Drs. Jonette Keri and Rajiv Nijhawan from the University of Miami in Florida have reviewed the evidence.

Here are the highlights. (more…)

For the average American kid — you know the one: has caring parents, lives in a nice place, with no wants or needs — acne is likely to be the first event that can not be easily controlled to their satisfaction.

It’s God’s way of saying, “Look, there are going to be things in your life that you just have to make the best of. Get used to it. You can practice on acne.”

(more…)

In an adolescent’s zeal to punish pimples, there is a tendency to select the most harsh, abrasive skin cleansers available. If sandpaper could be made to produce suds, some young people (and adults) would use it.

Craig Burkhart, MD, of the Department of Dermatology at Ohio University School of Medicine has a better approach.

(more…)

Herbalists recommend more than a dozen herbal remedies for acne and scarring, according to a recent article.

Unfortunately, only 1 of these herbals is supported by the results of a study in patients. (more…)

Acne cosmetica was first described over 30 years ago. It was proposed that substances in cosmetic products caused the formation of comedones (blackheads) and, in some cases, an eruption. Changes in cosmetic ingredients make acne cosmetica much less common today, although it is reported occasionally.

Dr. Zoe Draelos, a clinical associate professor in the Department of Dermatology at Wake Forest University and Bowman Gray School of Medicine, published a review that answers many issues about cosmetics, cosmeceuticals and acne. Here are 4 myths, dispelled.

(more…)

Acne vulgaris has anecdotally been attributed to diet.

This review by researchers at The George Washington University Medical Center, in Washington, DC, found convincing data supporting the role of dairy products and high-glycemic-index foods. (more…)

Faculty members from Hamdard University in New Delhi, India have published a review on Medscape of treatment options for acne, with emphasis on herbal treatment options.

Here’s a summary of the herbal section. (more…)

I recently came across a website advocating herbals to treat or prevent acne.

The website isn’t important, but the results of my PubMed searches might be useful. (more…)

This product, when used as directed, produces an industrial bleach that can cause serious harm.

Swallowing doses of this bleach, such as those recommended in the labeling can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and symptoms of severe dehydration. (more…)

The surest way to know that there is no truly effective treatment for a condition is to count the number of treatment recommendations. The more recommendations, the less likely it is that any of them have a significant effect. I’m not sure if there is a tipping point. Whether 6 or 12 or 20 recommended treatments guarantee that you will have less than complete cure.

Here are some of the recommendations from just one article.

(more…)

A big challenge in treating acne is sticking with treatment over the long haul. Dr. Mary Lupo, a dermatologist and clinical professor at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, says there are four secrets to helping people stick with their acne treatment.

(more…)

Here’s a look at the use of dietary supplements by physicians in 3 specialties in the US: cardiology, dermatology, and orthopedics. (more…)

I recently worked on an educational program with a group of dermatologists who specialize in treating acne.

During a series of discussions they listed essential considerations for an effective acne treatment strategy. (more…)

Researchers from the University of Utah Physician Assistant Program in Salt Lake City have published recommendations.

Let’s focus on initial treatments for rosacea flares before using lasers and drugs. (more…)

In a Medscape editorial, Dr. George Griffing from Saint Louis University in Missouri outlines the benefits. (more…)

There was an association between higher intake of skim milk and more pimples in this study. (more…)

Faculty members from Hamdard University in New Delhi, India have a review of Ayurveda on Medscape. (more…)

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) — also called photo radiation therapy, phototherapy, or photo chemotherapy — involves using a drug called a photosensitizing agent, which is activated by being exposed to a specific wave length of light. It’s often used to treat certain cancers. Now it’s being used to treat acne too.

Two studies (here and here) of similar design concluded that topical methyl aminolaevulinate (MAL)-PDT is effective for moderate to severe inflammatory facial acne.

It’s also very painful.

(more…)

Not based on what we know right now.

Here’s an overview.

(more…)

During the most recent meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians Dr. Paul Blanc from the University of California at San Francisco reported that half of all people with asthma use CAM.

Here are the highlights from Medscape.

(more…)