Probiotics could be an effective alternative when it comes to treating acne.
The chronic inflammatory skin disease is often treated with antibiotics, but the skin’s increasing resistance to those types of topical treatments has subsequently decreased their effectiveness.
Researchers led by senior author Dr. Masoumeh Mohamadi at the Rasoul Akram Hospital in Iran analysed data from every published study on the use of probiotics in creams or oral medications for treating acne.
They then discovered that probiotics, which are beneficial microorganisms and help to stabilise the good bacteria in the gut, may help increase the skin’s natural defences against the condition, without the need for antibiotics or heavily medicated topical creams.
“Further research is recommended that looks into the long-term effects of probiotics on acne lesions given the short-term type of studies cited,” Dr. Mohamadi explained.
Acne is associated with an increase in anaerobic bacteria, which affects the sensitive skin flora. The researchers found that increasing the amount of good bacteria in the gut with a probiotic supplement helped to fight off the infectious pathogens that cause the skin condition and also maintained the wellbeing of the gut and skin microbiome.
The team also encouraged acne sufferers to use skincare products that contained glycerol or glycerin, as they discovered the compound was a powerful natural skin defence against acne.
