Common Mistakes that Disrupt Your Skin’s Microbiome (and How to Fix Them)

A healthy skin microbiome is essential for healthy, vibrant skin. Yet, your skincare routine could disrupt skin microflora, making it difficult to heal your skin and see the results you desire from your skincare products.

The skin microbiome contains diverse beneficial skin bacteria and other microorganisms that live on your skin barrier; it is the interface between you and your environment. Skin microbiota help keep the skin healthy and work as a natural defense against pathogens and unhealthy microorganisms.

Today’s article will dive into the common skincare mistakes that disrupt the delicate microbiome balance and what to do instead to nourish and restore the skin microbiome. We call it microbiome skincare! Keep reading as we discuss:

• Mistakes that encourage bad bacteria on the skin

• Skin probiotics and prebiotics

• How to restore your skin microbiome

• Microbiome-friendly skincare from NassifMD^® facial plastic surgeon skincare

Harsh Cleansers and Over-Exfoliating

Many factors influence the microbiota of the skin, including:

• Personal hygiene

• Exposure to pollution and chemicals

• Nutrition - Availability of nutrients to feed mixed skin flora

• Sun exposure

• Climate

• Physical activity

• Medications, including antibiotic use

• Skincare routine and products

The first common mistake affecting the skin microbiome is over-exfoliation. While exfoliation is an essential skincare step, too much abrasion on the skin’s surface can strip beneficial microorganisms from the skin and compromise skin barrier health.

The amount of exfoliation your skin can handle depends on your skin type and tolerance; there isn’t a one-size-fits-all routine. You may be over-exfoliating if your skin is:

• Red or irritated

• More prone to inflammation and infections

• Dry and dehydrated

When your skin is sensitive and inflamed, back off on exfoliation while allowing the skin to heal,  then, start again slowly, with just once or twice weekly exfoliating treatments. Choose alpha and beta hydroxy acids, like glycolic acid, or gentle physical exfoliants, such as Ecuadorian ivory palm, which you’ll find in NassifMD^® Skincare.

Ignoring pH Balance

The skin has a naturally weakly acidic pH (potential hydrogen) between 4 and 7 (7 is neutral). The average pH of adult skin is 5.7.  The microorganisms that form the skin microbiome help maintain pH balance by the acids they produce. For example, lactobacillus bacteria produce lactic acid (an alpha hydroxy acid), which helps to balance the skin’s pH and keep it on the acidic side.

Your skincare routine also plays a role in pH balance. Applying an alkaline skin product can make the skin less acidic, which affects the skin microbiome and may make the skin more prone to irritation. On the other hand, acidic skincare products help to maintain the skin barrier and microbiome.

One strategy to support balanced skin pH is adding a toner to your skincare routine. After cleansing, spray a toner on the skin to restore and support the skin’s naturally acidic pH before continuing with the rest of your skincare routine.

Overusing Antibacterial Products

Antibiotics aren’t just used for infections when you’re sick, manufacturers add them to hand sanitizers, lotions, and other topical products. Antibacterial products are designed to kill pathogens but also kill good bacteria on the skin. Using these products too often can negatively affect the skin microbiome, which decreases skin health and impacts the skin barrier.

Instead:

• Wash your hands with soap and water

• Use gentle facial cleansers

• Read the ingredients in the products you use

• Understand the negative impacts of overusing antibiotics and antibacterial products and save them for the times they are absolutely necessary

• Instead of asking how to get rid of bacteria on the skin, ask how to increase good bacteria on the skin

Skipping Probiotics and Prebiotics

You may be familiar with probiotics and prebiotics, and these dietary components are essential for healthy skin! The gut-skin access describes how gut health influences skin health. When there are imbalances in the gut microbiome, it may show up as inflammation and imbalances on the skin.

From this perspective, supporting gut health supports the skin microbiome and, ultimately, overall skin health. Start with prioritizing probiotics and prebiotics in the diet.

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that naturally occur in fermented and aged foods. Good sources include:

• Yogurt

• Kefir

• Miso

• Sauerkraut, kimchi, other fermented vegetables

• Fermented pickles

• Apple cider vinegar

• Kombucha

Try including these foods daily for microbiome and skin support. Start with small, condiment-sized portions. Probiotics are also available as supplements.

