Taxonomic profiling of skin microbiome and correlation with clinical skin parameters in healthy Koreans

The interest in skin microbiome differences by ethnicity, age, and gender is increasing. Compared to other ethnic groups, studies on the skin microbiome of Koreans remains insufficient; we investigated facial skin microbiome characteristics according to gender and age among Koreans. Fifty-one healthy participants were recruited, the facial skin characteristics of each donor were investigated, their skin bacterial DNA was isolated and metagenomic analysis was performed. The donors were divided into two groups for age and sex each to analyze their skin microbiomes. Moreover, we investigated the correlation between the skin microbiome and clinical characteristics. The alpha diversity of the skin microbiome was significantly higher in the elderly, and beta diversity was significantly different according to age. The comparative skin microbials showed that the genus Lawsonella was more abundant in the younger age group, and Enhydrobacter was predominant in the older age group. Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium were more abundant in males, while Lactobacillus was more abundant in females. Lawsonella had a negative correlation with skin moisture and brown spots. Staphylococcus and Corynebacterium both had negative correlations with the number of UV spots and positive correlations with transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Furthermore, Staphylococcus aureus had a negative correlation with skin moisture parameters.