Antibiotics for Acne—A Pilot Study of Collateral Damage to the Skin Microbiome

A decade has passed since modern sequencing methods were first used to investigate the microbial communities present on healthy human skin. These studies of the skin microbiome, a term that broadly encompasses the skin's resident microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, fungi, viruses) as well as their genomic content and metabolic byproducts, have illuminated the diversity of microorganisms inhabiting the skin surface and invigorated research aimed at understanding their contributions to human health and disease. Attention by the lay media highlighting these investigations has heightened public awareness and interest in the human microbiome. In the clinic, this interest manifests as a wide range of patient inquiries regarding the role of microorganisms in skin disease, the influence of prescribed therapies on the microbiome, and strategies or products to "optimize" skin flora for health or cosmesis. Satisfactory answers to these questions are still forthcoming and will likely prove highly nuanced based on the complexity and contextuality of the skin-microbiota relationship.

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