In winter, the balm steals the show from other treatments. More nourishing and melting than a cream or a milk, it fills the skins manhandled by the fall of temperature by facilitating the cohesion between the cells of the stratum corneum and avoiding the loss in water and the drying up.

But before choosing the balm that suits us, it is important to remember that a supple and radiant skin is closely linked to the balance of the bacterial flora. A recent discovery that requires a new hygiene ritual and respectful cosmetic formulas.

At the origin of cutaneous drying, the dysregulation of the microbiota

But spending a winter in a cosmetic cocoon, with a supple body with soft skin is no longer a matter of simple hydration, as dermatologists have explained to us for years.

We discover today a small world alive and invisible on the surface of the skin: the microbiota.

No less than ten thousand billion bacteria of over two hundred different species, a true ecosystem that breathes, renews and nourishes on the surface of our skin, throughout our lives.

Ecosystem formed by cutaneous cells and micro-organisms (bacteria) specific to each, a kind of signature, fingerprint that makes us all unique.

"This natural and personal microbiota comes from us and from the outside.From the impact of the delivery method, it settles in the first months of life depending on the environment, food and contacts with the outside world. . Everyone creates their own microbiota will remain roughly stable throughout life, "says Sophie Seité, scientific director La Roche-Posay.

Our skin is a true culture medium for this bacterial flora, which has the power to promote the development or not of certain bacteria.

If it is in good condition, the skin is healthy, protective, smooth, comfortable, sturdy and beautiful. If it rebuilds and balances permanently, too many aggressions exhaust it. If this little bacterial world goes wrong, the skin exposes itself to irritations, imperfections, a dull and gray color, a shriveled aspect.

The skin, a double barrier to protect

Our lifestyle in an increasingly polluted and stressful environment causes a significant increase in allergies and skin irritations "because these bacteria, which constitute the skin microflora, do not just neutralize pests from outside, they also educate the body's immune system and decide what should be rejected or not, "says the specialist.

And it is this imbalance of immunity that exposes an organism predisposed to skin diseases such as atopy, acne, psoriasis ...

From now on we must consider the skin, the largest immune organ in constant contact with the outside world, as a double protective barrier.

One, mechanical, is composed of dead cells and fatty acids. The other, totally alive and microbial.

We must therefore treat the skin accordingly with formulas that take into account these two biological barriers and be vigilant in winter, dangerous season. Indeed, cold and drying crack the mechanical barrier that loses its precious water. They also modify the bacterial stability, facilitate the penetration of microorganisms and antigens inside the body.

Balsams for the body: which assets to favor?

The skin needs care to restore its mechanical barrier, its water-protective surface film which is refined when the temperature drops, when it rubs too much against clothes and is exposed to a too dry atmosphere.

A care that can also restore skin flora. Good news: if the skin's microbiota is the most unstable in the body, it's also the easiest to rebalance.

For this, laboratories rely on hyaluronic acid which, beyond its plumping effect, stimulates the manufacture of peptides, which restore the bacterial balance, and lactic acid.

More recent, the use of probiotics, nutrients and microorganisms, which act directly on the microbiota. For Marie Drago, pharmacist and designer of the brand Gallinée, who has devoted her thesis on this subject, "probiotics are a real revolution in cosmetology because it is the first time that we consider the skin as a real living being and not a leather, supporting an ecosystem that already exists makes more sense than bringing in foreign assets. "

We also prefer formulas containing thermal waters.

It has long been thought that the anti-irritant effects of these saving waters come from their minerals. It seems that it is also and above all the presence of probiotics that is at the origin of their powers recognized for millennia.

A study conducted by Avène laboratories notes the presence of a microorganism in Avène water: I-Modulia. This active ingredient, incorporated in a cream, is able to calm and reduce the scratching and itching attacks of very dry and atopic skin.

As for the researchers at La Roche-Posay, they noticed that after three months of use of the Lipikar Balm AP care with thermal water, the skin with atopic dermatitis (extreme dryness) prone to itching are relieved. Indeed, this treatment restores little by little the balance of the microbiota.

All these active ingredients are now part of the composition recommended by dermatologists and pharmacists for dry and reactive skin.