly, it is precisely the unique delicate balance of “good” and “bad” microbes that limit each other to protect the skin in a natural way.

What is a disturbed skin flora?

A healthy skin flora consists of a variety of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in a harmonious balance with each other and play an important role in protecting the skin. "Good" bacteria (such as Staphylococcus epidermidis) are present in sufficient numbers and keep "bad" bacteria (such as Propionibacterium acnes) in check. If the skin flora is disturbed, potentially harmful microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus or Malassezia species spread excessively and overgrow the healthy microbiome.

An imbalance in the microbiome can disrupt the skin's immune system, making skin diseases such as acne, eczema, rosacea or seborrheic dermatitis more likely.

Which skin diseases can occur when the microbiome is disturbed?
If the microbiome is not intact, skin problems are more likely to occur as a result of an imbalance between beneficial and harmful microorganisms. These skin problems include:

• acne
  Acne - with inflammatory pimples, redness and enlarged pores - is characterized by an excessive colonization of the skin with propionibacteria. These fat-loving bacteria are located primarily in the sebaceous glands; they split free fatty acids from the sebum and thus promote further inflammation.
• rosacea
  The chronic inflammatory skin disease with reddish discoloration in the cheek and nose area is typically associated with altered skin flora. In addition to bacterial inflammation of the hair follicles, an infestation of the sebaceous gland follicles by Demodex mites is suspected to be the cause.
• psoriasis
  Psoriasis is associated with a reduced diversity of the skin microbiome. This means that there are fewer different types of microorganisms on the skin. Instead, an increase in potentially harmful germs such as Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and sometimes Malassezia yeast has been observed, leading to chronic inflammation. This inflammation can irritate the skin, cause redness and itching, and further worsen dryness.
• Atopic eczema (neurodermatitis)
  An imbalance in the skin flora impairs the skin's barrier function and causes the immune system to react excessively to harmless environmental stimuli. In neurodermatitis, high concentrations of Staphylococcus aureus have been found in the microbiome, while its counterpart Styphylococcus epidermidis and antimicrobial peptides are reduced.
• fungal infections
  Fungal infections are usually characterized by redness, swelling, intense itching, scaly and weeping areas of skin. Normally harmless fungi such as Malassezia, which do not cause problems in small numbers, overgrow the skin flora. They destroy the balance of the microbiome by proliferating excessively and causing infections.

• seborrheic dermatitis
  Seborrhoeic eczema, also known as seborrhea, is a chronic skin problem that particularly affects the scalp, but can also affect the face, ears and chest area. Seborrhoeic eczema is typically associated with an overgrowth of yeasts of the Malassezia genus. Seborrhoeic dermatitis is typically accompanied by increased oiliness of the scalp, oily scales, redness and itching.

Which factors damage the skin microbiome?

The symbiosis of the different microorganisms forms the skin environment. A healthy skin environment strengthens the skin's protective barrier and is a decisive factor for your skin's health and protection against infections. The following factors, among others, have a negative effect on the skin's own microbiome:

• Excessive and aggressive skin cleansing: Frequent washing with aggressive soaps, hot water or the use of disinfectants kills beneficial bacteria and disrupts the skin flora. Frequent washing with hot water also dries out your skin and disrupts the microbiome.
• Antibiotics: The use of antibiotics destroys not only harmful but also beneficial bacteria on the skin and in the body, which leads to incorrect colonization of the skin (dysbiosis).
• Unbalanced diet: A diet high in sugar, unhealthy fats and little fresh food also damages the skin's microbiome.
• Environmental influences: Air pollution from fine dust or excessive sun exposure can disrupt the balance of the skin microbiome.
• Stress and sleep problems: Chronic stress and sleep problems weaken the immune system and impair the balance of the skin flora.
• Synthetic preservatives in skin care: Using skin care with synthetic preservatives such as parabens damages the microbiome.
• Frequent peelings: Frequent peeling of the skin with abrasive peeling agents disrupts the balance of the skin flora, especially in sensitive skin.

Which care products strengthen your skin’s microbiome?

With the right care and the right active ingredients, you can strengthen the microbiome as your skin's natural protective shield, protect it from damage and stabilize its delicate balance:

Mild skin cleansing

Choose a skin cleanser that is free of aggressive surfactants such as Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) or Sodium Coco Sulfate (SCS). These highly foaming substances disrupt the natural balance of the skin's flora by removing both harmful and beneficial microorganisms.

A good alternative to the usual facial cleansing is the surfactant-free Cleansing Cream or oil cleansing with the myrto Deep Cleansing Oil.

Restoration of the acid mantle (pH value approx. 4.5 to 5.5)

Use cleansing products with a pH value that corresponds to the skin's natural pH value of around 4.5 to 5.5. This helps to restore the skin's acid mantle, which is important for a healthy microbiome. Incidentally, all myrto products are set to such a skin-neutral, slightly acidic pH value.

• probiotics
  Probiotic products contain live bacteria. These microorganisms can have a positive effect on the balance of the microbiome. Probiotic-based ingredients include lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus ferment, bifidobacteria, Streptococcus thermophilus, Vitreoscilla, yeast extract or Saccharomyces.

• prebiotics
  Prebiotic active ingredients promote the growth and activity of beneficial microorganisms on the skin. They help to inhibit the growth of pathogenic germs. The prebiotics in myrto organic cosmetics include, for example, pectin from plant fibers and innovative beta-glucan from oats, which are contained in all myrto face creams and face serums. Beta-glucan is known for its immune-modulating and skin-soothing properties. It is used to strengthen the skin barrier and reduce inflammation.
• postbiotics
  The postbiotic active ingredients include, for example, hyaluronic acid, amino acids, proteins, phospholipids as precursors of ceramides and enzymes obtained through bacterial fermentation.

To achieve the best possible results in your skin care, a combination of prebiotic, probiotic and postbiotic active ingredients is optimal for the natural balance of your microbiome. While probiotics directly supply useful bacteria, prebiotics such as beta-glucan and pectin provide valuable food for the "good" microorganisms. Finally, postbiotics such as phospholipids, proteins or hyaluronic acid provide the skin with moisture, have an antioxidant effect and reduce the effects of harmful environmental influences. With a combination of prebiotic, probiotic and postbiotic ingredients, you create optimal conditions to soothe your sensitive, reddened or inflamed skin and better protect it against environmental stress.

Nutrition for a healthy microbiome

Skin and intestines are closely connected, as new scientific findings show. The body's own immune system acts as a mediator between the so-called "gut-skin axis". Studies show that the gut microbiome has a decisive influence on the skin's immune system.

A skin-healthy diet should be rich in probiotic foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut and fermented vegetables. The microorganisms they contain, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum or Lactobacillus rhamnosus, not only stabilize the intestinal microbiome, but they can also be helpful in inflammatory skin conditions such as acne and eczema.