Posted on September 15th, 2008 in
Articles
John Scott asked:
The brand managers for the companies that develop antibiotics have managed a neat trick. They have convinced the majority of people that their products will cure all ills. It’s something the snake oil salesmen tried in the late 1800s and early twentieth century. The idea is very attractive. That a single, all-powerful drug will banish all forms of sickness. Simply keeping it on the shelf beside your bed will always keep you safe. Unfortunately, life is never that simple. Antibiotics are only useful when you have a bacterial infection. If your sickness comes from any other cause, antibiotics will be completely useless. Worse, antibiotics are reasonably specific. Bacteria come in many different strains and the effectiveness of antibiotics is limited either to one of those strains or, like Doxycycline, to a limited number. There are thousands of different bacteria in the world and only some of them are susceptible to treatment with the antibiotics currently on the market. So what is acne? Acne is where the sebaceous glands in your skin grow overactive as the level of hormones increases. This releases more sebum, a natural oil, into the skin. Under normal circumstances, dead skin cells fall from the surface of the skin or are expelled from the skin and drop off. But with more oil in the skin, dead skin cells remain in the hair follicles and block the follicles. This environment is perfect for the growth of a bacterium called Propionibacterium acnes. This bacterium lives harmlessly on your skin but once a warm, moist environment is created, it feeds on the sebum. As a result of this additional food, the bacteria expel chemicals that trigger your body’s immune system. In turn, this causes an inflammation of the skin. You know this because your skin turns red and can grow a little painful. The moment anyone sees the two words in the same sentence, “bacteria” and “inflammation” everyone assumes that antibiotics are the answer. Indeed, it’s not inappropriate to prescribe an antibiotic like Doxycycline. So what is the standard treatment? Many physicians prescribe Doxycycline as a daily dose for anywhere between three and six months. Unfortunately, the use of an antibiotic does nothing to prevent the formation of the pimples and zips. Antibiotics do not prevent the blockage of the follicles. The only possible benefit is to reduce the inflammation that may accompany the pimples. Even then, not all the strains of Propionibacterium acnes are susceptible to antibiotics. And the final problem? You may be making a powerful antibiotics less effective in your body for the treatment of a cosmetic condition. It’s always better to save an effective medication for the times when a bacterium has made you seriously ill.
