We can gauge a lot about our health from the condition of our skin. Is it oily, dry, red, flushed, irritated, sensitive, or prone to conditions like acne, eczema, or psoriasis? The skin's health depends on how healthy the barrier and its functions are. The barrier function of the skin depends on the microbiome, which is comprised of millions of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and immune cells, all working together to maintain its protective borders. This is the most important job since our skin is in constant contact with the outside world, and it serves as the body’s first line of defense against toxins and pollutants.
Though we often associate the microbiome with the gut, skin microbes are equally as important. They can indicate not only the health of our skin, but often our well-being overall too.
Here's how a healthy skin microbiome boosts overall skin health:
The skin's microbiome is responsible for the skin's pH of 4.5-5.0. This is called the acid mantle, which is acidic, anti-inflammatory, and part of the skin's primary defense mechanism.
The microbiome then starves bad bacteria.
When good bacteria blankets the skin surface, it crowds out other unwanted bacteria that attempts to settle on the skin's surface.
Then the microbiome alters, educates, and improves the immune cells in the skin, making them stronger and strengthening the barrier function.
Good bacteria on the skin reduce overall inflammation, which generally helps skin function its best.
At GR8 Skincare, we are more concerned about our overall skin health and its ability to defend itself against the environment and less concerned about a temporary beauty fix. The key to the skin's health lies in keeping the primary defense mechanisms intact, and this depends on the integrity of the acid mantle. Therefore, fundamentally, the constant stability of the skin's pH is crucial. All of our products have multiple benefits, but each one is made so as not to disrupt the pH of the skin because that is our primary defense against the environment.