Beauty and beauty products, like cosmetics and skin care, are known to cause acne scars.
But a new study has found that removing these products can reduce scarring.
Key points:Skin irritants from acne-causing products are more likely to return, the study foundThe study also found that there is no difference in skin irritant levels between people who were treated with cosmetic products and those who were notA research team from the University of Melbourne and the University for Tropical and Tropical Agriculture (UNITA) in the United States studied the relationship between skin irritants and skin scars.
The researchers wanted to understand how irritant products might affect the development of acne scars, and how they might contribute to the development or exacerbation of the condition.
They studied patients who had had acne scarring for more than 10 years, including those who had suffered from acne for longer than three years.
The study involved analysing patients’ facial skin and the inflammatory markers that could be detected in their skin.
They found that irritant-treated skin had higher levels of markers of inflammation, such as anti-inflammatory cytokines, which were more likely in those who suffered acne scarred skin for longer.
“There was a link between skin irritation and acne scars that was consistent across the three acne scars,” said Dr Andrew Atherton from UNITA.
“If you look at skin irritation as the inflammatory signal that your body is sending to your cells to send them signals, it is one of the most potent signals.”
There was also a link to the appearance of scars, with those who developed acne scar tissue also having higher levels on the inflammatory biomarkers.
Dr Atherson said the results indicated that acne scars may be more likely when people were treated early on with irritant creams or skincare products.
“The reason why acne scar scars are more common early on is because inflammation is much more active in those areas of the body that are sensitive to the irritant,” he said.
“So inflammation signals your cells that something is wrong, and then it signals your immune system to try and break down that damaged skin cell.”
Dr Anderton said the inflammatory signals from irritant irritants were also known to affect the way acne scars develop.
“These inflammatory signals are sent through the skin to your body and your immune cells,” he explained.
“In addition to these inflammatory signals, there are also signals that your cells are sending to other parts of the skin, and those are called inflammatory molecules, which are known as cytokines.”
Dr Paul Sneddon from UNATCO said there was an opportunity to look at how irritants might affect acne scar development.
“We’re starting to understand the role that the skin has on inflammatory signalling, and it’s starting to be used to help us understand the impact of inflammation in acne,” he told ABC Radio Melbourne.
“It’s starting a new era in skin research.”
Dr Snedden said more research needed to be done to determine the best treatments for acne scar formation.
“People are using cosmetic products to treat acne scar, but they’re also using other inflammatory agents,” he added.
“How long do you use an irritant agent, how much do you apply it, and what are the side effects?”
He said the next step was to investigate the use of these inflammatory agents in a clinical trial to determine how they impacted the development and progression of acne scar.
Topics:skin-cancer,skin-product-science,pandemic-and-acquired-infectious-diseases,health,acne,health-policy,research,university-of-melbourne-6005,melbourne,australia,sydney-2000More stories from Victoria