Why your skin microbiome counts:

Why is this important with any associated anti-wrinkle treatment?

Understanding procedural risks when metabolic and skin disorders are present will help minimise the risk of unnecessary facial inflammation and reinforce your safety and treatment benefits.

When you have a healthy, balanced microbiome, you are providing the foundation for regulating inflammation by producing natural antimicrobial peptides – chains of amino acids that eliminate bacteria, viruses, and fungi by disrupting microbial membranes. Additionally, you are protecting the skin barrier by locking in hydration.

This is important because it affects how your skin responds to the tiny, superficial wounds created at each injection site during treatment and immediately afterwards.

Acute and Chronic Inflammation:

Let’s start by distinguishing the two functions of good and bad inflammation and how each is influenced by your body’s immune response to infections, toxins, or injuries.

Dr Robert H. Shmerling, renowned Senior Faculty Editor at Harvard Health Publishing, explains that many people believe inflammation in the body is a generic, destructive term that we must completely eradicate. In his article on the nuances of inflammation, Dr Shmerling illustrates when the condition “simply does its job” and when it harms the immune system by attacking healthy cells.

And what are these differences?

• Acute inflammation, or “good inflammation,” is a protective, short-term response in the healing process. For example, with any anti-wrinkle treatment, acute inflammation may present as a mild, localised response to a needle puncture at the injection site, resolving within 24-48 hours.
• By contrast, chronic inflammation, or “bad inflammation,” is the silent juggernaut behind chronic disease and accelerated ageing, and is largely driven by our lifestyle, diet and the environment we live in. As low-grade inflammation develops over time, the drawn-out progression eventually compromises our immune response, collagen production, and cellular repair.

Gut pathway and function:

Intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut,” is the primary factor of low-grade inflammation. Because over 70% of immune cells reside in the gut lining, this connection underscores the essential role of gut health in the bidirectional gut-skin network linking the digestive tract to the skin through immune, metabolic, and neurological pathways. 

• When we compromise the microbiome, harmful bacteria and inflammatory molecules—such as cytokines, which are small proteins that help cells communicate during immune responses—can cross the intestinal barrier into the bloodstream.
• This connection is vital because any inflammation or imbalanced microbiomes will manifest as dermatological issues.

The effects:

You often spot an imbalanced microbiome in the form of discolouration, dryness, burning, itching, and blemishes on your skin. If you leave the condition untreated, your skin inflammation worsens over time.

• The most common skin conditions linked to a breakdown in the gut-skin axis include rosacea, acne, eczema, psoriasis, and hives.

  You often spot an imbalanced microbiome in the form of discolouration, dryness, burning, itching, and blemishes on your skin. If you leave the condition untreated, your skin inflammation worsens over time.

• Patients with minor skin inflammation will likely experience minor swelling, redness, or bruising at the injection site.

• You should never consider an anti-wrinkle treatment until your microbiome imbalances and pro-inflammatory response cycles are properly addressed. Incorporating probiotic-rich foods, reducing processed foods, and managing stress can support your microbiome and improve treatment outcomes.

Cortisol:

Another disruptor of the intestinal barrier and microbiome is cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, which triggers a vicious and systemic chain reaction in the gut-brain axis. In fact, excess cortisol ranks among the most prevalent and damaging hormones affecting our overall health.

• Known as the ‘little brain” in your gut, the two-way network connects the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) to the enteric nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract. This connection occurs through neural, endocrine, and immune pathways.
• When cortisol spikes, it disrupts the gut microbiome and reduces blood flow to the digestive tract, which increases intestinal permeability. The leaky gut then sends inflammatory signals back to the brain, triggers additional stress hormones, and over-activates the immune response. In turn, the malfunction causes the body to attack its own cells and primary tissues, invariably leading to chronic inflammation.

Biohacking: nature’s springboard:

Biohacking your gut-skin axis under medical supervision can effectively reduce systemic inflammation and help manage, or even prevent, future flare-ups.

