New research by The Skin Microbiome School has urged caution when dealing with topically applied probiotics.
“Due to the large intra- and inter-personal variation of the skin microbiome, our current knowledge of a healthy skin microbiome composition is not complete enough to fully satisfy the criteria.”
We use the example of Yellowstone Park to show that the idea of probiotics has incredible future potential as a therapeutic solution for skin ailments. The addition or removal of just one type of organism can have enormous, and often seemingly disproportionate, effects on an ecosystem. The same is true of the skin.
On the other hand, introduce the wrong number, or an alien species, and it could have disastrous effects. When the wolves died out in Yellowstone Park, it fell into a state of disrepair which threatened its very existence.
In conclusion, despite having incredible future potential, probiotics should not be immediately associated with health benefits. We are often led to believe that everything using the name is immediately safe. However, in their current form they may be implemented in neither a safe or effective manner.
Future research should help move it towards its potential by researching the exact composition of the microbiome.
