A new innovative treatment for eczema could be on its way, researchers say – Netdoctor

Our skin is home to all sorts of different types of bacteria, viruses and fungi, and for decades scientists have hypothesised that these complex societies of microbes are at least partly to blame for common conditions such as acne and eczema.

However, it now seems that bacteria could also be part of the treatment, too. Dermatologists at the University of California in San Diego recently came up with a novel microbial treatment for eczema which is thought to affect one in five children and one in 20 adults in the UK the recipe for which is actually pretty straightforward.

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Lead dermatologist Dr Richard Gallo and his team discovered that Staphylococcus hominis and Staphylococcus epidermidis two harmless bacteria of the human skin microbiome have the ability to kill off Staphylococcus aureus, which is known to play a role in eczema.

Having swabbed the first two types of bacteria from the skin of several volunteers who suffered with eczema. The team then grew them in a lab and later incorporated them into an easy-to-apply lotion. Upon using the cream on their forearms, the levels of helpful skin bacteria was drastically increased in the volunteers almost eliminating S. aureus entirely within 24 hours. The report reads:

"These findings show how commensal skin bacteria protect against pathogens and demonstrate how dysbiosis (a microbial imbalance) of the skin microbiome can lead to disease."

Getty Ross Whitaker

Speaking to the New York Times, Elizabeth Grice, a research dermatologist and microbiologist at the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved in the experiment, said:

"[This is] the first time anything like this has been shown What remains to be seen is whether this kind of treatment can reduce the severity of skin disease over the long term."

Despite this huge step forward in the treatment of skin conditions, scientists say there is still a lot to learn about what microbial ecosystems look like on healthy skin, how they change during illness, and how to safely interfere before we'll get to see any products on the market.

However, Dr Gallo's comment that "there are so many new potent medicines right under our nose" although specifically referring to the bacterial makeup of our skin isn't actually that far from the truth.

Earlier this week we reported that something as simple as heading out in the summer sun can help reduce eczema symptoms. It was found that UV light triggers a release of nitric oxide into the blood stream, dampening inflammation and therefore reducing symptoms such as itchiness and redness. Professor Richard Weller, senior lecturer in Dermatology at the University of Edinburgh, said:

"It is clear that the health benefits of sunlight stretch far beyond vitamin D and we are starting to fill in these blank spaces."

The first study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, and the latter in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

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A new innovative treatment for eczema could be on its way, researchers say - Netdoctor