REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Symbioses
This article is part of the Research TopicDynamics of the Human Skin MicrobiotaView all 14 articles
Dynamic Remodeling of Skin Microbiota during Healthy Homeostatic and Wound Repair Conditions
Provisionally accepted
- 1Wenzhou-Kean University College of Science Mathematics and Technology, Wenzhou, China
- 2The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- 3Oujiang Laboratory, Wenzhou, China
- 4Wenzhou Medical University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Wenzhou, China
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The skin microbiota is a fundamental component of the cutaneous ecosystem and plays an important role in maintaining skin homeostasis through immune education, maintenance of the skin barrier, colonization resistance, and regulation of the physiological environment under healthy conditions. Skin injury disrupts this balanced microbial ecosystem, resulting in marked changes in the local microenvironment. However, the processes by which skin microbiota reorganise following injury and contribute to the restoration of a remodelled homeostatic ecosystem after wound repair are not fully understood. This review synthesizes current knowledge on host–microbiota interactions across the dynamic transition from healthy skin to wounded skin and to remodeled homeostatic skin. We highlight the functions of commensal microorganisms during the inflammatory, proliferative, and remodeling phases of wound healing, with a particular focus on their roles in the resolution of inflammation, tissue regeneration and barrier restoration. Finally, we discuss emerging microbiota-based therapeutic opportunities for wound management and outline key challenges and future research directions aimed at promoting long-term restoration of skin microbial homeostasis.
Keywords: Commensal–host interactions, cutaneous immunity, microbiome-based therapies, Skin microbiome, Wound Healing
Received: 06 Jan 2026; Accepted: 09 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Ye, Wong, Chen, Sun, He, Li and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Huacheng He
Xiaokun Li
Jiang Wu
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