Textbook of Aging Skin

Abstract

Our skin is colonized with large numbers of microbes and provides selective niches for var-ious microbial communities. The analysis of 16S and/or 18S rRNA gene sequences revealed that, similar to the other parts of our body, the skin hosts highly diverse microbial communi-ties that are not only site specific but also differ among different individuals. Furthermore, studies have also begun to bring to light the intimate relationships shared between host and resident microbes and to reveal the role of skin microbiota in skin health and diseases. Studies also show that as the skin ages, changes in skin physiology alter the associated microbiota, with implications for skin integrity and suscep-tibility to infection. In this chapter, the present understanding of the microbiota associated with human skin and its role in skin health and disease is described, and what is currently known about changes to such communities as the skin ages is reviewed.