Let's Consider Our Microbiome - Message from the Founder

March 18, 2020

It's probably a great time to talk about the body's various microbiomes.

We are amidst a crucial time for self regulation when it comes to our personal health, social and personal contact and our own immunology.

During these times of high risk of contracting a 'bug' due to contact between eye-nose-mouth and hands we have to establish a balanced regimen for ourselves.  We should be aware of of how much we may be stripping our own natural body secretions that are one of our primary defence systems - the microbiome; our own body's host of bacteria called microbiota.

TIPS:::: 

• Do not use harsh cleansers on skin and in hair at every wash. Vary the products and use mild cleansers when isolated at home to wash away personal dirt and use a disinfecting soap before and after visits outside the home and when in possible contact with foreign objects not in your daily life.  Allow your body's natural oils to surface of skin. 

• Do not over moisturize skin; this causes an imbalance in the creation of bodily secretions (can slow or increase) and creates a layer that can attract and hold micro-pollutants and/or impede the natural stasis of our microbiome. Use a fast absorbing moisturizer or serum or consider a nutritive oil that is suitable for your skin type.

The skin's microbiome is the area or environment that provides biological reaction to our external and internal environments. Our skin, nose, hair, ears and stomach have very complex and autonomously (automatically) occurring bacterial activity that keep us safe from bugs and viruses. On a topical skin level, we have natural secretions from pores and hair follicles that contain thousands of healthy and disease fighting properties. This natural bacteria that our bodies manufacture are called microbiota. Of all of the thousand known biological bacteria, only about one hundred are unhealthy, they are known as pathogens. Our bodies come into contact with pathogens every day. If we didn't have regular contact with bacterias or small amounts of pathogens, our bodies would not learn nor remember how to fight them off and avoid compromising our immune system.

The body is a miraculous chemical machine that regulates temperature, circulation, internal and external environment responses to bacterias and toxins. Our body autonomously processes and regulates millions of healthy and foreign bacterias in the form of skin's bodily fluids and oils every minute of every day.  Our skin is considered a microbiome of these bacteria which fight off abnormal bacterias we naturally contract on a daily basis.

The state that our skin is normal and non-irritated is called stasis and the function of the skin microbiome is to biochemically (using our own body's chemistry) assists this biological process. On occasion, our external microbiome becomes unbalanced and we need to treat our skin to achieve it's normal state once again. In the cosmetics and personal care industries, cosmetic scientists and doctors are concerned with the careful neutralization of the imbalances that occur in the microbiome by using pro-biotics, pre-biotics, natural adaptive nutrients and ingredients with antimicrobial properties in our persoanl care and cosmetic products.

There was a trend for beauty junkies globally to use several products for the skin in personal care regimens. This variable process can be upsetting and unbalancing to some people's skin with sensitivities or prolonged use of a product that was stripping the natural oils from skin. This practice can result in irritation, acne or increased dryness. The industry has streamlined some products that not only maintain the health of the skin's microbiome, but also can enhance it's health and protect from various internal and external environmental influences. Products with prebiotics and probiotics as well as fructo-saccharides, anthocyanins and skin nutritive properties are recommended. 

Microbiome research and it's impact on human health is rapidly growing. As new techniques for mapping genomic microbial databases are developing, it will allow scientists to identify more and elusive microbes amongst the vast and complex human biomarkers that identify disease and predict therapeutic treatment. 

Reference: 

Thermofisher.com

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