CAN GOOD BACTERIA MAKE YOUR SKIN GLOW?

FEWER than 50 per cent of the cells on our faces are our own — instead they belong to microbes such as bacteria.

Some estimate there are about 100,000 bacteria per square centimetre on the skin. While some cause harm (propionibacterium bugs are thought to contribute to acne), many protect us from infections.

According to Laura Bowater, a professor of microbiology at Norwich Medical School, the bacteria compete with each other for space and nutrients. So if skin is colonised by beneficial bacteria, there is no room for harmful microbes. Just as probiotics — or ‘friendly’ bacteria — are used to promote a healthy gut, they are now added to creams for healthy skin. The theory is with some skin conditions there is an imbalance in the bacteria population which can lead to inflammation and acne.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego tested a cream for atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema, that contains good bacteria from a patient’s own skin. They had found these patients had lower levels of the protective bacteria S. epidermidis and S. hominis, so they mixed them into a cream and used it on the areas with atopic dermatitis. Every patient showed greater than a 90 per cent drop in the eczema-linked S. aureus bacteria. Mother Dirt (£ 51.80/ 100ml, functionalself.co.uk) is a spray being trialled for acne and eczema. It contains bacteria that feed on ammonia on the skin, which would otherwise be used by skin-aggravating bacteria. Without this fuel, the bad bacteria die off.

Aurelia Cell Revitalise Day Moisturiser (£52, aureliaskincare.com) claims its probiotic ingredients increase collagen production and improve skin repair.