Acne is more than skin deep

The burden of acne is more than skin deep. Strongly impacting on negative self-image and perceived stress, acne not only causes stress but is also made worse by stress. It is now well established that stress contributes to the development of acne but until this year there have been no studies looking at stress management as a direct treatment intervention. A report published this year in the International Journal of Dermatology details the methods and results of an 8-week experimental study in 30 women with acne undergoing a specific stress reduction process called the Pythagorean Self-Awareness Intervention (Chatzikonstantinou, et al. 2018)

The gut-skin axis

The health of the gut microbiome and its impact on wider health has seen an explosion of research, and with the advent of DNA sequencing our understanding of the microbiome and its effects on health is growing. We now understand that the influence of the gut microbiome extends beyond the gut, impacting on distant organs and systems either positively or negatively depending on the composition of microbiota. These wider effects are known to influence skin health, and this article will review the specific influence on acne.

The vitamin D and acne connection

Vitamin D deficiency is known to play a role in many inflammatory skin conditions, and certainly is seen to be a contributing factor in acne. Acne is an inflammatory skin condition with both systemic inflammation and local inflammation within the skin, even at the very early micro-comedone stage of development. The causes of local inflammation can be directly linked to the influence of systemic drivers however; local factors play a significant role as well. This article looks at the role of vitamin D as a potential regulator of local immune and inflammation processes that drive acne.

Acne is seen as a condition associated with Western diets that are generally higher in saturated and trans-fats, high in simple carbohydrates and sugars and lower in healthy protein sources.