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Acne vaccine apocalypse of tomorrow or: Why I learned to stop worrying and
love all those clear skinned zombies!

Is this how to cure acne? Will an acne cure work?

This is one of those damned if you do, damned if you even think about it articles. An acne cure?
For real? How about an acne vaccine? The subject of vaccines inspires passion, polarization and
precious little middle ground. The very mention of the topic does more to stir up people than
most. Passions fly. Arguments ensue. Civility takes a flying leap.

Well, Im going to do my best to keep the beehive sedate. Im not here to find middle ground or
stir the anthill to action. Im here to drop a few facts, offer up some hilarious reflections and
maybe get you to see some videos or something. If at the end, you are lesser informed than before
you entered, consider yourself forewarned. Kidding.

Vaccines: cure for acne?

When some people hear the word, it inspires memories of this:

Yet, some people are hesitant to get on their knees, gesticulate widely and bow before the saintly
goodness that is the medical gods. Their reserved judgment may be tempered by thoughts of this:

Which faction is right? Its hard to maintain an objective stance when facts can dance to the beat
of their own drummer. [1]

Lets start by talking about is known about this possible acne cure by vaccine.
Acne vaccine Facts:

No new acne vulgaris treatments since the 60s and 70s.

Acne vaccination trials are currently under development and in requirement of further testing.
It works not by making you immune from the strains of acne causing bacteria but by limiting
your bodies inflammatory response mechanism to the bacterias released toxin.
Some of the unknown consequences or side effects of shutting down this inflammatory
response may not manifest in short order and instead my take time that occurs after and
outside the study parameters.
If it works and has minimal side effects, it would be an astounding improvement in the quality
of millions of peoples lives.
Price for acne vaccine is unknown.
This is potentially an acne cure and prevention method.

The counterpoint:

Past acne cure: Retin-A

In the last few decades, medical science has only given us a few game changing advances in
regards to zits. The first that comes to mind is Tretinoin, [2] commonly known as Retin-A, which
is known to work wonders on the lesser realm of the acne affliction like whiteheads, blackheads
and other small pimple bumps lacking inflammation.

H O W D O E S R E T I N - A W O R K ?

The method of activation Retin A employs is to increase cellular turnover in the epidermis of the
skin, which is incidentally why it also works well for some other skin conditions, namely the
appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This accentuated cellular turnover is bad for the types of
acne complex that results in boils and cysts due to increasing inflammatory effects. This prevents
Retin A from being a resounding success for those in the hormonal crowd. Bummer.

Past acne cure: Accutane

Another nugget of medical gold to come from the mine of knowledge is Isotretinoin, [3] which
was commonly known as Accutane until 2009 (it now goes under many generic names thanks to
an Accutane lawsuit). A medication so beset with goodness it comes with a series of waivers and
legal paperwork thick enough to crush a phone book.

D O E S A C C U T A N E C U R E A C N E ?

What is Accutane? What are some of the Accutane side effects? Great questions, probably requiring
an individual post to address. Want to know about these questions and likely Accutane results? A
shortcut would be to check out the Accutane wiki.

Basically, Accutane works by helping to reduce oil buildup under the skin. Its great for the deeper
seated hormonal acne that inflames with nodules and red bumps. Its efficacy for the the ever
dreaded creeping carbuncle and the like caused by strains of Strep and Staph is limited.
Regardless, in either case, trained medical professionals should be seen to make a diagnosis and
prescribe medication for treatment.

Acne Utopia?

If these two marvels of this miraculous age work as stated, why is further research ongoing? Why
havent we all rushed to clear ourselves in short order, starting decades ago when these were first
released? The reason is simple: side-effects. And friends, let me tell you, there are some king hill
whoppers of side effects. Immune imbalance, hyperlipidemia (elevated cholesterol levels), and
teratogenicity (Accutane birth defects) are only the starting point. The Retin A side effects are
better but still exist.

This makes the response disproportionate to the problem. Its much akin to using an a-bomb on
your neighbors house because you dont like the mean mugging garden gnome in their front
yard. Ok, metaphors arent my forte but you can easily get the gist of the point.

Ive included links to the lists of side effects as well as some background info about the two
medications discussed. [2], [3] As always, a good competent medical doctor or pharmacist is your
best go to for questions and answers.
 Acne cure almost here or still long gone?

Weird science

The only reason I dredge up the issues with these medications is that even silver lined clouds of
miracles can evaporate when the sun comes out. Medicine and science hardly work off the miracle
angle. Ask most scientists and youll see that even the best experiments and studies can prove
fallible or provide conflicting data points for loose interpretation. [4]

Scientists are fallible because they are people, prone to bias, blind to prejudices and subject to ego
stroking. The good ones can manage to keep these issues and more in check. The great ones can
seemly transcend the human condition and excel to levels thought unobtainable. They dont
merely master their material, they master themselves. Thats a tall order for anyone. [5]

Acne Vaccine = cure?

