Changes in the skin microbiome during male maturation from 0 to 25 years of age

Abstract

Background: Skin microorganisms co-develop with the human body and age influences the skin microenvironment and thus the skin bacterial community. Objectives: To investigate the changes in the skin microbiota during male development. Methods: High-throughput 16S ribosomal RNA pyrosequencing was utilized to analyze the differences in bacterial composition of the skin in healthy males aged 0–25 years. Results: There were significant differences in facial skin bacterial diversity (Shannon index) and richness (Chao index) among the 4 groups of subjects (p < 0.05). Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Cutibacterium are dominant in males during growth, and regular changes occur with age after birth. Further analysis of skin bacteria between the 4 groups showed that the bacterial abundance of Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis tended to increase with age, and the bacterial abundance of Streptococcus, Rothia mucilaginosa, and Staphylococcus hominis tended to decrease with age. Conclusions: There are some changes in cheek skin bacterial diversity during male development, and there is a relationship between skin bacterial changes and skin development processes.