What is a healthy skin map?
It varies by site and climate. No single species list wins.
Researchers still argue how much urban hygiene shifted eczema rates versus other causes.
Live topical products sit in trials. This atlas stays at the question, not a recipe.
Open questions
Do topical live microbes help?
Some trials exist. Many creams are stories.
How does urban life change the film?
Less environmental diversity is hypothesised.
Can we predict who gets infected wounds?
Host, dose and species matter. No home test replaces a clinician.
What do skin viruses do?
Phages and human viruses sit in metagenomes. Function for most is unknown.
The frontier is better maps, not a more aggressive antiseptic.
Keep exploring
More in Beneficial allies
Gut microbiome
A diverse intestinal community fed by fibre — not a single ideal species list and not a wellness shop.
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Live microbes in food or capsules — strain-specific guests, not a whole microbiome and not medical advice.
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Microbes turning food into kimchi, doenjang, yoghurt and other living crafts — chemistry plus culture.
Familiarity 85Soil microbes
The hidden workforce of land — decomposers, mycorrhizae and a mostly uncultured majority.
Familiarity 48Nitrogen cycle
How microbes move nitrogen between air, soil, water and food — plus the industrial shortcut that feeds billions.
Familiarity 40