Welcome aboard edition no 7 of the Revue des Microbiotes. The skin is an organ in its own right with a complex structure, both histologically as well as microbiologically, and the disorders with skin manifestations are manifold, whether they are primary (purely dermal in origin) or secondary in nature with systemic disorders such as certain types of auto-immune disease. If the skin is a mirror of our body... what about its microbiota?
Unlike the fields of gastroenterology or gynaecology, the study of skin microbiota and its physiological and pathophysiological variations has only just begun. Although the involvement of one (or several) dysbiosis (dysbioses) is well established in particular disorders, such as atopic dermatitis in children which is linked to anomalies in the maternal gut microbiota (see La Revue des Microbiotes No 3), we are left with many questions we do not yet have answers to.
For instance, anomalies in skin and gut microbiota have been identified in psoriasis, however, we are still unable to define exactly whether they are the underlying cause or simply a consequence of the disorder. Our special report summarises recent studies concerning two major types of skin disease, namely atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, and Professor Brigitte Dreno talks to us about future insights proposed by the study of the microbiota/skin relationship.
Happy reading...
