Skin concerns

Cases of eczema, acne, psoriasis and many other skin issues have increased drastically in the last few decades.

The exact cause is still not well-defined, but the past decade of research into the microbiome has further established the idea that a loss in bacterial diversity is strongly contributing to a range of skin issues - as well as issues elsewhere in the body.

Most bacteria are allies to the skin
A few bacteria are pathogenic, meaning they cause disease and can cause infections and painful issues on the skin. However, of the millions of bacteria known by the scientific field, less than 100 are known to be pathogenic to humans. Most bacteria are, in fact, friendly and even essential for the skin's health and appearance. It's therefore crucial to maintain a healthy balance between the good bacteria and the pathogens.

An imbalanced microbiome (known as dysbiosis) is problematic as bad bacteria can colonize the skin and outcompete the good bacteria. This leads to skin issues as well as a deterioration of the barrier function which can harm the immune system.

[ Acne ]

Acne vulgaris is currently one of the most common and well-known dermatological conditions, affecting around 90 % of the world’s population at some point in their lives. It often triggered in puberty by hormonal changes and further exacerbated by genetic factors.

Another factor that contributes to acne-prone skin is an imbalance in the skin microbiome, which allows pathogens (harmful bacteria) to colonize the skin. This means that pathogens start to take up more space and nutrition on the skin and in that way outcompete the otherwise beneficial bacteria in the skin microbiome.

[ Eczema ]

Atopic dermatitis (eczema) is characterized as a chronic inflammatory skin disease with impaired skin barriers, dysfunctional immunological response and frequent skin infections.

It affects up to 20% of children and 10% of adults worldwide.

People with dry, irritated, cracked, and atopic skin often have an imbalance in the skin's microbiome, which allows pathogens (harmful bacteria) to colonize the skin. This means that pathogens start to take up more space and nutrition on the skin and in that way outcompete the otherwise beneficial bacteria in the skin microbiome.

[ Intimate concerns ]

At any point in time, it is estimated that roughly 30% of women in the western world suffer from bacterial vaginosis and/or candida vaginosis. However, not everyone will experience symptoms. This, of course, indicates that the vaginal microbiome is sensitive and quite easily struck out of balance. Moreover it tells us that imbalances in the intimate area are common and something we should talk about in an open, factual manner, so no-one suffers in silence.

The vaginal microbiome is characterized by relatively low diversity compared to elsewhere on the body. It consists primarily of lactobacilli (lactic acid bacteria), especially of the species Lactobacillus crispatus, which maintains the essential, acidic ph-balance (~4.5), thus inhibiting the growth of microorganisms that can cause intimate problems. Even though a high microbial diversity is typically considered an indicator of health, it is opposite in the vaginal microbiome. When the dominating lactobacilli is replaced by other microorganisms it will often be considered a sign of dysbiosis which causes itchiness, irritation, bad odor or elevated levels of discharge.

Despite the low diversity of the vaginal microbiome, the microbiome’s composition will vary significantly from person to person. There are still plenty of unknown variables as to why these variations exist and how they’ve come to be. They are however affected by things such as ethnicity, age, regional origin, and more.