Until recently we didn’t know much about the skin microbiome and it was thought that for skin to be healthy it needed to be ‘clean’ eradicating bacteria.
The human microbiome project completely changed our perception of the skin as an organ. Now it’s seen as an ecosystem, including the whole genome of bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa, happily living on the skin. We are living in co-existence, depending on each other. The microbiome cannot live without a host (the human body), but we cannot live without a microbiome either because too many functions of our skin, and body in total are outsourced to our “micro-friends”.
"By taking care of the microbiome we are helping our skin perform its functions better without using its own resources. A healthy microbiome protects our skin, helps to hold water, oxygenate it, and produce necessary elements to build structure. All we need to do is feed it and keep it happy and balanced".
— Dr. Tiina Meder
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO CARE FOR OUR SKIN MICROBIOME
The diversity of the skin microbiome is associated with age: the older we are, the less diverse our microbiome is. The decrease of diversity in the microbiome is reflected in many skin conditions such as skin dryness, hypersensitivity, redness and even troubles of pigmentation and wrinkles.
Some researchers hypothesise that the age-related change of microbiome can be a significant factor in explaining the appearance of age-related skin changes. The microbiome is amazingly similar to human society. It functions better while it’s diverse. It forms collaboration. Individual bacteria’s behaviour is different from the collective. For example, the increased density of the population makes bacteria and viruses more aggressive and decreased density calms them down.
Keeping it diverse in a delicate balance is the key to happy skin.
MICROBIOME-FRIENDLY CARE FOR YOUR SKIN
The use of prebiotics and probiotics in skincare helps to increase the skin microbiome diversity and it’s shown to be helpful in many ways, reducing skin concerns such as dryness or sensitivity. It’s also a key factor in the treatment of acne and redness. We strongly believe in the microbiome power, so all Meder products are microbiome friendly and support this ideal co-existence of the human body with the skin microbiome.
