The Big Picture: Dr. Puja Uppal, Family Medicine, “Your skin microbiome could be playing a huge role in how your skin ages…”
Doctor’s Expert Insights about Skin Health and Your Microbiome
Know this: “To put it plainly, this research is stating that the tiny organisms living on our skin may play a big role in how our skin ages. The skin microbiome is an ecosystem of microorganisms on our skin. And it plays an important role in our dermatological health. This research indicates that a more diverse microbiome correlates with increased signs of skin aging. This suggests that the microbial composition of our skin may significantly influence its aging process. By looking at links between the skin microbiome and aging, researchers are paving the way for creating new preventive measures in skin health at a microbial level. Very exciting!” Dr. Puja Uppal, Family Medicine.
Beyond the news: While it’s too soon to draw definite conclusions or recommend specific treatments, this study points us in exciting new directions for future skin care products and treatments.
Next steps for you in Vermont: Wearing sunscreen regularly can help in maintaining good skin health.
Key Findings:
Positive Link Between Chronological Age and Skin Microbiome Diversity:
This means that as people get older, the diversity of microorganisms in their skin microbiome tends to increase. This is a general trend observed across different individuals.
Global Positive Association Between Microbiome Diversity and Crow’s Feet Wrinkles:
Researchers found that a greater diversity in skin microbiome is generally associated with a higher degree of Crow’s feet wrinkles.
Negative Link Between Microbiome Diversity and Transepidermal Water Loss:
The findings suggest that a more diverse microbiome might help retain skin moisture better.
Data Show:
- Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the US
- Having 5 or more sunburns doubles your risk for melanoma.
- When detected early, the 5-year survival rate for melanoma is 99 percent. (SCF)
Health Alert for Vermont
Key Drivers
The study, a collaboration between UC San Diego’s Center for Microbiome Innovation and L’Oreal, analyzed data from 13 studies involving over 650 female participants.
The study identified a positive correlation between microbiome diversity and lateral cantonal lines (crow’s feet wrinkles) and a negative correlation with transepidermal water loss.
This positive association implies that as the diversity of the skin microbiome increases, there is a corresponding increase in the appearance or prominence of crow’s feet wrinkles.
It’s important to note that this finding suggests a correlation, not necessarily causation. It indicates a link between these two factors (microbiome diversity and wrinkles) but does not definitively prove that one causes the other.
Of note: “By confirming a link between the microbiome and skin health, we’ve laid the groundwork for further studies that discover specific microbiome biomarkers related to skin aging, and, one day, show how to modify them to generate novel and highly targeted recommendations for skin health.” Dr. Rob Knight
What they’re saying: “In the present analysis, we focused on samples from cheek skin, which is the key body site for apparent age. More recent studies are shedding additional light on associations of the skin microbiome, notably particular clades of S. epidermidis or C. acnes, with biophysical traits of skin aging, such as collagen quality and quantity (Zhou et al., 2023a; Xia et al., 2023). Our study adds to this nascent, but growing body of knowledge aiming to better understand the implications of the microbiome in skin aging, by identifying the changes associated with signs of skin aging, rather than chronological aging alone. It sets the path for new studies to further characterize and validate new microbiome biomarkers of skin aging signs.” (Study Source)
Health Standard Newswire: The connection between the microbiome and signs of skin aging and skin quality has still not been thoroughly investigated.
Living in Vermont, the following health fact impacts your physical health directly!
Did you know there were 1446.0 deaths from Cancer in Vermont in 2021?
The Health Standard Newswire.