Did you know that more than 90% of patients with AD are colonized by S. aureus?

This microorganism plays a very important role in the skin of atopic patients, producing super antigens and promoting an inflammatory response that perpetuates itching.

The microbiome is the set of microorganisms that inhabit our skin. The skin microbiome maintains bidirectional relationships between the epidemic barrier and the immune system, being a key element that actively participates in our body’s relationships with the external environment.

It begins to develop from a very early age. Children born vaginally have high levels of lactobacillus, while those born by cesarean section have a flora similar to the mother’s skin microbiome.

The microbiome of healthy skin is rich in Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes.

The skin microbiome of patients with AD, both in areas of skin with active lesions and those without lesions, exhibits dysbiosis with a low representation of Streptococcus, Corynebacterium, and Prophionibacterium.

It appears that the skin microbiome is established during the neonatal period and that interactions with external factors, the exposome, are crucial for proper microbiota biodiversity.

There is some evidence that antibiotics administered at very early ages, as well as cesarean deliveries, alter the skin microbiota. Conventional treatments with topical corticosteroids and bleach baths have been shown to influence skin bacterial biodiversity, bringing it closer to that of healthy skin.

A new theory proposes that contact with nature increases the biodiversity of the skin microbiome. This theory specifically proposes that dog owners are less likely to develop AD, given that they spend more time in natural environments, which positively influences the biodiversity of the skin flora, reduces stress, and has immunomodulatory effects.

If we focus our objectives on identifying those factors that positively or negatively influence the microbiota of healthy skin, we can intervene to prevent AD.

Numerous studies and investments in this field are needed, since determining the exposome of many diseases would help us prevent future pathologies and associated complications.

Let’s return to nature: living in nature, using antibiotics correctly, reducing stress… More studies are needed, of course, but the results always point in one direction: leading a healthy and balanced life. Don’t you think?