Skin Microbiome Alterations in Skin Diseases

A common oversimplification of the skin microbiome is a binary classification of individual microbes as either “beneficial” or “harmful.” In reality, however, skin microbes are much more complex and can act as either beneficial or harmful in different scenarios (for example, in altered skin or in healthy skin). In other cases, the ecological dynamics of bacteria interacting in a system add complexities to their characteristics. However, increasing evidence has associated altered microbial communities—or “dysbiosis”–in the skin with unhealthy skin, especially atopic dermatitis, which is highly associated with higher populations of Staphylococcus aureus. Here, we review the existing body of evidence around disruptions in the skin microbiome and their associations with skin diseases