Probiotics for Your Skin

You’ve heard about the health benefits of taking probiotic pills and eating fermented foods. A healthy gut microbiome depends on a happy microbial balance and that means incorporating probiotics into your diet.

But what about using probiotics for your skin?

Instead of fighting painful skin rashes like eczema and psoriasis with antibiotic creams and steroids, what if you could resolve them with … topically applied bacteria.

That’s right. The word is out about the benefits of topical probiotics for your skin microbiome. And the more we learn, the more researchers, practitioners, and even beauty industry insiders are getting on board with beneficial bugs.

In this article, we’ll examine the role of topical probiotics for your skin, the emerging science behind them, and a few ways you can start to experiment with topical probiotics today.

 

Probiotics for your skin… not just for your gut

Microbiomes aren’t isolated to your gut.

In fact, there are different microbiomes all over your body, from your armpits to your nasal cavity to your colon. When these microbial populations are balanced, they can help fight pathogens and inflammation, neutralize toxins spewed out by bad bacteria, and block nasty exogenous compounds.

When a microbiome is out of balance – that’s when health issues arise.

A balanced skin microbiome will:

• Maintain an ideal skin pH
• Overpower non-beneficial bacteria and guard against fungi, viruses, and other pathogens
• Produce protein toxins called phenol-soluble modulins that stop the proliferation of bacteria that cause chronic skin rashes, S. aureus and Group A Streptococcus
• Help with wound healing
• Protect your skin from harmful UV radiation
• Protects your skin from allergens
• Help maintain skin moisture

 

What happens when your skin microbiome is unhealthy

Just like your gut microbiome, your skin microbiome needs to maintain a delicate balance of beneficial and non-beneficial bacteria. When you disrupt this balance, “bad” or non-beneficial bacteria, fungi, viruses and other pathogens get the chance to thrive.

One example is Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria found in large concentrations in chronic rashes – especially eczema. S. aureus is also well-known for developing antibiotic resistance, which is likely why those antibiotics aren’t working for your eczema. (1)

Fungi like Malassezia can also take over. This one contributes to conditions like atopic eczema, dermatitis, pityriasis (tinea) versicolor, seborrheic dermatitis, or folliculitis, and can exacerbate into systemic infections. (2)

Other signs of an imbalanced skin microbiome include:

• Eczema (atopic dermatitis)
• Psoriasis
• Dermatitis
• Rosacea
• Acne

 

An imbalance in skin microbes can affect your immune system

The microbes that exist naturally on your skin can also affect your immune system.

Skin-associated lymphoid tissue, or SALT are lymphocytes (immune cells) that work in tandem with bacteria to communicate with the lymph nodes inside your body.

Think of these immune cells as the front lines of your immune system. They constantly communicate with the rest of your body to determine the right immune response, depending on possible outside invasions/assaults.

But the main way SALT works is in a delicate balance with the microbes on your skin. So you can imagine the issues that can arise if your skin microbiome is out of balance and bad bacteria are on the rise. (3) An unhealthy skin microbiome can affect your entire immune system.

Ways your skin microbiome goes out of balance

How can you protect your skin microbiome? The first step is to understand what creates an imbalance in the first place. Just like your gut, your skin microbiome is easily damaged by everyday products and habits. Here are the main offenders:

Antibiotics and steroid creams

While these come with good intentions, antibiotics and steroid creams can exacerbate skin rashes. Whether taken internally or externally, antibiotics wipe out all bacteria indiscriminately, creating opportunities for bad bacteria to take over. This results in inflammation and a host of other symptoms that can take years to resolve.

Steroid creams suppress your skin’s immune response and constrict blood flow to your skin cells. This may help with symptoms in the short term, but restricts nutrients and oxygen from your skin in the long-term, which will inhibit healing. Plus, steroid creams come with their own host of side effects.

 

Environmental and chemical exposures

Your skin is meant to serve as a protective barrier, but it’s not immune to the harsh chemicals you’re exposed to on a daily basis.

