There’s no denying that you feel a little bit more confident when your skin is looking and feeling its best. On the flip side, you may feel a little more self-conscious — or even depressed or anxious — if you have a new breakout or are suffering from dryness or other skin conditions.
New research from the British Journal of Dermatology found that there actually is a connection between your skin’s microbiome and your mental well-being.
Researchers swapped 53 adults’ skin microbiomes, including their face, scalp, forearm and armpit, and made psychological assessments to determine their general well-being — including stress, mood and sleep. They wanted to explore the relationship between the human skin microbiome and psychological well-being, and they found a potential correlation. Turns out, skin care can not just improve the health of your skin and how it functions — it may also influence one’s mood and emotions.
The results of the study uncovered that specific classifications of bacteria may have an impact on one’s well-being, with an emphasis on cutibacterium, an acne-causing bacterium. According to the study, “Key findings showed increased cutibacterium on the face and axilla was associated with reduced stress; increased cutibacterium in the axilla was associated with increased mood pleasantness.”
