Probiotics and prebiotics are all the rage in skincare, but do these buzzwords actually mean anything? What is the microbiome? And what does it have to do with the fight against aging? To find out, Sandy and Chan interviewed Dr. Jack Gilbert (@gilbertjacka), microbial ecologist at the University of California (San Diego) and co-author of Dirt is Good: The Advantage of Germs for Your Child's Developing Immune System. 

But before we get to Jack, let's talk about Sandy's latest challenge! Chan sent her to Hoame in Toronto, to its salt cave. Interested in learning more? Check it out at hoame.ca.

Now for the microbiome! Learn more about Dr. Jack A. Gilbert: 

• His book is Dirt is Good.
• He's a professor at UCSD in Pediatrics and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Here's his academic profile. 
• He cofounded the Earth Microbiome Project and the American Gut Project.
• He's on Twitter @gilbertjacka  

Go deep on the microbiome:

• New Insights into the Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors That Shape the Human Skin Microbiome
• New York Times story on a microbial therapy for eczema pioneered by one of Dr. Gilbert's colleagues: The Solution for Skin Ailments Could Be Right Under Your Nose
• Plus the research paper that inspired the NY Times article
• More about the relationship between bifidobacterium longum infantis and sticky baby diapers: Bifidobacterium longum subsp infantis CECT7210-supplemented formula reduces diarrhea in healthy infants: a randomized controlled trial
• More about the relationship between acne and the microbiome: Potential Role of the Microbiome in Acne: A Comprehensive Review

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