Pollution in the air and water, plus the many toiletries we slather and spray on our bodies can decrease microbial diversity and give bad microbes the chance to thrive.

And while soap can be harsh, even water alone can cause problems!

I never forget the horrifying moment when I discovered at the beginning of my eczema journey that water could burn my poor skin so badly. It ultimately caused me to wear disposable gloves on my hands (which were affected) to avoid constant handwashing.

One of the reasons this happens is because of the significant pH difference between the skin barrier and water itself. Plus there is a litany of chemicals and drugs in tap water that can also irritate your skin.

Thyroid issues

Low thyroid hormone decreases circulation, which slows the flow of nutrients and oxygen to your skin cells. That means your cells have a harder time repairing, and regenerating.

Reduced circulation also reducing waste removal from the skin leaving the cells to swim in a more toxic environment.

When cells don’t have what they need for healthy turnover, old skin cells stick around longer, pile up, and cause rashes and infection. Less thyroid hormone also prevents skin cells from creating the necessary energy to turnover efficiently.

 

Overuse of hand sanitizers and antibacterial soaps

Antibacterial soaps, gels, and lotions are a lot like antibiotics – they kill everything, not just the bad microbes. Overuse of hand sanitizers and other antibacterial products can lead to antibiotic resistance and strip your skin of beneficial microbes.

Stick with more natural soaps and lotions that contain few ingredients. And ditch the antibacterial products that contain triclosan and other antimicrobial ingredients that even the FDA has issued warnings about.

Stress

Stress triggers a hormonal cascade that can directly affect your immune system. Since chronic, painful skin rashes like eczema and psoriasis are related to your immune system, it’s important to keep it strong and balanced.

Stressful situations probably aren’t going anywhere, but you can control your reaction to stress. Check out this article (and step-by-step videos) on how to calm your stress response in just two minutes.

Related: 5 Reasons Why Your Rash Won’t Go Away

Probiotics for your skin you can try today

Probiotics aren’t just for your gut! Many researchers, practitioners and beauty experts are looking to specific beneficial microbes to help heal a variety of skin conditions.

The best part about topical probiotics is that they’re relatively harmless. Plus, you can try many of these at home without a prescription. Here are the best ways to use topical probiotics for your skin microbiome to put an end to your chronic skin rashes:

 

Yogurt masks

Live cultures in your yogurt are made up of immune system supporting probiotic strains like Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Bifidobacteria. (4) These are known for balancing bacteria and crowding out non-beneficial microbes to help decrease inflammation and support your immune system.

In the event that you have an IgG sensitivity or lactose intolerance to dairy products, you can still apply them topically.

However, if you have an allergy to dairy, then you should avoid contact with yogurt. You could potentially try a vegan yogurt alternative or the next suggestion (see the section on topical probiotic application).

Here’s how to use yogurt topically for your skin rashes —

A simple yogurt mask may help with chronic skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, and acne. Spread a thin layer of unflavored (plain), organic yogurt on your skin. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes and rinse with lukewarm water.

 

Topical probiotic applications

This approach allows you to find probiotic pills with specific strains, as opposed to using yogurt with unmeasurable levels of bacteria.

I have a number of clients who have had success with this.

Here’s how to apply probiotics on your skin —

Apply some organic, cold-pressed skin oil like jojoba, sunflower, or hemp seed oils to the affected area. Then take an oral probiotic capsule and open it. Lightly sprinkle some of the probiotic directly on to the oil and gently massage it in.

You can leave this on your skin for 15-20 minutes, though I’ve had some clients leave it on overnight.

Put the rest of the capsule aside for future applications since you may not use the entire capsule depending on how extensive the affected area is.

MegaSporeBiotic is a great option for both external (topical) use. It’s also great for internal gut microbiome rebalancing (assuming you’re not on an immunosuppressant or biologic medication, or have a compromised immune system).

