The microscopic bugs that live on your face could affect how you age

Bring on the bacteria.

You might not like to think about it, but your skin is crawling with teeny tiny, well, creepy crawlies.

Microscopic actually. And there are trillions of them.

But before you break out the super-strength shower gel, stop.

Those bacteria, also known as your microbiome, are essential for healthy skin – and, as it turns out, may help prevent ageing.

A team of researchers have recently discovered a potential link between the type of microorganisms on the face and how it ages, including getting wrinkles such as so-called ‘crow’s feet’.

Scientists at Center for Microbiome Innovation (CMI) at the University of California San Diego teamed up with L’Oréal Research and Innovation (yes, the ‘Because I’m worth it’ L’Oréal) to analyse data collected during 13 studies from 650 women aged 18 to 70.

‘Previous studies have shown that the types of microbes on our skin change fairly predictably with age,’ said senior author Se Jin Song, the CMI Director of Research. 

‘Our skin also changes physiologically with age. For example, we gain wrinkles and our skin gets drier. But there is variation in what this looks like in people – you’ve probably noticed that there are some people who have younger or older looking skin than many others their age.

‘Using advanced statistical methods, we were able to tease apart the microbes that are associated with these types of ageing signs for skin, like crow’s feet wrinkles, from those that are associated with simply age as a chronological number.’

The analysis revealed two key findings.

First, the team found a positive association between skin microbiome and ‘crow’s feet’ – wrinkles around the outside corner of the eye scientifically known as lateral cantonal lines. Crow’s feet are typically seen as one of the key signs of skin ageing.

Secondly, they found a negative correlation between the range of bacteria on the skin and moisture loss in the skin, which is also detrimental.

And while the team have not been able to say with complete certainty that one is caused by the other, they are excited by what it means for the next steps in anti-ageing research.

‘This research is groundbreaking in identifying new microbial biomarkers linked to visible signs of age2ing like crow’s feet wrinkles,’ said co-author Qian Zheng, Head of Advanced Research, North America at L’Oréal. 

‘It marks a significant step towards developing technologies for healthier, more youthful skin.

‘We look forward to sharing new results as they become available, furthering the scientific community’s understanding and contributing to advancing new skincare solutions.’

Co-author Rob Knight, the CMI faculty director, added: ‘By confirming a link between the microbiome and skin health, we’ve laid the groundwork for further studies that discover specific microbiome biomarkers related to skin ageing, and, one day, show how to modify them to generate novel and highly targeted recommendations for skin health.’

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