Can Probiotics and Postbiotics Revolutionize Skincare and Dermatological Therapy?

🔍 Key Finding Topical and oral probiotics and postbiotics show promise in treating various skin conditions like acne, atopic dermatitis, and photoaging by modulating skin microbiota, reducing inflammation, and improving skin barrier function. Further research is needed to confirm efficacy, safety, and precise mechanisms of action, particularly regarding long-term effects and use in immunocompromised individuals.

🔬 Methodology Overview

• Design: Concise narrative review
• Data Sources: Not explicitly stated, but references suggest published literature.
• Selection Criteria: Focus on oral and topical probiotics and postbiotics in skincare and dermatological therapy.
• Analysis Approach: Qualitative synthesis of findings from existing research.
• Scope: Crosstalk between skin microbiota and the host, its effects on health and disease, and the potential use of pro- and postbiotics.

📊 Results

• Skin Microbiota Composition: Cutibacterium, Corynebacterium, and Staphylococcus are the three most dominant bacterial genera on human skin. Malassezia is the most abundant fungal species on core-body and arm sites.
• Skin Dysbiosis and Disease: Dysbiosis, an imbalance in the skin microbiota, is linked to conditions like atopic dermatitis (AD), seborrheic dermatitis (SD), rosacea, and acne. AD patients show increased S. aureus and decreased S. epidermidis and Corynebacterium spp.
• Skincare and Microbiota: Skincare products can alter skin microbiota composition, potentially increasing Cutibacterium and Staphylococcus strains that inhibit pathogens. Daily skincare routines may improve microbial diversity (Shannon index).
• Topical Probiotics: Probiotics can inhibit pathogen adhesion, stimulate AMP production by keratinocytes and sebocytes, and reduce inflammation. L. plantarum reduced acne-causing pathogens by 62% in an in vitro study.
• Topical Postbiotics: Postbiotics offer advantages like defined composition, stability, and no risk of antibiotic resistance transfer. Postbiotics from various strains showed benefits like improved wound healing, reduced photodamage, and increased skin moisture.
• Oral Probiotics/Postbiotics and the Gut-Skin Axis: Oral probiotics and postbiotics can influence skin health via the gut-skin axis. Oral L. rhamnosus SP1 improved acne in adults by normalizing skin gene expression related to insulin signaling. Oral Bacillus subtilis reduced S. aureus colonization by ~95% in a clinical trial.

💡 Clinical Impact This review highlights the potential of topical and oral probiotics and postbiotics to modulate the skin microbiome and improve various skin conditions like atopic dermatitis, acne, and rosacea, potentially offering clinicians new therapeutic options beyond traditional treatments. Further research, particularly large-scale human trials, is needed to confirm efficacy and safety before widespread clinical adoption.

🤔 Limitations

• Limited human trials on probiotics and postbiotics for skin conditions.
• Potential risks of topical probiotic use, especially in immunocompromised individuals.
• Probiotic viability can be affected by temperature, humidity, and air.
• Limited evidence of postbiotic modulation of skin microbiota in humans.
• Potential for allergic reactions and bacteremia with topical probiotics.
• Antibiotic resistance transfer among pathogens from topical probiotic use.
• Contradictory results in studies of probiotics for wound healing.

✨ What It Means For You This research suggests that topical and oral probiotics and postbiotics may offer new therapeutic avenues for treating various skin conditions like acne, atopic dermatitis, and rosacea by modulating the skin microbiome and reducing inflammation. Doctors should be aware of the emerging research on pre-, pro-, and postbiotics for skin health, but more large-scale human trials are needed to confirm efficacy and safety before widespread clinical recommendations can be made. Personalized skincare approaches based on individual skin microbiome profiles may also become increasingly relevant.

Reference De Almeida CV, Antiga E, Lulli M. Oral and Topical Probiotics and Postbiotics in Skincare and Dermatological Therapy: A Concise Review. Microorganisms. 2023;11:1420. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11061420