2023-12-11 20:00:00
Having jewelry stuck in your ear can radically change the skin’s microbiome, a new study shows.
You may not know it, but the skinlike the intestines, is home to billions of microorganismsmainly bacteria. We’re talking about the microbiome, a term from the Greek micro, “small”, and bios, “life”. This environment, if it is made up of good microbes, guarantees healthy skin.
What happens if it is violently disrupted? A new study, published on November 29 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B : Biological Sciencesreveals that piercing your ears alters this microbiome.
An earthquake on the skin
The authors, affiliated with McGill University in Canada, collected over five months skin samples from twenty-eight volunteer clients in a piercing salon in Montreal, indicates a statement. The first sample was collected before drilling, and the subsequent samples over the following two weeks.
Result : the sudden arrival of a piece of jewelry is brutal for local bacterialikea giant earthquake or meteorite strikeillustrates the site Science Alert which relays the study.
“We found that over time, the new drilling environment was significantly associated with greater biodiversity and ecological complexity, with fundamental differences in the nature of biotic interactions compared to the skin exposed earlobe”write the researchers in the scientific article.
Because, the upheaval begins even before the drilling ears, with disinfection of the area which eliminates all bacteriaincluding those beneficial to health.
Ensuite, the composition of the microbiota changes : it copies more towards that of the armpits or the nose. Bacteria, such as Staphylococcus epidermidis et Cutibacterium acidssuspected of being harmful, are much more numerous after the arrival of the piercing.
For the research director, Charles Xu, doctoral student in biology, the study could serve as a basis for other research more in-depth on other types of piercings, tattooing and even the prevention and control of skin infections.
You may also be interested in:
⋙ Which piercing hurts the most?
⋙ Tattoo: here are the most painful areas!
⋙ What bacteria are there in a beard?
⋙ Having your microbiota analyzed, is it useful?
1702326114
#skin #ears #pierced