Feed: Dan's Blog at Acne.org - AggScore: 75.1

Recently I made the decision that acne just needs to be cured. So I started research in that vein, and I found that in 2001, scientists started work on an acne vaccine. More specifically, it is an anti-P.acnes bacteria vaccine. Since P. acnes is the bacteria implicated in acne formation and is a major culprit in acne development, if we can somehow turn off its genetic expression, the hope is that we can prevent or cure acne.

A brief history of the vaccine: A company called Corixa worked with a French company to decode the 2.8 milion base pairs that make up the P. acnes genome back in 2001. They then started working on identifying antigens in order to create a vaccine. Glaxo Smith Kline acquired Corixa in 2005. From there, mention of the vaccine seemed to fall off the map, until an article published in 2008 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology surfaced. The article outlined research at the University of California San Diego in which scientists developed vaccines against P. Acnes and successfully used the vaccine in both mice and in the lab using human sebum (skin oil) cells.

The trail seems to end there again. I’m in the process of contacting the researchers at UCSD to get more information. I find this area of work fascinating. I’ll keep you posted on anything I uncover. For now, let’s not get our hopes up too much however. Acne development is multi-faceted. While P. Acnes plays a part, it is unknown how much it directly causes the other factors in acne development such as pores becoming clogged, oil overproduction, or inflammation.

I’ve heard about ResellerRatings.com a few times before and a coworker of mine mentioned it again yesterday. I just checked it out and there are no reviews for Acne.org/DanielKern.com.

Do you guys go to ResellerRatings.com to see which web sites are reputable and which are not? I don’t, but maybe I should start. I tend to just trust most web sites and have had good luck so far. At any rate, please feel free to honestly rate Acne.org/DanielKern.com.

As a side note, if you have any customer service questions, Travis, our customer service guy, is always here to help you out, or you can call our 1-800-773-7803 number too.

Thanks!

I’ve been reading acne related articles and studies from around the world, with topics ranging from genetics to Accutane flare risk factors. After reading them all I took a moment to see if there is a common thread linking them together. One thread I seem to keep finding is stress. Keep in mind that I am simply starting a discussion and not trying to draw any sort of scientific conclusion. Please present your own evidence as well.

1. A Canadian study I read found that living in urban areas was related to Accutane relapse. I know from personal experience that living in an urban area comes with added stressors. While I personally prefer the urban lifestyle, driving is more difficult, sirens wail, and crowds are common. You must stay more on guard to stay safe, even if that means staying more aware while crossing busy streets.

2. A Norwegian study showed a possible link between poor diet and acne in adolescents. While the conclusion was “too early to give evidence-based diet advice” it nonetheless once again shed light on the diet/acne connection. Researchers do not have a consensus about which type of diet is best or worst for acne sufferers, but if poor diet is related to acne, stress would be a factor here as well. A poor diet physically stresses the body. High glycemic (sugary) diets also cause mood swings and can affect mental stress levels.

3. An International Journal of Dermatology article focused on the impact of DHEA-S, an androgen (male sex hormone), on female adult-onset acne. Leutenizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), total testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), and DHEA-S were all evaluated. DHEA-S was the only androgen that was significantly higher in women with acne. DHEA-S is produced in the adrenal gland, the same gland that is activated during times of stress.

So what if stress was more intricately related to acne than we previously theorized? Anything that helps mitigate stress would then help with acne symptoms. Eating a low glycemic diet, getting plenty of rest, exercising, and breathing or meditating, would be potentially beneficial options.

Hey you guys. Guess what!? We’ve got 100 pages of Regimen success stories now! They’re pretty inspiring and uplifting if you haven’t checked them out. Thanks to all of you who continue to send in your stories. The more success stories we have, the more it helps people realize the Regimen is for real.

Also, we recently added an automatic way to upload pictures and videos to the success stories page, so feel free to upload your before and after or a video of yourself. Thanks everybody!

Recently, the Human Microbiome Project was given $42 million in stimulus money to conduct in depth research into how microscopic organisms affect our health. Since the microscopic organisms which live in or on our bodies outnumber human cells by about 10 to 1, and are largely unstudied, this could be very interesting.

