In a new study, scientists have investigated the most effective and healthy way to cleanse the human body. They concluded that many people skip spots, ultimately resulting in a less healthy ‘microbiome’. It turns out that the “grandmother method” is the best way to wash yourself after all!
The researchers wanted to look at variations in the microbiome between different skin areas, taking into account those places that are most accessible and easily forgotten, such as in the belly button or behind the ears. In a statement about the project, the lead scientist said his dear old grandmother used to tell him to “always clean under his armpits and scrub behind the ears, between the toes and in the navel.”
For their research, the scientists gathered 129 students and took samples from frequently washed areas such as forearms and calves, before collecting samples from their navels, between the toes and behind their ears. They then taught the students to “sequence” the DNA in those samples and compare the findings between the frequently cleaned areas and the hard-to-reach areas.
Grandma was right, and the areas that were properly cleaned had a much more diverse biome and a potentially healthier group of microbes than in the neglected areas. The research team wrote: “Dry skin areas (forearms and calves) were more even, richer, and functionally distinctive than sebaceous (behind the ears) and moist (navel and between the toes) areas.” The study found that no significant difference was noted between genders, ethnicities or ages.
The skin microbiome consists of the millions and billions of microorganisms that live on your skin and actually reflect the health of the body. Within skin regions, bacterial alpha and beta diversity also varied significantly over some of the years compared, suggesting that skin bacterial stability may be region and subject dependent.” The research is published in ‘Frontiers in Microbiology’. In short, the microorganisms on your skin can be either helpful or harmful to you, depending on the balance. Too many bad ones can lead to bad skin, acne, eczema and the like, while a good microbiome means healthy skin but also could improve a healthy mind.
If you ‘translate’ this research into impure facial skin with imperfections, this means that you have to remove sweat, dirt, old skin cells and too much sebum. These can also simply clog the pores!
But never forget that ‘over-cleansed’ skin can damage the microbiome even more. It can result in dehydrated skin that will produce more sebum in response, providing ideal conditions for the growth of Cutibacterium acnes, which in turn can result in more blemish-prone skin problems.
So yes, ‘Granny’s way’ is the way to clean, but be gentle with your facial skin. Use very mild cleaning products and don’t overdo it. If you are sensitive to skin impurities, check your skin regularly, too shiny or too dry? Then you may be cleaning your skin too little or too often with aggressive ingredients. Try different products and methods that suit your skin and lifestyle.
Anna is Clear has been proven to improve the microbiome and help the skin’s natural ability to resolve and prevent skin problems associated with the Cutibacterium sticks. Patented worldwide and all ingredients of natural origin.
Listen to your grandma and things will (almost) never go wrong! 😊
Happy skin, happy life!
Anna is Clear
