The skin sites specifically prone to disease showed significant differences in microbial diversity. For instance, the skin at the elbow crease, for instance, had fewer types of microbes than found on healthy individuals, while skin behind the ear had more types of microbes. The authors believe that an imbalance in microbial diversity at a given site may contribute to disease.
This, says Kong, suggests that an imbalance in microbial diversity at a given site on the skin may contribute to disease risk and that correcting the diversity of microbes on the skin – not just targeting disease-causing types – may help in the treatment of disease, they say.
Beyond beauty, towards health
While this study looked at people with rare genetic disorders, this research may prove useful for patients with temporary decreases in immune function – such as those with cancer and transplant recipients – by guiding the use of antibiotics routinely given to these patients.
In the last few years there has been a huge outpouring of scientific writing on the human biome in journals like Scientific American and Nature magazine.
Previous evidence has shown how the skin microbiome is governed, at least in part, by an ancient branch of the immune system called complement.
In turn, it appears that microbes on the skin tweak the complement system, as well as immune surveillance of the skin. The complement system may, in part, be responsible for maintaining a diverse set of microbes on our skin and keeping our skin healthy, which in turn could play a role in a host of skin diseases.
Cosmetic formulators have only just begun to investigate how skincare products might be used to help normalise the skin’s flora.
But what seems clear is that maintaining healthy skin – through a combination of diet and not putting damaging products on your skin – has implications way beyond beauty into the very foundations of health.