Changing our microbiome: probiotics in dermatology

Summary The body is host to a vast range of microorganisms and this diversity of microorganisms is known as the microbiome. The human microbiome is collectively composed of resident bacteria, fungi, viruses, and small arthropods that live in and on our bodies. This microbiome is important to human health and disease, including in dermatology. Research has shown that probiotics, or live microorganisms, can help restore a healthy microbiome and may give us health benefits. This review evaluates the role of the microbiome in dermatology, and presents the clinical data supporting the use of probiotics for skin diseases, including oral probiotics that are ingested and topical probiotics that are directly applied to the skin. Different types of studies were included, such as basic science, translational research and clinical studies, which investigated the differences in the skin microbiome and the impact of probiotics in patients with eczema, acne, psoriasis, chronic wounds, dandruff, and certain types of skin cancer. The authors found that only a few clinical trials explored the usefulness of probiotics for skin diseases, except for eczema, which is well‐studied. Most studies utilized oral probiotics, though those investigating topical probiotics are increasing in frequency. In general, the available clinical trials yielded positive results with improvement of the skin conditions after probiotic use. The authors found that probiotics appear to be effective for the treatment of certain inflammatory skin diseases including eczema and acne. They also demonstrate a promising role in wound healing and skin cancer. However, more studies are needed to further investigate possible uses of probiotics for skin disease. This summary relates to the study: Changing our microbiome: probiotics in dermatology