- Researchers investigated how sun-seeking behavior by people on vacation affects the skin microbiome.
- They found that sun-seeking behavior leads to short-term changes in skin bacterial diversity, which can lead to conditions such as eczema.
- Further studies are needed to understand what this means for long-term skin health.
Human skin hosts many bacteria, fungi, and viruses, which play a
It is well-established that
However, research is comparably limited on how UVR affects skin bacteria in vivo.
While some studies suggest that UVR may positively affect the skin by
Researchers recently examined the effects of short-term holiday-related sun exposure on skin.
They report that sun exposure affects the diversity and composition of skin microbiota, but that changes reverse after 28 days of returning home.
The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Aging.
“This study suggests that increased sun exposure, or at least tanning, during a sunny holiday is associated with short-term shifts in the skin microbiome,” said Dr. Adela Rambi G. Cardones, MHSc, a professor and chief of the Division of Dermatology at The University of Kansas Health System who was not involved in the study.
“Further studies need to be done to determine what the underlying cause of this shift was and what the ultimate health implications are,” she told Medical News Today.
For the study, the researchers recruited 21 North European residents, comprised of four men and 17 women, with an average age of about 33 years.
The researchers collected skin swabs from the participants prior to them going on holiday to a sunny destination for a minimum of seven…
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