Here are eight words I’ll never forget: “It looks like you got hit with buckshot.”

The person who said to me may as well have actually shot me, it hurt that bad.

So what was this jerk—errrrr, person—talking about? My skin. I had just stepped out of my dermatologist’s office at age 21. My forehead was bleeding because minutes before, the doctor literally lanced open all of my acne lesions to help clear my skin.

As if literally bleeding from my head weren’t punishment enough, I now was so deeply hurt, I didn’t even want to show my face in public.

So yes, I have tangoed with bad skin. Bad, baaaad skin.

And I went down just about every road to treat my acne and bad skin. Lotions. Creams. Prescriptions. Light therapy. Accutane.

I know what it’s like to be desperate—absolutely desperate—for good skin.

It wasn’t until I learned about whole-body wellness—the impact of diet, exercise, environment, and the potential harm of our often-extensive modern beauty routines—that I could appreciate that good skin is not the result of a string of endless doctor’s appointments, but instead, knowing how to encourage your skin to do what it wants to do naturally–to be balanced, healthy and clear.

 

What is the Skin Microbiome, and Why Do We Need to Feed It?

Good bacteria plays a huge part in keeping skin healthy, and in my case, it also helped to clear up my acne.

Why does this work? Let’s punt to the scientists for more on the skin’s microbiome:

“The skin is the human body’s largest organ, colonized by a diverse milieu of microorganisms, most of which are harmless or even beneficial to their host.

Colonization is driven by the ecology of the skin surface, which is highly variable depending on topographical location, endogenous host factors and exogenous environmental factors. … The development of molecular methods to identify microorganisms has led to an emerging view of the resident skin bacteria as highly diverse and variable.

An enhanced understanding of the skin microbiome is necessary to gain insight into microbial involvement in human skin disorders and to enable novel promicrobial and antimicrobial therapeutic approaches for their treatment.”

Normal person speak: Stop attacking the good germs on your skin!

So, what to do to foster the good bacteria on your skin? Try out products that foster and feed the good stuff.

And that’s where Aleavia skin care products come in.

 

What are Aleavia Skin Care Products?

Obviously I am not a doctor or researcher or scientist, but just someone who has done a little research into what works for her skin.

And I found that I like the approach behind Aleavia, as well as the results it imparts when I use their products.

Aleavia is a line of products featuring prebiotics that help to feed the good bacteria on your skin. The line includes body washes, a face mist, an acne kit, and body lotions.

What are Prebiotics, and How Do They Help Skin?

Simply put, prebiotics feed the healthy bacteria on your skin.

And yes, good bacteria on your skin is a good thing. For so long we have been taught that all germs are bad. Well, it’s just not the case. In fact, sometimes these products can help your skin get back into balance–to the point where it should be, naturally, before it was stripped of its natural protective macrobiotic environment.

 

How do Aleavia Products Work?

The key is in the ingredients!

According to founder Kelly Graham, “Aleavia’s exclusive prebiotic formulas act as an alkaloid- based bio-stimulant that feed a variety of “friendly bacteria” on the skin that we all have. Think of Aleavia as your skins daily food source for optimal skin health.

When prebiotics feed the microorganisms, it strengthens the super ecology system on the skin. This results in the body affectively and naturally producing hyaluronic acid, which helps slow the aging process and gives skin a more radiant and youthful appearance.”

 

What Can Aleavia (Maybe) Do for You?

The first thing I’d say when asked how my skin feels after using Aleavia’s products is balanced.

Here’s more from Kelly: “By using Aleavia Skin Care products on the face and body, within a period of weeks, the microbial population of those skin areas will dramatically shift.

When the body is a less desirable host for skin conditions to manifest, survive and thrive, those skin blemishes and diseases will disappear.

We have seen some remarkable results from clients who suffered from rosacea, eczema, acne, psoriasis, fresh scars and burns, and unsightly skin who are now raving about how soft and healthy their skin has become.”

My Honest Review on Aleavia Skin Care Products

I started using Aleavia products long before I got the chance to review them here. In fact, I’ve been using their body wash pretty consistently for the past several years.

I find it has kept my skin well moisturized (to the extent that I don’t even have to use a moisturizer if I don’t want to), cleans thoroughly with a mild lather, and I haven’t had any dry skin patches to speak of since using it.

I don’t have the scientific data to back this up, but I do have my observations, and on the rare occasion when I have used a different body wash (on vacation, when I ran out, etc), I found that my skin was drier and not nearly as supple.

I also really like the idea that this product is leaving behind good stuff on my skin.

Recently I used the prebiotic soothing mist on my body after I got sunburned at the beach, and not only did it immediately soothe my skin, but it also seemed to help make the redness go away faster and develop into a tan quicker.