Acne Treatment Still A Mystery, Study Finds

Clicking through a popular acne forum reveals more than 15,000 threads on over-the-counter acne treatments and nearly 50,000 on prescription options alone, with people seeking tips on which treatments work best and how to use them. According to a new report, such discussions could speak to a broader issue: We still may not understand how effective the most widely used treatments are at combatting the common skin issue.

And it is common.

Researchers writing in the journal Lancet explain that almost everyone between the ages of 15 and 17 is affected by some degree of acne. They also highlight recent studies suggesting that more than 60 percent of twenty-somethings and 40 percent of adults in their thirties have regular, visible pimples.

The problem, the authors claim, is that a lack of head-to-head, comparative effectiveness research on the various treatment options -- including topical prescriptions, oral antibiotics, contraceptives and even natural options, like tea tree oil -- is still limited.

“The large number of products and product combinations and the scarcity of comparative studies has led to disparate guidelines with few recommendations being evidence-based,” lead author Hywel Williams, Ph.D., from the UK's University of Nottingham, said in a statement. Which means that many treatment guidelines are based on clinical expertise rather than high-quality comparative studies, and there is little data on whether prolonged use of antibiotics leads to bacterial resistance.

According to the report's authors, even the role face washing plays is still uncertain, as antibacterial skin cleansers could help with mild acne, but they provide little benefit to patients who are already on topical treatments that could cause irritation. They caution that excessive washing could prompt increased oil production.

Another gray area? What the authors call the "possible association between acne and diet," which they say continues to be "uncertain."

Some outside experts caution, however, that all of this seeming uncertainty should not prompt people to lose confidence in acne treatment altogether.

"Dermatologists know how to treat acne and we have effective treatments for acne," said Dr. Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. "Basically what this paper is saying is that a lot of the guidelines we have in treating acne are pooled from expert opinions, not head-to-head studies. But as a field you grow and learn every day."

In the meantime, he said people's best bet is still to seek treatment.

"Acne can have a significant psychological impact," Zeichner said. "If patients have acne, they need to see a dermatologist. [This paper] doesn't mean we don't have good treatments right now."

Comments

[mlcgg3584]

01:47 AM on 10/25/2011

I've been successfully treating acne for almost 20 years at my acne skin care studio. When you understand the causes of acne, lifestyle factors that aggravate acne and how different types of acne respond to different active ingredients, there really is NO mystery to treating acne. There is no "one size fits all" solution to treating acne -- customized treatment plans with an acne expert combined with close monitoring work best. You really can get beautiful, clear skin in about 90 days without prescription medications and harmful side effects. AND, it's not expensive!! If you've been using your acne treatment for more than three to four months and you're not getting clear, you're using the wrong methods. For more information, check out www.acne-skin-care-expert.com

[ladytora]

07:42 PM on 10/20/2011

While there may be no outright cure to acne, I did however find some wonderful information about some of the best moisturizers for acne prone skin at http://www.skintreatmentguide.org/best-moisturizer-for-acne-prone-skin.html Hope it's helpful. ^_^

[Kelly Jade]

02:29 PM on 09/07/2011

I use a mixture of clay, oatmeal and herbs. Works well for me. So much better than anythign soap based

[JoanMorris]

05:46 PM on 09/06/2011

I just tried Kitamed's acne treatment last week and my face feels great! This is unheard of yet so effective! Totally worth ordering! http://tiny.cc/ues0v

[thruseer]

08:46 AM on 09/06/2011

There's no mystery to it. My dermatologist prescribed low-dose tetracycline (an antibiotic) and morning and night gentle wash with Dove unscented soap, and I added in the mornings a quick wipe with one of the Clinique clarifying lotions which contain salicylic acid. It was not expensive, and very effective.

[TheSkinLiaison]

11:32 AM on 09/04/2011

I treat acne successfully. I am an acne specialist, at my practice http://www.theskinliaison.com I help long distance clients and there is no mystery about it. Call 925-516-9000 for a consult.

