For the first time ever, a local microbial research and diagnostics laboratory has developed a unique way to treat acne-prone skin by utilizing nature’s inherent ability by creating balance within the skin’s microbial community.
The BioArte, based at the Life Sciences Park in San Gwann, has launched SkinDuo, which uses a combination of two products; a topical serum that addresses the microbial disbalance on the skin, and an oral food supplement directed to balance out the gut microbiota.
The initial target disorder is acne. According to Dr. Manuele Biazzo, CEO of The BioArte: “We identified that the issues of acne – papolosistic acne – were related to a microbial imbalance on the skin, which leads to the production of excessive sebum and an inflammation of particular areas of the skin, including the face.”
Another first is that this product treats the disorder with probiotics, taking advantage of the good microorganisms that we already have. These need to be fed and given the chance to grow and further promote a balance on the skin and in the gut.
Awareness that probiotics can be beneficial for skin disorders was already there, but no one was able, so far, to reach the market with a product like this, Dr. Biazzo affirmed. “We are the first to come up with an approach based on oral probiotics combined with a topical serum applied directly to the skin. The two treatments need to be taken simultaneously.”
All this is thanks to the diagnostic research, initially funded by Malta Enterprise, that uses proprietary technology to investigate the microbial communities in our body to enable The BioArte to find new signatures, new ingredients, and new, beneficial probiotics.
SkinDuo, for which a patent has been applied, attacks acne in three ways. The probiotics colonise the hair follicles where the pathogenic bacteria have settled and through the natural colonization process of the beneficial bacteria, promote the elimination of the pathogenic bacteria, which is what is happening throughout our bodies every day. The use of antibiotics, on the other hand, tends to cause a complete disbalance in the microbial community as they target all bacteria.
Secondly, the production of sebum caused by inflamed skin is reduced. Inflammation is a natural habitat for certain pathogenic bacteria, which allows them to further flourish and results in further disbalance. Thirdly, skin inflammation derives from a reduced permeability of the gut. The concept of the ‘leaky gut’ is well known.
Once the intestinal barrier is damaged, toxins and pathogenic bacteria congregate, causing further inflammation. When the gut permeability is restored, the systemic inflammatory process is subsequently reduced.
