Smearing ‘good bacteria’ on the skin of eczema sufferers eases their symptoms by more than 50 percent, new research suggests.
Within weeks of spraying a solution containing the bacteria Roseomonas mucosa on affected areas, six out of 10 adults and four out of five children with eczema see their skin improve by more than 50 percent, a study found today.
Such eczema sufferers also rely less on conventional treatments, such as steroids, and experience no side effects, the research adds.
Previous research suggests eczema sufferers tend to have large populations of the ‘bad bacteria’ Staphylococcus aureus on their skin, which has been linked to infections and inflammation.
Although the researchers did not speculate why ‘good bacteria’ benefits eczema patients, it may ‘outcompete’ bad bacteria on their skin.
Lead author Dr Ian Myles, from the National Institutes of Health, said: ‘By applying bacteria from a healthy source to the skin of people with atopic dermatitis, we aim to alter the skin microbiome in a way that will relieve symptoms and free people from the burden of constant treatment.’
Worldwide, eczema affects around 20 percent of children and three percent of adults.
Smearing ‘good bacteria’ on eczema sufferers’ skin eases their symptoms by over 50% (stock)
Skincare preservative may make eczema worse
Results further suggest that certain parabens, which are common preservatives in skincare products, may block the growth of R.mucosa and could therefore worsen eczema symptoms.
R. mucosa from eczema sufferers’ skin also produces irritants, whereas the bacteria taken from healthy people enhances skin health.
Larger studies are due to be conducted to assess the effectiveness of R. mucosa-based treatments and to better understand the role of this bacteria in eczema.
The findings were published in the journal JCI Insight.
How the research was carried out
The researchers sprayed a sugar-water solution containing increasing doses of R. mucosa on the inner elbows and one additional area of skin of 10 adults with eczema.
R. mucosa was taken from healthy individuals and grown in the lab.
The study’s participants were told to continue taking their normal eczema medications.
The researchers also tested the same treatment on five children aged nine-to-14 with eczema.
The solution was applied to all affected areas of their skin twice a week for 12 weeks and then every other day for four weeks.
Previous research suggests cannabis could treat eczema and psoriasis (stock)
Cannabis may help treat eczema and psoriasis
This comes after research released last March suggested cannabis could treat eczema and psoriasis.
University of Colorado scientists have begun trials on a compound in the drug to determine if it can combat the common skin conditions.
They believe the nutritional supplement in cannabis cannabidiol (CBD), which does not cause a ‘high’, may offer hope for millions of eczema and psoriasis sufferers.
CBD is already backed for its plethora of benefits by the World Health Organization.
Global health chiefs gave the supplement a clean bill of health in a report published last December and declared it had no adverse outcomes.