The research team took samples of bacteria from nasal pores with cleansing strips from 49 acne patients and 52 people with healthy skin. They found that a single type of bacteria, Propionibacterium acne, prevailed in nasal pores of both light-skinned and acne-prone individuals. Using selected genetic markers, the team identified strains of P. acne present in all pores.
P-acne bacteria have been shown to colonise blood and agar plates and thrive in our pores and trigger acne. Whether you develop acne or not depends on the strains of P. acne that your skin carries. P-acne phages, harmless viruses on our skin that attack P-acne bacteria, have proven to be an effective treatment for pimples.
The combination of dead skin cells and excess sebum gives a feast for the bacteria species that live on skin – known as Propionibacterium acne (or P. acne for short). Like other organisms, these bacteria have a lot to eat and multiply themselves.
Propionibacterium acne is a tiny microbe that lives in the oily regions of the skin pores. It is gram-positive in human skin and is commensal and prefers anaerobic growth, a condition involved in the pathogenesis of acne (Kirschbaum & Kligman, 1963).
Acne is the most common skin disease in the United States, affecting 40 to 50 million people, mostly teens and young adults, and can occur at any age according to the American Academy of Dermatology. It is estimated that 20 percent of all visits to dermatologists are related to the treatment of acne. Li said archaeological records showed that acne dates back to ancient Egypt, where pharaohs used spells to treat it.
Acne is a skin condition that manifests itself in various types of bumps. It can be mild (a few occasional pimples), moderate (inflammatory papules) or severe (nosudular cysts and nodules). Acne can be treated with oral medications such as antibiotics and topical creams that help reduce the oily skin and kill bacteria.
Acne is a hormonal disorder driven by androgen hormones that become more active in adolescence and young adulthood. In combination with skin surface bacteria and fatty acids in the oil glands, the exposure to these hormones in combination can lead to acne.
Bacteria contribute to inflammatory lesions in acne, but acne is not an infectious disease. The severity of acne does not depend on the number of bacteria on the skin surface or the sebaceous ducts, the passages to the oil glands.
The bacteria on the skin that contribute to acne can stimulate cell growth to become carcinogenic, says Peter Lambert, professor of microbiology at Aston University in Birmingham, England. The bacteria can also cause infections during surgery, including brain infections, the researchers said.
Propionibacterium acne P. acne lives in the hair follicles, the tiny pores in our skin in which hair sprouts. These follicles are blocked by bacteria that multiply and contribute to the inflammation we call acne. Clogged pores open the skin and cause nodules, infected nodules, cysts and large pimples that can be painful.
To prevent the accumulation of oil that contributes to acne, wash your face every day with mild soap and warm water. Do not scrub your face with a washcloth after acne: this not only aggravates acne, but can also irritate the pores of the skin.
Squeezing pimples instead of scrubbing the skin can actually make acne worse. Acne is not a life-threatening condition, but it can be painful when it is severe. The skin can be irritated by friction or pressure, as with helmets, backpacks or tight collars.
Acne is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by blackheads, white heads (also called comedies), pimples, deep lumps, cysts and nodules. Acne causes clogging of hair follicles with oil, bacteria and dead skin cells and occurs in the face, neck, chest, shoulders and upper arms. It can occur on the face, affect self-esteem and cause permanent physical scars over time.
The likelihood of harboring the wrong type of bacteria is not the only cause of the acne vulgaris known as the condition. Originally it was thought to be a direct result of overactive sebaceous glands, but we today know that inflammation is the driving force behind acne.
While acne-causing bacteria live on every skin part, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine have identified the good and bad strains of these bacteria that determine the frequency and severity of pimple formation. The results, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, show that not all acne bacteria are caused by pimples and that they have identified a strain that helps maintain healthy skin.
Little is known about the scientific causes of acne, a disease that affects almost 80 percent of Americans at least once in their lives. Four in five Americans age 12 – 24 develop acne on their skin and scientists are still struggling to explain its causes.
Clinicians have long believed that bacteria play an important role, and recent findings suggest that important genetic differences in the strains of bacteria that live in pores could be the difference between perfect skin and unseemly pimples. This not only explains the root cause of acne, but it has also revealed an entirely new way in which bacteria trigger inflammation, which could help scientists understand a variety of different infections better.
These bacteria cause inflammation in our tissues, which can lead to tissue damage, Lambert says. This type of bacteria does not cause chaos by suffocating hair follicles like P. Acne is good for skin health, which explains why antibiotic treatments in many people do not work and make the situation worse in some cases. The bad news is that cleansing the face is not the answer. The team discovered that bacteria can clump together and form structures called biofilms that seal them in the skin.