While news of an acne vaccine may have only recently reached the collective consciousness of the
mass media, its been a subject of ongoing struggle and continued work. In fact, quite a bit of
research has been conducted over the years and only recently has progress been made to reach
the stage where patient trials are underway. Therefore, this is a huge hurdle to clear. Past
breakthroughs in this field [6], [7] have returned less than desirable results with more than
acceptable consequences.

Also, one of the chief issues of contention has been with the mixed results of animal studies, the
well from which the many in the medical and biological scientific community drink. The reason
stems from matters of different physiology. Specifically the fact that [m]ost animals including
mice do not produce sufficient triglycerides in sebaceous glands to harbor P. acnes a fact that has
encumbered the development of anti-acne vaccines and drugs targeting P. acnes infection. [8]

If that wasnt enough, having an acne vaccine that killed P. acnes bacteria would be problematic
because the bacteria perform beneficial functions. [9] Killing the bacteria outright could cause a
host of issues and unintended consequences. This is why the current acne vaccine is focusing on a
protein secreted by the bacteria which initiates an inflammatory response from the antibodies of
the immune system.

Conclusion

Finally, I started this entry off with a bit of fun, but I want close on a serious tone.

We all want an acne cureespecially one thats as simple and easy as a vaccine. It fits in with out
push button, instantaneous, everything now society. While such a goal as a cure for acne is noble,
it also requires a high threshold of results tempered with balance. Its not enough to have a cure if
it causes multiple problematic after effects.

What are the effects? The patient trials will be a determining factor. Too many times in the past,
positive early tests have yielded to the sideswipe of reality. This is why I want to urge caution to
tap the brakes on the accelerated expectations and wait for the results.

In addition, one further point to ponder. This acne vaccine is specific to P. acnes and would
potentially be limited to its use. For strains of staph and strep, further research and testing would
be needed. This is why the headlines of an acne cure sound great, but time fades the headlines.

Eventually, affirmative or negative, well know, and itll be the scientists like Dr. Eric (Chun-
Ming) Huang, PhD [10] who will tend the light. Kudos and acclaim to all those that light the way!

Works Cited:

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replication_crisis

[2] https://www.rxwiki.com/tretinoin

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotretinoin

[4] 1,500 scientists lift the lid on reproducibility. Survey sheds light on the crisis rocking
research. Baker, Monya. Nature 533, 452-454, (26 May, 2016). http://www.nature.com/news/1-
500-scientists-lift-the-lid-on-reproducibility-1.19970

[5] Why Most Clinical Research Is Not Useful. Ioannidis JPA (2016). PLoS Med 13(6): e1002049.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002049

[6] Acne vaccines targeting Propionibacterium acnes. Kao M., Huang C. M. Giornale Italiano di
Dermatologia e Venereologia 2009 December;144(6):639-43
http://www.minervamedica.it/en/journals/dermatologia-venereologia/article.php?
cod=R23Y2009N06A0639

[7] Vaccination Targeting a Surface Sialidase ofP. acnes: Implication for New Treatment of Acne
Vulgaris. Nakatsuji T, Liu Y-T, Huang C-P, Gallo RL, Huang C-M (2008). PLoS ONE 3(2): e1551.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0001551

[8] Correlation of Propionibacterium acnes populations with the presence of triglycerides on

nonhuman skin. Webster GF, Ruggieri MR, McGinley KJ (1981). Appl Environ Microbiology 41:
12691270.GF http://aem.asm.org/content/41/5/1269.long

[9] http://www.businessinsider.com/acne-vaccine-trial-university-of-california-2017-4

[10] https://healthsciences.ucsd.edu/som/dermatology/research/labs/Pages/CMHuanglab.aspx

#acne cure, #cure acne, #acne vaccine, #side effects of accutane, #retin a side efects

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BoYang Acne accutane birth defects, accutane stories, acne cure, acne vaccine, cure acne, how to cure acne,
retin a side effects, retin a tretinoin, side effects of accutane

2 thoughts on Acne vaccine apocalypse of tomorrow or: Why I

learned to stop worrying and love all those clear skinned zombies!

Revive CBD Oil Review

September 10, 2017 at 11:19 pm

Hello! I could have sworn Ive been to your blog before but
after going through many of the articles I realized
its new to me. Nonetheless, Im definitely pleased I stumbled upon it and Ill be book-marking it
and checking back regularly!

Reply

BoYang
September 11, 2017 at 5:08 pm

Awesome. Thank you for the kind words.

Reply

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