Embrace Good Bacteria To Solve Skin Problems

Micro-organisms, including probiotics, are the skin’s cavalry. They don’t just defend it and make it healthier, they solve skin problems, too.

More than 1,000 strains of bacteria thrive on our skin. “An ecosystem of microflora – a combination of good and bad bacteria – is key to healthy skin,” says Dr Lionel Breton, L’Oreal’s advanced research scientific director. They are as essential to skin as other bacteria are to our gut and immunity, and we are born with these bacteria.

“Their diversity develops from birth until we are three years old, before stabilising. They decrease when we are between 60 and 65 years old,” Dr Breton adds.

As with any ecosystem, maintaining the balance of skin bacteria is important. “Unstable microflora cause different kinds of dermatosis,” says Dr Breton.