The Human Microbiome is defined as “all the microorganisms that reside in or on the human body, as well as their DNA, or genomes.” In short, scientists from around the country are going to sequence at least 400 microbial genomes in a first step at looking at how they may affect health and disease.

$990,000 is going to UCLA to look at possible connections between skin organisms and acne. Let’s hope they find something!

So the clocks turned back and we all got another hour of sleep. Guess what? That’s good for acne.

Lack of sleep is a huge physical stressor. It’s not just mental stress that can aggravate acne. Physical stress like overworking, overexercising, and undersleeping can also increase the symptoms of acne. Getting your eight hours, or however much sleep your body requires, is a great way to help keep your skin in check.

Working the night shift: Dr. Fulton, one of my big heroes in acne research has said in his classes, “I can get pretty much anyone cleared up, unless they work the night shift.” His comment has always stuck with me. While I have not had lots of experience with people who work the night shift, if his experience is correct, it is not just the amount of sleep that is important, but also when we sleep. Science has named our internal biological clock the “human circadian rhythm”. Melatonin levels rise sharply at night and fall during the day. Our hypothalmus and much of the rest of our bodies are hardwired to produce a natural rhythm of sleep and wakefulness.

So if you or someone you know works the night shift and can’t seem to clear up, this may be something to think about.

Years ago I dressed up as a drowning victim for Halloween. I wore blue makeup all over my face…and broke out. Another time, I wore a scary mask all night…and broke out. Here are a few tips to keep you from making the mistakes I made.

Makeup: If you look at ingredients in Halloween makeup, it’s not always a pretty sight. They often contain pore clogging oils and other highly comedogenic ingredients. Choose oil-free varieties and look for the term “non-comedogenic” on the packaging. Also, stay away from makeups which have “iso” ingredients, including isopropyl myristate and isopropyl palmitate. Myristal myristate is another big offender to watch out for. When applying the makeup, apply it as gently and quickly as you can, and wash it off before bed, performing your usual regimen after washing it off.

Costumes: Masks and other creative costumes can rub the skin and cause irritation. One of the most surefire ways to initiate a breakout is to irritate and rub the skin. People who play sports see this phenomenon with chin straps. Masks create a similar scenario. Try to choose a costume that does not have a mask or anything that rubs on acne prone areas. If you already chose your costume and it contains a mask or something that will rub your skin, wear it for only short periods of time if you can.

Have fun you guys!!

I put up a page about visualizing clear skin a few months ago and asked for some feedback from you guys on whether or not it worked for you. You responded with some comments which are now on the visualization and acne page. I know trying this stuff can be a stretch, but if the mind and body really are one, which when you think about it…they really are to some extent…then perhaps it’s worth a shot. I personally enjoy and employ the whole concept of visualizing what I want to create, and it seems to work well in most areas of my life. Medical conditions are one area where I’m a little less convinced, but I remain open. If you decide to try this, please keep submitting your comments on the visualization page.

New and improved moistuizer: I’ve been in and out of the lab a few times and we’re making some fantastic progress. I’ll hopefully be sending out samples to moderators and product testers soon to see if they prefer it to the current moisturizer. I prefer it quite a bit myself. The samples I’ve been developing have no tack, take care of flakiness, and feel amazing.

Spot treatment: I’m on the second round of spot treatment now and I’ve sent it out to some moderators and testers to see what they think. I’ll let you know when I get a response from them. I’m not settled on this sample, but wanted to get some feedback before taking it back for improvements.

SPF: I’m waiting to nail down the new and improved non-spf moisturizer first in the hopes of using that base for the SPF. The SPF is still a ways away.

Some of you have been asking about where to find the expiration date on the new 8oz. treatment tubes. It’s up there in the crimp.

There’s a paint-your-own-pottery store in my neighborhood called Terra Mia, and we go down there from time to time just to have fun. Well, guess who got design of the week!? Truth be told, I kinda asked the owner if I could be design of the week. I know, that’s totally cheating. Oh well. I still got it! Here’s my bowl:

Are you proud of me?

In my neverending quest to find the least irritating shave, I recently tried a safety razor. Safety razors are seriously old school. They are heavy metal contraptions into which you put an actual double edged razor blade. Since I read on a couple of shaving web sites that safety razors provide the least irritating shave, I decided to try one.

