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Review
. 2025 Apr 10;13(4):868.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13040868.

Skin Microbiome Overview: How Physical Activity Influences Bacteria

Cristina Mennitti  1 , Mariella Calvanese  1 , Alessandro Gentile  1 , Aniello Vastola  1 , Pietro Romano  1 , Laura Ingenito  2 , Luca Gentile  2 , Iolanda Veneruso  1   3 , Carmela Scarano  1   3 , Ilaria La Monica  3 , Ritamaria Di Lorenzo  4 , Giulia Frisso  1   3 , Valeria D'Argenio  3   5 , Barbara Lombardo  1   3 , Olga Scudiero  1   3   6 , Raffaela Pero  1   6 , Sonia Laneri  4
Affiliations
Review

Skin Microbiome Overview: How Physical Activity Influences Bacteria

Cristina Mennitti et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

The skin cannot be considered as just a barrier that protects against physical, chemical, and biological damage; it is a complex and dynamic ecosystem that varies across lifespans. Interest in the relationship between physical activity and skin microbiota has grown significantly in recent years. The skin microbiota has a crucial role in skin functions and physiology, and an imbalance, known as dysbiosis, is correlated with several diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), infectious disease, obesity, allergic disorders, and type 1 diabetes mellitus. Among the causes of dysbiosis, the practice of physical exercise, especially in contact sports, including wrestling, artistic gymnastics, and boating, certainly represents a predisposing factor for infectious disease. This review aims to provide an overview of the skin microbiota and its regulation, focusing on interactions between physical exercise and skin microbiota, the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as regulators of skin microbiota, and the impact of probiotics supplementation on physical performance.

Keywords: antimicrobial peptides; physical activity; skin microbiome.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Composition of human skin microbiome. The microbiome consists of four major phyla: Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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