Some lifestyle adaptations could include:

• Intermittent fasting and supplementation, especially for NAD+ levels and mitochondrial function, help reduce inflammation by removing toxins and cellular debris. These processes also trigger autophagy, the body’s way of recycling damaged cells to regenerate new, healthy ones within 72 hours.
• The tweaking or customising of targeted nutrition. This may include adding Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Prebiotic Fibres (food for beneficial gut bacteria), Probiotics (live beneficial bacteria), Polyphenols (antioxidant compounds in plants), Carotenoids (plant pigments with antioxidant properties), and Antioxidant food groups to your diet.

By contrast, regenerative treatments such as microneedling use tiny needles to boost collagen and trigger elastin production.

• Other targeted therapies include low-level laser light treatments that improve skin barrier function by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, and non-ablative fractional lasers that trigger the body’s natural healing process, stimulating collagen production and cellular renewal.

These therapies also stimulate mitochondrial activity, the process by which your cells produce energy.

In fact, our mitochondria act like a cell’s generator, providing 90% of the biochemical energy our bodies need. This energy supports every aspect of cellular, physical, and cognitive performance.

 

Other methods:

• Perhaps the easiest and most pleasant practices are to enjoy early-morning light exposure or red light at sunset, and aim for consistent, high-quality sleep patterns. You could also try a minute of cold exposure in the shower, along with precise breathwork. Regular red-light therapy and saunas also help. Most importantly, minimise exposure to blue light to protect your circadian rhythm and metabolic health.
• Another effective biohacking practice is to combine intermittent fasting and a ketogenic diet, which is high in good fats and very low in carbohydrates.
• A winning trifecta, however, is to incorporate prebiotics (foods such as plant fibres and nuts that are beneficial for microbes) and probiotics (such as fermented foods that contain live bacteria) in your diet. And to cap off the biotic connection are Postbiotics, bioactive compounds and byproducts generated when probiotic microbes ferment prebiotics or dietary fibres. They include short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), vitamins, enzymes and peptides.

All three together are a dietary powerhouse that enhances the gut microbiome, improves immunity, and reduces inflammation. 

 

Wrinkle reduction treatment:

Another key takeaway in minimising the risk of facial infection or injury is to have a qualified and certified injector perform your anti-wrinkle treatment. Never compromise on this point.

• Most skin reactions, however, are usually minor and subside within 24-48 hours. On the other hand, the quality of the wrinkle-reduction treatment depends on your certified injector’s ongoing training, experience, and proven track record.
• After your treatment, you can minimise any swelling by using a cold compress.
• Limit strenuous activity for 24 hours.

• To minimise bruising, ensure you get a good night’s sleep. Also, avoid taking blood thinners (e.g. Aspirin) or anti-inflammatory tablets for up to three days before your appointment. If you are taking prescribed tablets for a pre-existing medical condition, please check with your treating doctor first.

I will assess your skin and consult with you about any health issues before proceeding with an anti-wrinkle treatment. 

 

Blogs

Please read my blog on anti-wrinkle procedures and visit the site each month for more information on good living and the latest developments in TGA-approved anti-wrinkle treatments and cosmeceuticals.

Also listen to “The Skin and The Gut” podcast produced by the Skin Health Institute, based in Victoria.

Anti-wrinkle treatment appointment:

Please refer to my clinic hours and text me to request an appointment. I look forward to assisting you.

 

References:

Shmerling, R. H., Dr (2020, April 10). Understanding acute and chronic inflammation. Harvard Health Publishing. Retrieved May 18, 2026, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-aging-and-longevity/understanding-acute-and-chronic-inflammation     

Crantock, L., Dr, Chong, A., A/Prof, & Yengar, L., Dr (2021, June 10). The Skin and The Gut. Skin Health Institute. Retrieved May 17, 2026, from https://skinhealthinstitute.org.au/spot-diagnosis/the-skin-and-the-gut/

Byrd, A. L., Belkaid, Y., & Segre, J. A. (2018). The human skin microbiome. PubMed, (143-155). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro.2017.157

Taylor, J., Dr (2023). The gut microbiome in skin disease. DermNet. https://dermnetnz.org/topics/the-gut-microbiome-in-skin-disease