The new biology of beauty reveals your skin to be an expression of the whole of you.

Our skin is obviously the most visible organ in the miraculous system of our bodies — and one of the largest too. For these traits, we should know more about our skin and its biology than any other organ, but unfortunately this is far from reality. Our skin is one of the most overlooked and misunderstood organs of the body, with less research dollars and hours committed to it than any other.

At the same time, in the US we spend $55 billion on cosmetics that bury our skin in a vast array of synthetic chemicals. On any given day, the average woman in western nations places more than 120 chemicals on their skin. Many of these chemicals are known to disrupt hormone signaling, damage the immune system, and even increase risk of cancer. This market is growing at 7% a year and quickly becoming one of the most long term, steady consumer markets in the world. (Reference.) It is time for a radical shift in our understanding and care for our skin.

Our skin and microbiome

This extraordinary diverse cellular system rivals the human gut in its complexity of immune function, endocrine signaling, and neural network. In fact, the complex biologic landscape of our skin is interconnected through these many systems to our gut ecosystem.

The skin is a multilayered system that provides a critical array of functions to allow for human life to occur. When we think of skin, the epidermis (the thin multi-layer of dehydrated cell skeletons that stack 10-30 cells deep) gets all the attention, and perhaps appropriately: the term “only skin deep” reflects this superficial quality. This is not to say the epidermis is not critical, however. This layer of desiccated cells provides a moisture barrier to keep our body hydrated, acting as a protective barrier against external insults — from sunshine to insects.

This common perception of the epidermis is extremely myopic in that it has always understood itself within the belief of sterility. With the discovery of the role of the microbiome in recent decades, we have begun to understand the epidermis not just as a barrier, but as a landscape of diverse bacteria, fungi, yeasts, protozoa, and parasites that dwell throughout this coral reef-like structure of the epidermis. Billions of nooks and crannies in the epidermis form unique micro-ecosystems that differ from region to region across our body’s surface.

The use of soaps, alcohol-based sanitizers, and antibiotics (both topical and oral) have a devastating effect on the diversity and vitality of this skin microbiome. As we lose microbiome, we lose communication at the skin level, and regenerative potential of the skin fades away. But as we dive deeper, the real magic and vital role of the skin in our biology comes to light.

The implications are clear: As we reduce the topical insults to our microbiome from soaps, alcohol cleansers, chemical residues in our water systems and cosmetics, and make the effort to for exposure to and communication with healthy micro-ecosystems, we can provide a new foundation for cellular health at the skin level, just as we do at the gut. It is an exciting new era of reimagining the full potential of human health in the context of a co-creative relationship to nature, rather than in opposition with her.

Join us this month for the Global Health Education summit as we go on a deeper dive into the beauty of health. We’ll explore the role of the microbiome, nutrition, and hormonal balance to maximize the health of the gut-skin axis and improve healthful aging.