Prebiotics are the food source for probiotics, often fiber and polyphenols (specialized plant nutrients) that the probiotics turn into beneficial compounds (like lactic acid) and play important roles in human health. Foods high in prebiotics include:

• Asparagus

• Artichokes

• Sunchokes

• Onions, garlic, and leeks

• Jicama

• Dandelion greens

• Green bananas

• Berries

• Oats

Increasing prebiotic foods and fiber-rich foods is another way to support gut health and a healthy gut microbiome. When your gut is happy, so is your skin!

You may also find some topical skin microbiome products containing probiotics and prebiotics as active ingredients with the same idea of nourishing the skin microbiome.

How to Restore a Healthy Microbiome

The skincare products you use can either work with your skin microbiome, by providing nutrients and helping to balance pH or against it by stripping the skin barrier with harsh formulas. Each NassifMD^® facial plastic surgeon skincare product is by Dr. Nassif, who has decades of intimate experience and knowledge of how the skin works. If you are working to restore your skin microbiome or want to prevent future damage, these are the products Dr. Nassif recommends:

• NassifMD^® Skin Barrier Balm – This balm heals, calms, and nourishes the skin, focusing on improving the health of the skin barrier and microbiome. With anti-inflammatory plant extracts, niacinamide, and sunflower seed oil, use it as the last step of your daily skincare routine or whenever your skin needs extra nourishment.

• NassifMD^® Even, Correct & Renew Retexturizing Pads – With just a few swipes, these pads smooth, even, and brighten the skin with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, mandelic acid, and retinol. Use twice weekly, at night, after cleansing to support skin cell turnover and microbiome balance.

• NassifMD^® Pro Peptide Collagen Serum – Even, firm, and renew the skin with this skincare peptide formula designed to enhance skin health, hydration, and nourishment. It contains beta-glucan, a natural prebiotic for the skin. Use after cleansing and toning.

• NassifMD^® Glycolic Microdermabrasion Skin Perfecting Polish – This polish clarifies, brightens, and refines the skin with gentle exfoliation from Ecuadorian ivory palm and glycolic acid. Start by using the formula a couple of times weekly and increase as tolerated.

• NassifMD^® Dermaflect Smart Day Therapy Serum – Protect and correct the skin with this daytime formula with light-activated antioxidants, ectoin, and vitamin C. Layer with NassifMD^® Pro Peptide Collagen Serum in the morning for additional synergistic benefits.

• NassifMD^® Protect & Hydrate – Protect and hydrate the skin with this SPF hydrating formula with a subtle tint for daytime use. Protecting the skin with SPF also protects the delicate skin microbiome.

• NassifMD^®Simply Hydration – Protect and hydrate the skin with this untinted SPF formula, perfect for daily use under makeup and microbiome protection.

Skin microbiome health requires a comprehensive approach involving nutrition, lifestyle, and microbiome-supportive skincare from NassifMD^®Skincare. We deliver synergistic formulas with multiple active ingredients designed to nourish and protect the skin barrier and microbiome, working with your skin’s needs.

References

1. 1. Byrd, A. L., Belkaid, Y., & Segre, J. A. (2018). The human skin microbiome. Nature reviews. Microbiology, 16(3), 143–155.

2. 1. Skowron, K., Bauza-Kaszewska, J., Kraszewska, Z., Wiktorczyk-Kapischke, N., Grudlewska-Buda, K., Kwiecińska-Piróg, J., Wałecka-Zacharska, E., Radtke, L., & Gospodarek-Komkowska, E. (2021). Human Skin Microbiome: Impact of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors on Skin Microbiota. Microorganisms, 9(3), 543.

3. 1. Lichterfeld-Kottner, A., El Genedy, M., Lahmann, N., Blume-Peytavi, U., Büscher, A., & Kottner, J. (2020). Maintaining skin integrity in the aged: A systematic review. International journal of nursing studies, 103, 103509.

4. 1. Mahmud, M. R., Akter, S., Tamanna, S. K., Mazumder, L., Esti, I. Z., Banerjee, S., Akter, S., Hasan, M. R., Acharjee, M., Hossain, M. S., & Pirttilä, A. M. (2022). Impact of gut microbiome on skin health: gut-skin axis observed through the lenses of therapeutics and skin diseases. Gut microbes, 14(1), 2096995.