Anecdotally, MegaSporeBiotic with shea butter may reduce inflammation and improve moisture retention.

Probiotic soaps and moisturizers

Even the cosmetic industry is getting on the bacteria bandwagon, incorporating beneficial bacteria into face creams and cleansers to help correct skin microbe imbalances. There are pluses and minuses to this reality with many of the claims being more hype than fact.

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t skin care companies out there producing quality topical probiotics for your skin. Some of the probiotic skincare brands that I like include Mother Dirt (though I don't recommend this on active rashes), Bioesse, and Skin Probiotics.

 

Custom creams using your own microbes

Everyone, even those of us with skin rashes, have healthy patches of skin – patches where the microbial diversity is high and the bad guys haven’t taken over.

Scientists believe that by isolating the “good guy” bacteria in these healthy areas, they can make custom creams that balance your skin microbiome in a more holistic way. (5)

That’s right – a custom probiotic skin cream made from your own bacteria!

Certainly this would be an option for the future, but for now, you can certainly try this “home remedy” —

Apply some organic, cold-pressed skin oil like jojoba oil or avocado oil to a healthy area of skin. (Remember to avoid using coconut oil — HERE'S WHY.)

Then using a cotton swab, gently rub the swab around to pick up the oil and healthy bacteria from the skin. Apply it on the affected area to help re-innoculate that particular rashed spot with a healthier mix of skin flora.

 

Are topical probiotics for your skin safe?

When it comes to topical probiotics, the science is still young, but promising. Although I haven’t heard of any adverse reactions to using at-home topical probiotic treatments, I recommend doing a spot test with any new formulation before regular use.

Anecdotally, I’ve seen excellent results and recommend topical probiotics to many of my clients.

Most recently, a client used both internal and topical probiotics for her son’s persistent rash. She saw huge improvements as his gut healed, but the real difference was just days after they started to use a topical probiotic.

For even more details about your skin microbiome, don’t forget to check out this article.

And since every microbiome in your body is linked, you can start your journey back to healthy skin by eating the right foods.

My free guide to Eczema Soothing Smoothies has helped thousands of people get started! Every recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and packed with skin-healing superfoods so you can begin healing from the inside-out.

Not sure where to start with your skin rash? I also created this list of Root Cause Skin Tests so you can get to the bottom of your skin ailments fast.

And one final thought — topical probiotics aren’t a quick or sure-fire fix. Skin issues take time to heal (here’s the deal on how long it takes). And they require a serious dose of persistence and consistency as you dial in your unique protocol. Helping to rebalance your skin’s microbiome is one critical piece of your larger skin rash puzzle.

KEEP READING — Can Skin Baths Help Or Do Harm To The Microbiome?

REFERENCES

1. Otto, M. Staphylococcus epidermidis – the “accidental” pathogen. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009 Aug; 7(8): 555-567. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2807625
2. Saunders CW, Scheynius A, Heitman J. Malassezia Fungi Are Specialized to Live on Skin and Associated with Dandruff, Eczema, and Other Skin Diseases. Goldman WE, ed. PLoS Pathogens.2012;8(6):e1002701. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3380954/
3. Streilein JW. Skin-associated lymphoid tissues (SALT): origins and functions. J Invest Dermatol. 1983 Jun;80 Suppl:12s-16s. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6602189
4. Ferdousi R, Rouhi M, Mohammadi R, Mortazavian AM, Khosravi-Darani K, Homayouni Rad A. Evaluation of Probiotic Survivability in Yogurt Exposed To Cold Chain Interruption. Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research : IJPR. 2013;12(Suppl):139-144. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3813376/
5. Nakatsuji T, et al. Antimicrobials from human skin commensal bacteria protect against Staphylococcus aureus and are deficient in atopic dermatitis. Science Translational Medicine. 22 Feb 2017: Vol. 9, Issue 378, eaah4680. http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/9/378/eaah4680