The Skin Microbiome: Birth and Water

I began last week’s focus on the skin microbiome based on reading an interview with a scientist who hasn’t taken a shower in over five years (Clean by James Hamblin). We’ve established the basics about skin and the microbes that are supposed to reside in the skin microbiome. This week we’ll cover how the skin microbiome is affected by our environment. What are we doing to our skin that may be impacting our health?

It actually can begin at birth. If we are delivered via the birth canal, we are immersed in vaginal microbes that seed our skin with microbes. In the 1970s, C-sections began to rise from 5% to the current rate of 30%. That means close to one-third of newborns don’t get the initial exposure to skin microbes. Does that result in an increase in skin conditions such as dermatitis? Maybe, but there’s no confirming research to date.

Depending on your water supply, the water may be treated with chlorine and fluoride. While they can kill bacteria to make the water safer, those chemicals may also damage the microbes that live on our skin, hence Hamblin’s avoidance of showers. That impacts the skin microbiome and consequently, our immune system.

What else can impact our skin? I’ll cover more on Thursday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Int Microbiol. 2019 Mar;22(1):1-6. doi: 10.1007/s10123-018-00049-x.