Skin health is more than just keeping up a youthful appearance. As your body’s largest organ, your skin makes up 10 percent of your total body weight and plays an important role in your overall health.

Just like your gut, your skin is home to millions of strains of bacteria and fungi that all work together to act as a physical barrier from outside pathogens. As a functional medicine practitioner, it’s my job to consider every aspect of a person’s health - inside and out.

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How does your skin microbiome protect you?

Established at birth, your skin microbiome works in fascinating ways. In cases of a break to the skin barrier such as a cut or wound, your microbiome works to signal your immune system to produce a healthy inflammatory response in order to heal. Because your skin microbiome extends deep past your skin’s initial layer, studies have found it actually communicates with and influences your body’s immune system. (1)

It is also responsible for nutrient absorption and supporting a well-functioning skin barrier. As one of your body’s first defense mechanisms, it’s vital that we don’t overlook caring for your skin for more reasons than appearance alone.

Problems with your skin microbiome

Your skin microbiome varies throughout different parts of your body. For example, certain bacteria thrive in drier areas whereas other bacteria prefer moist or oily areas. While this is normal, problems arise when there is an imbalance - also known as dysbiosis - where bad bacteria ends up outnumbering healthy, beneficial bacteria. This can lead to a variety of skin problems including:

• Acne (2)
• Eczema (3)
• Psoriasis (4)
• Rosacea (5)
• Dandruff (6)

Certain factors can impact the makeup of your skin’s microbiome - such as diet, air pollution, smoking, skincare products, or UV light exposure - and contribute to the development of dysbiosis and premature aging.

How to protect your skin microbiome

Ultimately, a healthy barrier should keep moisture in and keep irritants and other pathogens out, protecting you from dysbiosis and these other health problems. 

That’s why it is so important to not only care about what we put into our bodies, but the products we use on our skin on a daily basis as well.

I love Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream for all those reasons. This award-winning, nutrient-dense moisturizer contains a high concentration of active ingredients designed to help restore skin barrier lipids that fortify and defend against damage:

Triple Lipid Complex: Patented skin similar lipid fillers that help restore ceramide and fatty acid levels for healthy skin barrier function

Nutripeptide blend: Amino acids that help support skin barrier function and reinforce the skin’s ability to recover from environmental stressors like pollution, sun damage, and toxins

Seaweed hyaluronate blend: Small particle hyaluronic acid that acts as a humectant to pull moisture into the skin and replenish hydration

Lily root extract: Helps to increase volume by plumping skin and reducing transepidermal water loss (TEWL)

When used as part of the 3-step Barrier+ regimen (Foaming Oil Cleanser, Triple Lipid-Hyaluronate Serum and Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream), the cream is clinically proven to increase the quantity of vital ceramides and fatty acids in the skin barrier by +212% in just 28 days!

But the best part is that, unlike most skincare products, it is completely free from ingredients that can encourage dysbiosis such as fragrance, parabens, sulfates, essential oils, formaldehyde, phthalates, silicones, lanolin, petrolatum, propylene glycol, PEGs, gluten and more.

Instead of stripping my skin of moisture or overwhelming it with too many harsh ingredients, I can actually use this product on a daily basis in confidence knowing I am putting the best possible ingredients on my skin to ensure a thriving environment for my skin microbiome.

For a limited time, you can get their luxury 3oz size of the Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream for just $78 (in comparison the 1.7 oz is normally $50)! Not only does it make a great holiday gift, this deal comes at the perfect time to protect your skin from harsh, dry winter weather so you can protect your skin all season long.

If you are dealing with any of these skin problems, take a good look at all of the products you are using. You may just find that it’s time to switch up your skincare routine for something more natural, effective, and nourishing to your skin microbiome!

Need more help figuring out how to help heal your skin microbiome? Get in touch! As one of the first functional medicine telehealth clinics in the world, we provide webcam health consultations for people around the globe.

Photo: unsplash.com

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