According to a new study published by a researcher from Lund University in Sweden, the bacteria responsible for our acne are a natural protection against a different range of skin diseases. The researcher has discovered that some of the most common skin bacteria give off a type of protein that is helpful against reactive oxygen types which could cause skin diseases.

Rolf Lood, the lead author of the research, has underlined the effects of antioxidants such as vitamins C and E when it comes to the natural skin protection against several potential skin diseases.

The bacterium analyzed in the study is called propionibacterium acnes, getting its name from a patient on whom it was first discovered, who suffered from severe acne. However, it is possible that the bacterium is not the one entirely responsible for the patient's conditions, as it could have been present among other bacteria which actually caused the condition.

Common Skin Bacterium — Natural Protection Against Skin Diseases

However, this bacterium was found to secrete a protein, also called RoxP, which he found to be protective against oxidative stress. The condition is described through the damage that the reactive oxygen produces on the human skin. One of the most prevailing causes of these skin diseases is attributed to the UV radiation that is associated to sun exposure.

The enzyme has a natural antioxidant capacity, which makes propionibacterium acnes highly important when it comes to our skin's defense mechanisms. In order for it to survive on our skin, the bacterium releases the RoxP protein, which — aside from assuring its existence — is also associated with skin benefits in humans.

Among the skin diseases that the bacteria's RoxP secretions can prevent, atopic dermatitis, skin cancer or psoriasis are some of the most widely known. As the bacteria is utterly common for every human, both healthy people and patients with skin diseases have it.

However, in patients with skin diseases, the bacteria will be present in smaller quantities, therefore secreting less of the RoxP protein, which was proven to be associated with the very existence of the diseases.

Further Research On The Propionibacterium Acnes

Although the study is conclusive as it is, further research will establish the connection between a precancerous condition and the quantity of the skin bacteria in patients who have this affliction. The research will be conducted on both human and animal subjects, among both of which there will be control groups aiming to represent the healthy populations.

Through these further studies, a connection between the quantity of the propionibacterium acnes and the severity of the skin condition will be examined.