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You need bacteria for healthy skin
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Soil microbes have a pronounced healing effect on the skin. They are able to dissolve ammonia released in sweat and also give the skin the necessary biologically active substances.
Everyday skin care involves getting rid of bacteria on the skin surface as much as possible. Most people use both alcohol-based cosmetics and antibacterial products. Of course, microbes can harm the health of our skin - acne or other inflammatory processes can serve as an example. Therefore, cleanliness is rightfully considered the key to healthy skin, and regularly removing dirt and secretions from it is simply necessary.
But we should not forget: there are also beneficial microbes. American experts representing the company AOBiome stated that nitrifying microorganisms are very useful for the skin. Such bacteria live in soil and water, and take an active part in the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. Nitrites and nitric oxide are considered to be the products of bacterial metabolism. The role of these compounds is very important: they participate in the regulation of the inflammatory process, in the course of wound healing processes, in changing the lumen of blood vessels, in preventing autoimmune reactions, etc. In addition, nitrifying bacteria are able to neutralize ammonia released from sweat glands and disrupting the acid-base balance of the skin surface. Researchers wondered what would happen if these bacteria were "introduced" to human skin.
Volunteers were invited for the experiment: a mass containing soil nitrifying bacteria was applied to their skin. Some participants were given a placebo mass. For two weeks, none of the participants were allowed to use any detergents; only in the third week were they allowed to use their usual shampoos and other cleansing procedures.
During the experiment, microbes firmly established themselves on the skin. In those people whose skin was treated with the microbial mass, microorganism DNA was detected in 83-100%. Since the use of cleansers, this level has decreased to 60%. But, as experts noted, the condition of the skin of the participants after using the microbial mass significantly improved. No harm to the health of the participants was found.
How did the bacteria affect the skin? First, they released bioactive substances and reduced the pH. Second, they directly affected the balance of skin microflora. The researchers note that despite the small scale of the experiment, the result can be considered completely positive. Of course, most scientific critics require more extensive experiments, involving a larger number of participants from different age groups. Scientists believe that additional research is necessary, first of all, to further prove the positive effect of microorganisms.
Information is available on the website of the American Society for Microbiology.
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