Since we began writing about the topic of hand hygiene, we often return to the topic of the human microbiome, and the role of probiotics and “good bacteria” in hygiene again and again. So we have set out to answer: Can bacteria on your hands make you healthier?
We’ve written about the most common bacteria found in the human body and the role they play in promoting good health, and we’ve looked at whether “good” hygiene practices could actually be making us sick by damaging our skin’s microbiome. We have also written about the future of hygiene, and whether it contains “friendly bacteria”.
Here’s a quick recap
Researchers have defined the human microbiome as “the genes of the 10 – 100 trillion symbiotic microbial cells harboured by each person, primarily in the gut” but also on the skin and in the mouth. Dermatologists agree that the skin’s microbiome is vital not only for skin health but also for overall health.
“A healthy microbiome can protect against skin infection by preventing the overgrowth of pathogenic organisms,” says Dr Patel.
This obviously is a huge interest to us here at Initial where we concentrate a lot of our efforts on preventing the spread of harmful bacteria by promoting good hand hygiene practices, and by extension, clean skin.
Supporting your skin’s microbiome:
Just like probiotics (“good” bacteria) are used to support gut health, it is thought that they can also be used to support the skin’s microbiome. One of our blogs, The Future of Hygiene, took an in-depth look at the rising trend of using bacteria in the beauty industry.
Some big names in the cosmetics industry are doing their own research into the human microbiome and have patented several bacterial treatments for dry and sensitive skin.
All these treatments look at adding back beneficial bacteria after it has been stripped away. But what if you could have the confidence that by washing your hands you were not only killing harmful bacteria but – at the same time – adding back the beneficial bacteria that conventional sanitisers and anti-bacterial soaps strip away from our skin?
Probiotics for your hands
Something of which we are extremely proud here at Initial is our use of bio-enzyme products for surface cleaning. We’ve been using environmentally friendly products for several years now. At Initial, we are very aware of the dangers of harsh cleaning chemicals.
Our cleaning products use biodegradable bio-enzymes in place of traditional harsh chemical cleaning agents. Biodegradable bio-enzymes are safer for both the environment and our clients. The friendly “active” non-pathogenic bacteria in these products stay on surfaces and keep working even after the service is completed.
Now we are taking this a step further. We have introduced a soap range that not only cleans your hands immediately (like traditional soap) but also creates a long-lasting, protective bacterial layer at the same time (unlike traditional soap). Now you can have the confidence that as you clean your hands, you’re supporting both your skin’s microbiome wellbeing.
So how do bio-enzyme soaps work?
With traditional soap, your hands are only clean for as long as it takes for you to touch a dirty surface.our hands become contaminated again as soon as that happens.
Initial’s new bio-enzyme soap range uses “friendly” bacteria to colonise the hands. This creates an ongoing protective layer that prevents harmful bacteria, yeasts and moulds from multiplying and spreading. The protective barrier lasts for up to 5 hours after washing hands.
A bit more about bio-enzyme soap:
- Bio-enzyme soaps contain specific “good” bacteria from the Bacillus consortium
- These “good” bacteria are non-pathogenic (not harmful) to plants, animals and humans
- “Good” bacteria produce enzymes. Enzymes are a type of protein that can break up complex molecules into smaller pieces. They are not living things, they cannot grow or reproduce on their own
- The enzymes produced by the good bacteria compete for the same food source as other bacteria – literally “starving” the bad bacteria to death, and preventing pathogenic bacteria, yeasts and moulds from multiplying and spreading.
In addition to the long-lasting protective barrier they create on the hands, our bio-soaps are also better for the environment. They contain no harmful chemicals.
Our soaps have surfactants that are plant based and fully biodegradable. The enzymes created by the bacteria are non-toxic, non-irritating, non-gaseous, non-flammable, non-pathogenic, non-hazardous, and completely biodegradable.
The soaps are also Global Green Tag* certified.
So to answer the question posed in the title of this piece: can bacteria on your hands make you healthier?
We believe that they can due to their ongoing protective effect. Just like we should be supporting our gut health with a probiotic, we should be supporting the colonies of beneficial bacteria on our skin.
When we clean our skin using bio-enzyme products that target harmful bacteria, we are left with a long-lasting protective barrier. We gain confidence that our hygiene practices truly support optimal health and wellness.
To find out more about Initial’s range of hand hygiene solutions for your workplace, contact us today.
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