Why The Skin Microbiome Is Key To Healthy Defense
Did you know our skin's microbiome is made up of BILLIONS of micro-organisms called flora that help balance skin health, defense + pH?
Just like the proper balance of good + bad microorganisms in our gut helps to strengthen immunity and boost overall wellness, a balanced topical microbiome does the same for our body's largest organ -- our skin!
What is the skin microbiome?
The skin microbiome begins with the outermost facing layer of our skin surface and is the first line of defense, which is why it’s important for us to understand how it works and why it matters. Our skin biome is inhabited by billions of microorganisms and research shows that healthier biomes actually contain a higher degree of microbial diversity. Although microorganisms on our skin may sound a bit skeevy, the great news is that most of them are actually beneficial to maintaining proper pH, fending off aggressors and keeping order to the system. Which is why we should show it some love.
The interesting part is that, like your fingerprint, your skin biome is very specific to you! It's based on personal factors like lifestyle, genes, your geography, your diet and environmental factors present in your day to day routine. One commonality we all share when it comes to our skin barrier is that, similar to your internal gut microbiome, it’s important to ensure that the balance of the good and not-so-fab bacteria stays in balance to keep our skin healthy and protected. There are numerous factors that can disrupt the harmony like pollution, overuse of certain harsh skincare ingredients, diet, medications and, more recently, mask bacteria.
When our skin microbiome becomes off balance, it can open the door to invaders through cracks in the walls (a compromised skin barrier), which can be the culprit for flare ups of conditions like eczema, psoriasis, acne and over sensitization.
“There have been several studies that show what you put in your body and what you put on your body surface have an impact on overall wellness, defense and immunity,” says Dr. Alissia Zenhausern, founder of NMD Wellness of Scottsdale. “Much like your body internally utilizes and benefits from specific microbiome balancing ingredients, your skin biome can also benefit topically from a similar wellness-centered approach.”
But why should I care about skin biome-centric ingredients in my SPF?
You guessed it: DEFENSE! A balanced biome is actually a critical element to healthy, pH balanced elemental protection -- and you know we live for inside out defense.
Much like ferments and probiotics work hard to keep your body in balance internally, topically there are many benefits to infusing a similar function to our skincare and the parallels to skin protection, like SPF, makes perfect sense to us. After all, as our founder discovered during her Lyme Disease journey, the best results occur when the balance of our internal and external immune support systems work in tandem. So, if you're into greek yogurt, probiotics and ferments, consider efficacious topical products to match.
Time Traveler’s microbiome-centered skin defense is like a fresh kombucha for your face!
More than SPF, Time Traveler uses a mix of science + nature, including probiotic inspired heptapeptides and Ayurvedic adaptogens like ashwagandha, shown to help promote microbiota diversity + balance and provide anti-inflammatory + antioxidant benefits for a healthier defense barrier. After all, our skin deals with more aggressors than just the beautiful sunshine each day, so using multi-tasking clean mineral screens that also help to reinforce barrier function is like a cherry on top of the 'modern' defense sundae.
