In the world of skin conditions, eczema is arguably one of the most common of all, affecting over 30 million people in the United States alone. It's a condition that can be triggered by a myriad of factors, like allergies and stress, and it's not rare for those who suffer from it to go on antibiotics to help ease the symptoms, which are often characterized by inflamed, scaly patches that usually itch and can be somewhat painful depending on the severity of the condition. Antibiotics work by killing bacteria — both good and bad — and are actually derived naturally from microbes to combat (or kill) other existing microbes.

Last week, The Atlantic reported that scientists have sought out to find where else potential antibiotics may exist naturally, searching everywhere from soil to oceans to other habitats — including our own microbiome. It's true: Scientists from the University of California, San Diego, have found bacteria that live naturally on the human skin and actually produce chemicals that fight bacteria (such as Staphylococcus aureus) that cause skin problems. It's because of this that the same scientists then decided to isolate the bacteria, grow them, and add them to a personalized cream with the hopes that it would kill the S. aureus that lives on the skin and, in turn, help those suffering from atopic dermatitis — a.k.a. eczema.

Pretty wild, no? It sounds out-there, sure, but using bacteria from one's own body to fight against disease existing on the epidermis is looking like it might become the new "it" thing in healing skin diseases. The aforementioned S. aureus — a form of bad bacteria that causes skin infections — is especially abundant on those with eczema and is thought to trigger some of the symptoms by inducing inflammation and certain allergic reactions. So if this cream indeed does work by killing it off, it could mean huge things for people with skin problems.

According to The Atlantic, researchers are also actively looking into other species of Staphylococcus (better known as Staph) that could do the exact opposite of S. aureus — species like S. epidermidis and S. hominis, which may be beneficial for reducing symptoms and suppressing the growth of the bad guys (see: S. aureus). After swabbing the forearms of several volunteers and identifying the species that would hinder growth, they found that not every strain within the species had suppressive abilities. But get this: One strain of S. hominis called A9 killed a zone of S. aureus.

This specific strain produces new antibiotics that appear to to curb the growth of the S. aureus and work with chemicals naturally made by the skin to help prevent the disease from flourishing. Because A9 is not common on people with eczema, scientists wondered what would happen if they gave what does exist a bit of a boost. To test this, the team of researchers looked for the rare strains of S. epidermidis and S. hominis on the skin of five volunteers with eczema and added them to a cream, which they told each of the volunteers to use and refrain from washing for a day.

The researchers' findings? The levels of evil (er, S. aureus) dropped more than 90 percent. And in two cases, it completely disappeared. Perhaps it goes without saying, but with further exploration, this could mean groundbreaking things for the future of treating or even curing skin conditions like eczema using microbial therapies. But Richard Gallo, one of the scientists overseeing this study, noted to The Atlantic, "Many patients have genetic problems in their skin, or underlying difficulties with their immune system. This won’t alleviate any of that." However it could be a major start in the right direction. Gallo is now running larger clinical trials in which up to 60 patients are using the creams for a longer amount of time to see whether they're safe and whether they'll effectively treat the eczema.

It's also worth noting that this could better healthwise for people, since unlike your typical antibiotics, the cream won't kill the good bacteria, too. It actually leaves it alone altogether. Gallo and other scientists are in the process of creating probiotics using species and strains such as A9 that already exist in the human microbiome and are able to personalize the treatments they make rather than assuming A9 will help everyone in the same way. Needless to say, this could be huge news, especially for those impacted by eczema. We can only hope that scientists will continue to find solutions and pave the way for clearer, happy skin for all.

Related: This Blogger Showed Off Her Eczema on Instagram for the BEST Reason