October 1, 2023

I speak in regards to the pores and skin microbiome lots—not simply because rising analysis across the matter personally fascinates me, however as a result of so lots of the consultants I belief and respect additionally see the potential in microbiome skincare. 

One among my favourite folks to speak with in regards to the microbiome is mbg collective member and board-certified dermatologist Whitney Bowe, M.D. At this level, she’s greatest identified for her skincare routine “pores and skin biking” that went viral final yr, however she’s additionally a daily for a lot of media shops, speak reveals, and has amassed an enormous following on social media. 

A core a part of what she talks about in skincare is barrier assist—beginning with the microbiome. “The pores and skin barrier is a residing, thriving ecosystem. It is a lot extra dynamic and complex than what we initially thought,” she instructed me. “We have to discover methods to maintain it balanced, wealthy, and thriving. And when it comes to repairing the pores and skin barrier, it actually wants to begin with the microbiome.” 

And to take action, she turns to pre and postbiotics. For instance, postbiotics are nonliving useful outputs from probiotics that may “work together with the epidermal cells and your pores and skin barrier in a really optimistic method.” She explains that there are a number of kinds of postbiotics, together with important fatty acids, antimicrobial peptides, and so forth. Prebiotics are like fertilizer, which might help “nourish the great bugs.”