It was a horrible shave, and terribly irritating–one of the most irritating shaves I’ve ever experienced. I couldn’t even finish one shave with it. It felt like raking something sharp across my skin. Yuck.

People online say it takes some practice to achieve the skill needed to get the best shave possible with these things, but I felt quite clearly after my first shave that no amount of practice would change this frog into a prince.

I tried the Merkur brand because it was most highly recommended from people who use safety razors. It was quite expensive, but I figured if it worked out I’d save money on blades, since the regular double edged blades are so inexpensive. But alas, I’m just out the money I spent on this thing. I’d highly recommend saving your money and just sticking with the Gillette Trac II or the Gillette Sensor Excel.

Hey you guys. I wanted to show you the supps that I take each day. I’ve read enough evidence to come to the conclusion that supplementing with fish oil and zinc is prudent. I also supplement with some other stuff, which I thought I’d share. Here’s a list of what I take each day:

Fish oil: Three 1000mg pills. Fish oil is a potent anti-inflammatory. Acne is an inflammatory disease. Plus, fish oil is great for heart health and a bevy of other diseases. No-brainer. I take Country Life brand because they don’t give me any fish burps.

Zinc: There is probably more evidence backing up zinc for controlling acne than any other supplement. Study after study show about 40% reduction in acne lesions. Keep in mind that placebo is 30%, so zinc outpaces placebo, albeit not to an astonishing degree. I take one 30-50mg pill per day, depending on what’s on sale. Zinc becomes toxic at levels above 100mg/day.

Multi-vitamin: Just to cover my bases I take a name brand multi-vitamin. I prefer a large name brand because I figure they’ve got more to lose if they are found negligent in some way, such as not putting the required amount of vitamins in there. From what I’ve read, we don’t know if a multi-vitamin is definitely beneficial, and multi-vitamins do not contain polyphenols, the life-giving chemicals in plants. But taking a multi makes me feel better just in case.

Borage oil/evening primrose oil: Borage oil, or evening primrose oil both contain GLA (gamma linoleic acid). Their anti-inflammatory activity and efficacy are controversial and still up for debate. So why do I take it? Because I saw a naturopath a few years ago and she told me to, so I take them on occasion. Yeah, not a good reason. I’ll probably stop taking them soon But for full disclosure, I thought I’d let you know I take them. If you have recent evidence of their efficacy or non-efficacy please let me know.

Vitamin D3: I take one 1000mg vitamin D3 pill per day. I don’t eat vitamin D fortified dairy much at all, and my sun exposure is limited, so I make sure to take a D3 pill each day.

That’s it. It’s a handful as you can see, but I’ve become adept at gulping them all down in one swig. Have I noticed effects from them? Honestly, not really. But it feels good to take them just for bodily insurance. Hopefully evidence will mount regarding all of the above mentioned supplements so we have a better idea of which are truly beneficial.

Cool news you guys. I’ve been working with Daniel, our intern, as well as a statistician, and a well known doctor to put together a “prospective dietary trial” on milk and acne. What is a “prospective dietary trial”? Well, it means basically that we’re going to ask people on Acne.org to stop eating and drinking dairy and to fill out surveys and take pictures to document changes in their acne symptoms. If we get enough people to volunteer and follow through, it could be seminal research on the topic. Pretty darn cool.

Daniel, our intern, has been amazing with all of this–big shout out to him. He’s basically running the show. But all of us can be involved too! I’ve decided to be a candidate for the study, which will be hard because it will mean no pizza, but I’ll do it in the name of science! I’ll let you all know when this starts and when you can sign up.

In doing reserach on rosacea, I came across a fascinating study in 2009 where about half of the people with rosacea were found to have small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO). Upon administration of rifaximin, an antibiotic that does not penetrate the intestinal wall, thus staying within the intestine and eradicating the SIBO, many of the rosacea sufferers with SIBO were completely cleared. At a nine month follow up they remained clear.

Fascinating.

No such study has been performed on people with acne, but hey, who knows! So I’ve asked my doctor to refer me to a testing facility to see if I have SIBO myself, just for fun. It’s a simple breath test, and I’m hoping to find someone in the area who can perform the test. I’ll let you guys know how it goes. I am reseraching as much as I can about intestinal bacteria and skin disease, with acne as a particular focus of course. If you have any references for me, please let me know.