They protect you from pathogens (like armour for your face)
They improve barrier function
They maintain calm and reduce sensitivity
They manufacture moisturizing factors
They maintain skin pH (very important - don’t mess with pH!)
Probiotics help protect your skin from pathogens. They form a layer and use all the available nutrients so that opportunistic pathogens can’t colonise. They also produce anti-microbial peptides that make life really tough for incoming bad guys.
Tight junctions are “stitches” between skin cells that keep water in and toxins and pathogens out. They are essential for good barrier function. Lactobacillus has been shown to improve the quality and quantity of tight junctions in skin.
Live Lactobacillus bacteria on the skin can communicate with your skin’s immune system to keep it in check so that it doesn’t overreact. The improvement of barrier function also prevents many toxins from penetrating the skin in the first place.
Probiotic bacteria produce hyaluronic acid which is an intensely moisturizing active that naturally holds moisture in your skin. They have also been shown to decrease Trans Epidermal Water Loss and improve skin hydration by improving barrier function in skin.
As we age, our skin pH drifts higher and higher. Lactobacillus probiotics produce Lactic acid and other acids that keep your skin’s pH in the optimal range, 4.5 to 5. A little help to keep the pH down will be welcomed by your skin.