Acne News
Acne drug may boost suicide risk by lowering serum vitamin
Editor’s note: In a nutshell, the following report provides evidence suggesting that isotretinoin used to treat acne may decrease serum levels of calcitriol – the active form of vitamin D – and lowering of serum vitamin D boosts the risk of depression and suicide.
It has been observed that taking Accutane canada pharmacy or isotretinoin, made by Hoffmann-La Roche Inc and indicated to treat severe acne, has been positively associated with suicides or suicidal attempts.
Accutane has been used by more than 13 million people to treat severe acne since its introduction in the early 1980s, according to Webmd.com.
Last June, the company said it was withdrawing the drug from the market, citing increased competition from its generic counterpart.
A new study published in the journal BMJ Online First suggested that acne itself may boost the risk of depression and suicide and accutane may actually reduce the likelihood that a person who had previously tried to kill himself once would actually try it again.
For the study, researcher Anders Sundstrom, MD and colleagues followed 5,700 patients with severe acne and found the risk of suicide in the patients with severe acne was increased, even several years before treatment; that risk elevated for several months after treatment.
However, the highest risk was found during the six months after treatment ended. For this, the researchers explained, the patients may feel desperate when after observing that the treatment did not improve their skin condition as much as desired.
Sundstrom was cited as saying doctors need to recognize that patients with severe acne may be at higher risk for depression and suicidal behaviors.
The researchers suggested that patients need to be monitored during treatment with accutane and for one year after the treatment ends.
No one knows why acne was linked to higher risk of depression and suicidal thoughts or attempts or whether acne or acne drug boosts the risk.
A health observer told foodconsumer.org that the missing link between severe acne and elevated risk of depression and suicidal thoughts could be vitamin D deficiency.
First, vitamin d deficiency, which is more likely to occur in residents of states like Oregon and Washington, possibly because of the grey weather, has been associated with elevated risk of depression and suicide, according in part to VitaminDcouncil.org.
On the other hand, treatment of acne with accutane or isotretinoin can significantly reduce serum levels of 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D or Calcitriol or the active form of vitamin D, according to a study in a 1992 issue of Acta dermato-venereologica.
Rødland O and colleagues of the University of Bergen in Norway tested serum levels of vitamin D metabolites in 11 patients treated for cystic acne with a four-month course of isotretinoin or Roaccutane. The levels were measured before and after two months of treatment.
The researchers found serum levels of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D dropped significantly in acne patients treated with isotrenitoin.
This evidence explains perfectly why acne patients are at their highest risk of suicide six months after treatment with Accutane.
Dr. John Cannell, a vitamin D expert and director of Vitamin D Council said in the organization’s newsletter dated Oct 2008 that a reader reported her teenage son with type 2 diabetes had taken 5000 IU of vitamin D a day for about 6 months and then he started losing weight, improving blood sugar and eventually eliminating his acne.
According to Dr. Cannell, a paper published in 1938 already mentioned the therapeutic effect of vitamin D against severe acne. The dose used ranged from 5,000 to 14,000 IU per day.
Coconut Oil Treats Acne
If you had a choice of remedies for acne, would you choose lauric-acid-filled nanobombs delivered by gold nanoparticles straight to the membrane of the offending acne bacteria? Or would you choose to apply coconut oil to your face and let nature take its course?
One would wonder why anyone would choose a medication using nanoparticles to deliver part of a natural substance (coconut oil) that contains even more ingredients with skin-healing properties: capric acid and vitamin E. Although nanoparticles are now being used to deliver medications to certain bodily sites, their long-term side effects are little-known.
Acne, well-known to almost every teenager, is an inflammation of the oil glands, especially on the face. It seems counterintuitive to put oil on skin already oily, and many people hesitated using coconut oil for that reason. But after trying it, they were pleasantly surprised to see their skin become more normal.
Not all of them had acne—some had dry skin or eczema—but most of them were benefited even though there were several individual methods of application. Some would wash their face, apply a little oil, either steam their face or just wait a few minutes, and then wipe it off. Others left it on overnight.
There was a wide variation in sensitivity to the oil. Four people found coconut oil made their acne worse, but most found the oil brought noticeable improvement.
The benefits they reported, along with clearing up acne, were healing scars, making pores smaller, and causing wrinkles to disappear. Generally, the total health of the skin is enhanced by coconut oil.
Although acne was greatly improved or cured in 21 cases, some broke out in whiteheads and stopped putting the oil on their faces. One waited two weeks before stopping. Others felt this was a detoxifying event and allowed the whiteheads to clear up.
Several people felt the oil was unsuitable to put on the face, at least at first, and used it on legs, arms, hands, and feet. For those who can put coconut oil on their faces, it does not cause the eyes to smart as many creams and oils do. Some chose to eat it—from 2 to 6 tablespoons a day, in smoothies, on ice cream, in soups, or just plain
Coconut oil has not been widely recommended by the media. One person had had acne for 25 years before discovering this use of the oil. For others, it was 12 and 7 years.
Coconut oil is very greasy and shiny when first applied, which almost everyone listed as a con. This did not prevent some from rubbing it all over their bodies after a shower, putting on flannel sleepwear, going to bed, and waking up with silky skin in the morning.
The oil is a solid up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Warmer than that, it becomes liquid. Most people found a little bit goes a long way. Since it is nontoxic, it can be applied daily, even several times a day.
Vitamins May Help Treat Acne
Acne is a common skin condition that can occur throughout adolescence, but it may also appear in one’s twenties as well. The Daily Mail reports that one solution that may be overlooked is getting a steady supply of certain vitamins.
Whether one attains these nutrients from supplements or food, there are several ingredients should consume in order to fight unwanted blemishes.
One such nutrient is Omega-3, which is found in fish, nuts, eggs and chicken. This can help promote healing after acne begins to fade and also stop the spread of any infection. Vitamin A can also be very effective when fighting the condition, as it can maintain skin health and is often found in prescription creams.
Using zinc as a topical agent may also be helpful because it has anti-inflammatory properties. However, vitamin E is touted as the best ingredient to ward off acne, as it can be used on the face to prevent scarring.