Did you know that you are a remarkable host? Your body is a veritable hotel for bacteria , a welcoming place so fabulous that there are more than tens of billions of them populating it. The pores of your skin in particular are veritable nests of bacteria. But don't panic, most of them are there for your good! All together on your skin , they unite like a veritable army with the formidable name “ skin microbiota”. Thus, they form an exceptional protective shield to defend you against “bad” pathogenic bacteria in exchange for a little food from you. Thanks to them, say goodbye to your skin problems. Isn't that a more than decent deal? We will explain everything to you.
I. What is the microbiota?
has. Microbiota or flora, a set of microorganisms colonizing a given area
Microbiota comes from the Greek -micro- meaning "small" and -bio- referring to "life". Literally, our body is populated by tiny living beings : micro-organisms . Each set of microorganisms populating a given environment forms a microbiota or synonymously, a flora .
Like flower crops and even if you are not a good gardener, these little creatures flourish in different areas of our body which are very fertile for their development . This massive proliferation means that today we have more bacteria on us than cells.
b. What is a microorganism?
Everything that is micro can be seen using a microscope. Microorganisms are therefore living beings so small that they are invisible to the naked eye. Bacteria , viruses , fungi and parasites are the best known. Unfortunately, they are not very well seen because they are often associated with a large number of diseases . In these pandemic times, you are aware that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is the cause of Covid 19 . Housing these little creatures on your body every day may seem dangerous for your health , but it's actually quite the opposite!
vs. The different microbiota
As we have said, your perfect body is a real culture medium , divided into different microbiota , depending on the area of the body occupied, all essential for maintaining good health.
The best known of all and the most important is the intestinal microbiota which is home to no less than 3.9 x 10^13 bacteria which help us digest .
As the host of this huge bacterial family, know that your guests also love places like your nose , your mouth, your eyes, your lungs and your skin !
Don't panic, the intestinal, nasal, oral, ocular, pulmonary and skin flora that naturally colonize you are not pathogenic and do not cause diseases . They are beneficial to your health and safe.
Our body therefore brings together all this little world where everyone finds their benefit, we then speak of symbiosis .
II. Focus on the skin microbiota
has. Highlighting the skin flora
An American study * carried out on 16 volunteers demonstrated the presence of meticulously organized colonies of bacteria on our faces. Like a teenager popping pimples (yuck 🤮), the researchers emptied several pores of the volunteers' facial skin and discovered that the bacteria were very organized in their distribution.
A facial pore will house clones of the same type of microorganism . Inside the next pore will live a member of his family (same lineage) and his clones. The same goes for any pores within a few centimeters of proximity. The more distant pores will contain neighboring families according to the same arrangement rule, forming a real neighborhood.
This military organization of low intra-pore diversity makes the pore a bottleneck, preventing any bacteria from competing with a bacteria of its family or a neighboring bacteria by allowing a peaceful coexistence necessary for a good barrier cutaneous .
b. Skin bacteria, you feed them, they protect you.
Why is our skin populated with bacteria ? Quite simply because it is the pantry: sebum, dead cells, a real treat for these hungry little ones who really need strength to fight all infections ( redness, irritation, spots, stains ). In exchange for food, these microorganisms come together to form a natural barrier to protect us against external aggressions and pathogens that can lead to disease . A perfect mutual benefit association that has conquered billions of bacteria ( 10^12 ) , which are housed, nourished and bleached by your skin.
vs. Skin bacteria, their protective tactics.
This real army deploys a unique strategy in 3 stages:
1) Occupy space : Hospitality and acceptance of others are, so to speak, not the key words that govern the life of bacteria . Within a pore, bacteria only accept those that are identical to them. There is therefore no room for diversity , which complicates the arrival of aggressive foreign microbes and that's good! This role is mainly played by the weaker microorganisms which play defense .
2) Stay in perfect balance : As seen, the inhabitants of our skin flora are sectarian and do not accept diversity when it is brought by tiny pathogens . On the other hand, they know that diversity within their family and their neighborhood is essential. It is essential to maintain a subtle balance ( symbiosis ) to keep this same diverse population within their neighborhood. Mutual assistance is therefore essential. We were talking about the weaker bacteria , which hide in the pores to play their role as occupants. During this time, the strongest bacteria go on the attack to defend them against external germs . An imbalance between these beneficial micro-organisms, whether defender or attacker ( dysbiosis ), weakens the skin barrier . It is then less resistant to external aggressions, which promotes diseases such as psoriasis , atopic dermatitis and acne and makes wound healing difficult.
3) Stimulate immune defenses : If this army of defending and attacking bacteria is not enough, they call to the rescue our most faithful endogenous reinforcements: our immune cells . This ability to repatriate immune troops makes our skin flora a major ally towards reinforced immunity .
d. The example of acne
Acne is the most common skin disease in the world, affecting 90% of the world's population.
What is its origin ? The skin produces too much sebum . Bacteria such as Propionibacterium acnes - naturally present on our skin without altering it - and fans of fast food feast on this fatty food and end up taking up more space than other bacteria , creating a skin imbalance . These bacteria proliferate in the pores filled with sebum until they clog them and create inflammation . This dysbiosis urgently repatriates the anti-inflammatory white blood cells which will combat this bacterial excess by producing pus and giving rise to these very unsightly and well-known pustules ...
III. Towards new treatment strategies for skin problems
The relatively recent discovery of skin flora , enriched every day with new knowledge, allows us to gradually understand the underlying mechanisms of skin problems .
The first way to act is prevention and preservation . Hygiene products that are too aggressive for the skin (hydroalcoholic gel) kill our good bacteria and create dysbiosis . It is better to choose gentle treatments that respect your flora .
The second way to act is to act on the cause of the problem and not on the consequence. Rebalancing the skin microbiota by repopulating it with defensive and attacking bacteria allows you to recreate a solid shield against external aggressions. This would prove to be a better solution than “killing” unwanted bacteria , at the risk of making innocent collateral victims that are our good bacteria .
It is from this observation that there have been numerous studies on probiotics , exogenous bacterial strains with incredible potential for the regeneration and renewal of the altered microbiota . These are provided by diet via fermented foods such as yogurt for example or by food supplements . In combination with prebiotics , the real food of these little creatures, they constitute a major ally against dysbiosis by reconstituting the skin flora .
Scientific discoveries that the experts of the REBORN team cannot ignore. This is why we have developed an exceptional product against skin problems based on Pomewhite(R). This revolutionary white pomegranate extract is extremely rich in prebiotics ( fiber and carbohydrates ) which are metabolized by the intestines and absorbed to reach the bloodstream and ultimately reach the skin to nourish the skin microbiota . This helps rebalance it by reducing Proponibacterium acne bacteria (negative) and increasing Staphylococcus epidermis bacteria (positive). The skin thus regains its barrier function and strengthens itself. It becomes more resistant to skin infections : acne , eczema , atopic dermatitis , etc.
You live in shared accommodation with hundreds of billions of tiny little living beings. In exchange for a little food that you produce naturally (sebum, dead cells), these undertake to defend you at all costs against the nasty pathogenic enemies. Yes, but here you are, you put your faithful protectors to the test every day with aggressive hygiene products. Why not take care of them instead by giving them pre- and probiotics?
The best solution: Absolu+ White , for effective rebalancing of your skin microbiota.
*Arolyn Conwill, and al., Anatomy promotes neutral coexistence of strains in the human skin microbiome, Cell Host & Microbe, 2022, ISSN 1931-3128, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2021.12.007.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1931312821005783)