The skin has several functions, one is to secrete sebum that oily substance on your skin, this is to help keep the skin moisturised by trapping moisture and forming a barrier together with sweat known as the 'Acid Mantle' The Acid Mantle is slightly acidic and acts as a Bacteriastat to inhibit bacteria.
What we put on the skin can throw it off balance, many people use soap and water, well thats fine for your body, but our face has more sebaceous glands, is more exposed to the elements and more open to micro-organisms. Why not soap and water? well soap is alkaline and remember the acid mantle is slightly acidic, this maintains an environment where micro-organisms are less likely to multiply and if you use an alkaline product you will strip away this protective layer, making the skin more susceptible to infection. Because our sebaceous glands tend to be more active on the face, and this increase of sebum in nature's moisturiser, there may be more of a tendency for them to become blocked, if infection enters the blocked pores the result it a spot. There are a number of cleansing bars on the market and water activated cleansers around for those of you who like the feel of water on your face.
So it comes as no surprise to me scientists are working on a "a so called new" antibiotic made from sweat, emmmm I think nature thought of this all by itself first lol!
ARTICLE BELOW FROM THE DAILY MAIL
The latest weapon against superbugs? An antibiotic made from human SWEAT
- Chemical in sweat called dermcidin kills harmful germs
- Is activated in salty, slightly acidic perspiration
- May now be used to develop infection-fighting drugs
An antibiotic created from sweat could fend off hospital superbugs and deadly strains of TB, researchers say.
A chemical called dermcidin is activated in salty, slightly acidic perspiration and perforates the cell membrane of harmful microbes, eventually killing them.
Scientists hope to develop new drugs based on the molecule to control a host of bacteria after uncovering its atomic structure.
Dermcidin, a chemical that is activated in salty, slightly acidic perspiration, could fend off superbugs and deadly strains of TB
Dr Ulrich Zachariae, of the University of Edinburgh, said: 'Now that we know in detail how these natural antibiotics work, we can use this to help develop infection-fighting drugs that are more effective than conventional antibiotics.'
About 1,700 types of natural antibiotics are known to exist, and researchers, writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, investigated how they work.
They found that dermcidin is spread by sweat glands, so if our skin becomes injured by a small cut, a scratch or the sting of a mosquito they rapidly and efficiently kill invaders.
These substances, known as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), are more effective in the long term than traditional antibiotics as germs are not capable of quickly developing resistance against them.
The antimicrobials can attack the bugs' Achilles' heel, their cell wall, which cannot be modified quickly to resist attack. Because of this, AMPs have great potential to form a new generation of antibiotics.
The compound found in sweat is active against many well known pathogens such as tuberculosis (above)
Through a combination of techniques, scientists were able to determine the atomic structure of the molecular channel.
The researchers found the molecular channel of dermcidin is unusually long, permeable and adaptable and can adapt to extremely variable types of membrane, enabling it to fend off bacteria and fungi at the same time.
The compound is active against many well known pathogens such as tuberculosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and hospital superbug Staphylococcus aureus.
Multi-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, in particular, have become an increasing threat for patients, leading to life threatening diseases such as sepsis and pneumonia.
Added Dr Zachariae: 'Antibiotics are not only available on prescription. Our own bodies produce efficient substances to fend off bacteria, fungi and viruses.'
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