The microbiota has various functions, such as
- Modulation of the immune system
- Restoration of the intestinal barrier
- It helps to improve the skin as a structure and as an organ in general
- Commands the gut-brain axis
Skin microbiome
It is the set of bacteria, fungi, and parasites that inhabit the skin. They fulfill chemical, physical, metabolic, and defense functions.
It is influenced by genetic factors, age, sex, and local psychochemicals (ph, temperature, fatty layer of the skin) and makes the skin variable, evolutionary and different depending on the variations in the different locations of the same (mucous membranes, scalp, palms). or plants etc.)
It is always connected to the intestinal microbiota at all times.
Prebiotics
They are substances found in many fruits and vegetables, especially those that contain complex carbohydrates, such as fibers and resistant starches. When consumed, they stimulate the activity of the microorganisms in our intestine (intestinal microbiota).
Examples:
- Miso
- Kefir
- Kombucha
- Vinegars
- Sauerkraut / Sauerkraut
- nattos
- Pickles
- Kimchi, among others.
They must be present in the daily diet to stimulate our microbiota to perform its functions well.
We will not see effects on our general health if we consume them sporadically.
Probiotics
They are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the consumer.
Examples: food supplements with strains of bacilli (saccaromices bulardi, Bifidobacterium Bifidus etc).
I recommend them for a minimum of 3 months in case you want to improve the intestine, brain, and skin. Depending on the objectives, there are shorter or longer treatments.
Post Biotics
Set of active ingredients obtained from fragments of beneficial bacteria or that are produced by them, lipids, proteins, enzymes or polysaccharides, etc.
Cosmeceuticals with postbiotics
- They should be part of the daily care routine, morning and night.
- It will especially benefit stressed and inflamed skin.
Ex: skin with rosacea, dermatitis, acne, among others.
It is ideal that they are prescribed/formulated according to the patient's clinical history, to obtain better results.
The current analysis of all these concepts allows us to be better doctors, better specialists, patients, and better caregivers. Although academically we can separate these concepts to understand them better, everything is happening at the same time and everything has to do with everything.
Talk to your specialist about this interesting topic and how you can improve your quality of life while preserving the health of your skin!
Laura Sofía Habib Araújo
@LHDERMATOLOGY
Physician-Dermatologist
Bogota,Colombia