Teenagers can rejoice, the bacteria that cause acne are not all that bad.
New studies show that the microbes that cause the most common form of acne come in two forms: “bad”, which causes acne and “good”, which can keep your skin glowing.
The results of a new study may explain why, despite the fact that every person’s skin is teeming with bacteria, only one in five people suffers from acne.
In the study, Lee and colleagues used the noses of about 100 volunteers to collect bacteria samples, half of which were pimples and others were not. Of the samples, scientists sequenced the genomes of 66 strains of P. Acne, acne-causing bacteria
Two unique P. acne strains were found in 1 out of 5 volunteers with acne, but they were rarely found in people with clean skin. Then the unexpected happened: the third deformation, which usually appeared in volunteers with healthy skin, but only in rare cases, in patients with acne.
“We suspect that this strain contains a natural defense mechanism that allows it to recognize attackers and destroy them before they infect cells,” Lee said.
Researchers believe that increasing a good R. acne strain in the body, possibly in the form of a cream, can stop acne.
“We hope to apply our findings to the development of new strategies that will stop defects before they begin,” said lead researcher Hongying Lee of the University of California School of Medicine. Lee added that the findings will allow dermatologists to conduct personalized acne treatments based on “a unique cocktail of bacteria on each patient’s skin.”