Don’t be surprised if Chanel’s summer line of blushes features a hue called Pomegranate Dream; probiotics are infiltrating the beauty aisle, with impressive results!
Health magazine’s medical editor, Dr. Roshini Raj, recently appeared on Access Hollywood, sharing her top picks for health, diet and fitness trends in 2015. Up first? Probiotics as the next big thing in skincare! As Dr, Raj pointed out, the American Academy of Dermatology has heralded probiotics as a “beauty breakthrough,” potentially benefitting patients with acne, rosacea and other inflammatory skin conditions.
Here’s how it works: in patients suffering from acne or rosacea, the immune system sees living microorganisms sitting on the skin’s surface and misidentifies them as foreign invaders. As a result, it revs into overdrive in an effort to ward off the threat, paving the way to bumps, redness and inflammation.
But when probiotics are applied topically, they effectively run interference, preventing the bad bacteria from being seen and thus avoiding an immune response.
The AAD points out that probiotics also possess antimicrobial properties and can even have a calming effect when they come in contact with skin cells.
As Access Hollywood’s male co-anchor wisely pointed out, not many people want to rub kimchi on their skin after a shower, so how can we reap the skin-soothing benefits of probiotics? You can look for a skin care product that includes probiotics, or try this easy, DIY kefir face mask. Combine two tablespoons plain kefir, one teaspoon olive oil and one egg yolk. Mix thoroughly and apply to the skin for 15-20 minutes. Rinse off first with warm water, then cold.
Eating your probiotics helps, too. In fact, a recent Korean study found that when acne sufferers consumed a fermented dairy drink containing Lactobacillus bacteria (like kefir!), they saw their oil production drop and their total acne lesion count decrease over three months. If that’s not a reason to increase your kefir consumption, we don’t know what is!