The Epidermal Lipid Barrier in Microbiome–Skin Interaction by Cell

We are only beginning to understand how changes in skin microbiome composition are causes for, or consequences of, inflammatory skin diseases.

The lamellar membranes in the stratum corneum represent a barrier for loss of internal, or intrusion of external, molecules. At the same time, it is a source of lipid-derived nutrients and antimicrobials with crucial roles in microbiome–host interaction. The full range of lipid-hydrolytic enzymes and of fatty acid resistance mechanisms awaits further analysis.