Feeding good bugs.

The skin on an average human body has over 1 billion skin microbes on every square centimeter, all doing their job.  Some of the emerging science on what  these beneficial microbes do suggest that they eat fatty acids or oils.   The sebum of the skin is an oily substance that helps keep the skin from drying.  It appears that these tiny microbes feed off the sebum therefore dry areas of the skin have fewer microbes.  Those dry areas tend to be more vulnerable to infection.  Applying oil to the skin not only feeds the good skin microbes-it offers a host of other benefits.  Check in next week to find out how the microbes boost skin immunity!