MICROBIOTA-BASED TOPICAL AND MICROBIAL MODULATION APPROACHES

The human skin harbors a complex and dynamic microbiota that plays a fundamental role in barrier integrity, immune regulation, and protection against pathogenic microorganisms. From birth onward, the composition of the skin microbiome are shaped by host factors and environmental exposures, and disturbances in this ecosystem are increasingly recognized as key contributors to inflammatory skin diseases. In parallel with advances in gut microbiome research, growing evidence highlights the relevance of the cutaneous microbiome in disorders such as acne vulgaris, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, impaired wound healing, and skin aging. Microbiome based products (MBPs), including probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, microbial lysates, and bacteriophages, have emerged as innovative strategies to restore microbial balance and modulate cutaneous immune responses. Experimental and early clinical studies demonstrate that topical MBPs can suppress pathogenic bacteria such as Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus aureus, enhance epidermal barrier function, induce antimicrobial peptide production, and attenuate inflammatory signaling pathways. Promising results have been reported particularly in acne and atopic dermatitis, while evidence in psoriasis and other dermatoses remains limited. Despite these encouraging findings, topical MBP research is still in its early stages, and important challenges persist, including safety evaluation, durability of microbiome modulation, and interindividual variability. Well designed, long term clinical trials and mechanistic studies are required to define their therapeutic role. Overall, topical MBPs represent a rapidly evolving and promising frontier in dermatology with substantial potential for adjunctive or alternative management of inflammatory and dysbiosis associated skin disorders.