AcneNet This Month
November 1999

Tip of the Month

Getting rid of acne is something that can usually be accomplished, with appropriate treatment regularly applied over time. Treatments that promise to be "fast", "miraculous", "overnight", and so forth, are illusory and are often marketed to take advantage of acne sufferers’ hope for a quick resolution. Disappointment with a "miracle" cure may only add to the psychological and emotional distress caused by acne.

Advertisements for "miracle cures" may misguide an acne sufferer into believing that acne responds quickly to treatment. Successful treatment may then become more difficult, if the person with acne is too impatient to stick with weeks or months of treatment for mild to moderate acne, or years of treatment for severe acne.

Most mild cases of acne are controlled by daily gentle washing of the affected areas of the skin, and the use of a topical preparation such as benzoyl peroxide (click on Acne treatments for a full discussion of the topic). While this treatment does not accomplish "miracles", long-term experience has proven it an effective way to control mild acne in a great many cases.

Fact of the Month

The observation that "no two people are alike" applies to acne treatment, also. A person does not necessarily respond to treatment in the same way as others, even when those people are very similar in age, sex, and genetic background.

If you are being treated for acne, the treatment must be individualized to get the maximum results for you. That’s why acne treatment is a team effort—you and your physician, working together to control your acne. Acne is a very treatable disease, and with long-term efforts of the physician-patient team, the results can be quite satisfying.

Some of the factors that may make one person less responsive than another to the same treatment include the oiliness of the skin, and the presence of acne lesions on areas other than the face.

Individualized therapy should take these "differences" into account. The physicians will work to tailor therapy to your individual needs. Your task is to follow the therapeutic plan, and follow instructions for monitoring results and any side-effects of treatment.

Question of the Month

Each month we pose a question that is answered the following month. This month’s question:

Are there any vitamins I can give my 5-year-old daughter to prevent her from eventually getting acne? My husband and I both had acne when we in high school.

We’ll have the answer, and a discussion of the answer, on AcneNet next month.

Answer to last month’s Question of the Month

Last month’s question was:

Azelaic acid is chemically identified as a dicarboxylic acid originally derived from the microscopic organism Pityrosporum ovale—one of the organisms sometimes found in or around sebaceous follicles.

Azelaic acid proved to be effective in treating some cases of acne. It is applied topically to the skin as a creme, following directions of the physician. Azelaic acid is only available by prescription.

The reasons for azelaic acid’s effectiveness in treating some cases of acne are not known for certain, but there is evidence that it has (1) antibacterial activity that may be helpful in cleansing the skin, and (2) effects on the growth cycle of certain types of skin cells involved in the development of acne.