[dididangerlove]

01:28 PM on 09/02/2011

I've been using Obagi for 17 years and love it.

[VA Jill]

10:43 AM on 09/02/2011

"If patients have acne, they need to see a dermatologist. [This paper] doesn't mean we don't have good treatments right now."

The truth is, they don't have good treatments. They have the same old stuff they had when I was growing up (lists of stuff you can't eat, topicals that may or may not work) plus now they have some really dangerous drugs like Accutane that have all sorts of ugly side effects. They still don't know what causes acne or how to treat it.

[LeoChild]

08:49 PM on 09/01/2011

The clairsonic helped me with my adult acne.

[jf12]

12:55 PM on 09/01/2011

Skin is a breeding ground for microorganisms, and most treatments for acne turn your face into a weedy sandlot, instead of a well manicured lawn. Stop doing what you're doing if it isn't working.

[sweetmomma8101]

12:40 PM on 09/01/2011

Most acne is hormonal! Especially in women. Tea tree oil has helped me tremendously! I have used various products throughout my life and this is by far the best!

[Danny22tree]

11:37 PM on 09/01/2011

FLAGGED--S PAM

[j15joe]

12:00 PM on 09/01/2011

Proactive does work but it doesn't work for everyone. There once was a pill called accutane that would demolish acne and it would be gone forever, the problem was that in high doses it is very toxic to the liver and women that are pregnant should stay away from it. I had very mild acne, once in awhile i would do 20mg of accutane for 2 weeks as opposed to someone with really bad acne they could be prescribed up to 80mg everday for 6 months. Now I don't really get acne if i do i use 10mg a week of accutane for about 6 -10 weeks and my skin looks better then ever, your pores get very small and you get a kind of glow yo your skin as long as you moistureize it. Accutane stops a certain gland(i believe the mucus gland) from producing anything. your lips will get cracked and dry on a high dose, your nose will get dry inside and outside on the inner corners. On a low dose such as the 10mg regimen i see no side effects. I only use it during the summer though. I couldn't imagine what the winter would do to you even on 20mg everyday for 2 weeks. Sadly the side effects were too risky so they don't prescribe it anymore. I have seen it change people lives. You have to weigh the cost vs the benefits.

[gobucksjoe]

12:28 PM on 09/01/2011

I had a friend who had horrible acne, and after she used acutane her skin was almost completely clear. It was almost miraculous.

[pseuzan1]

01:13 PM on 09/01/2011

For years I dealt with oily skin and cyctic acne (acne under the skin). I never had a lot of bad surface acne, but the oily skin was embarassing and the cystic acne was very painful. Finally, I did two rounds of Accutane in my late 20's and early 30's - after years of being on all different topical treatments and antibiotics. Once I got past the peeling skin and cracked lips phase, I loved Accutane. It dried up my oily skin and cured my cystic acne. The results have lasted close to 20 years now. I wish I had tried Accutane sooner. Over the years I've read how Accutane has been blamed for suicides etc. I had no dangerous side effects from the drug, and have recommended it to a lot of people. For people suffering from cystic acne, Accutane is the only effective treatment out there, in my opinion.

[3daywkend]

01:17 AM on 09/01/2011

I'm well past the acne age, but what I've seen over the last 10 years is "proactive solution", advertised aggressively. You'd think this stuff was the glorious cure-all.

[Oneandoneandone]

01:42 PM on 09/02/2011

Definitely not a cure-all - but it is a cure-some.

[ilikemusic]

11:48 PM on 08/31/2011

I took no steps to "be clean" apart from your standard scrub in the shower. I had a poor diet, ate plenty of dairy, greasy foods, anything I wanted. I have never had a problem with acne. The worst I would ever get is the occasional white head (and it would be like one pimple every couple months that would pop up for a day or two, then fade away).

My older brother had terrible acne and did everything he could to combat it. Over the counter, prescriptions, diet altering, excessive scrubbing and "cleansing", and nothing really worked. He just grew out of it.

In my experience, I would say acne is 95% genetics. Random, nothing you can do about it genetics.