Acne would prevent skin cancer

When the buttons occur when the first dating, acne is a nightmare. But if this skin disease affects your morale, it could have the advantage of protecting you against cancer of the skin.

The bacteria of the genus Propionibacterium play an important role in the onset of skin lesions. When the sebaceous follicles are clogged by excessive sebum, these micro-organisms proliferate and then die. The bacterial debris and intracellular membrane can be disposed on the surface of the skin. Faced with this "bottleneck" of the follicle, there is an inflammatory and immune response important and the appearance of vesicles and pustules specific acne.

Sebum for morale ...
However, this stimulation of immunity (particularly T lymphocytes) could be beneficial over the long haul. At least this suggests that researchers at the University of Leeds (Great Britain). The acne bacteria, Propionibacterium acnes, could exert a protective role vis-à-vis infections and skin cancers*.

The infectious agent may stimulate the immune system and particularly the white blood cells involved in first line host defense. Moreover, it would facilitate the recruitment of T lymphocytes of type Th1, major players against infections and tumors. According to the authors, this phenomenon could explain why the former acne seem less likely to develop skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma, melanoma) than other individuals.

A few acne against cancer?
Some experimental studies support this hypothesis. Thus, studies on animals have found following infection with Propionibacterium acnes, an immune response involving TH1 cells against various types of tumors and virus infections. Attempts at treatment have even resulted in favorable results against cancers of the bladder.

As indicated by the two Britons, every day we could take a bit of Propionibacterium to protect us against cancer. Meanwhile, Drs Anne and Richard Bojar Ready now working to perfect a test for children still in primary school. Those who may later develop the disease could well be offered a local treatment for prevention.

Already, a test used at the University of Leeds, the Sebutape seems interesting for this purpose. The application on the skin of a band absorbing lipids makes it possible to estimate the type of sebum production, and to some extent identify future acne:

If the formation of sebum is homogeneous on the tape, the risk can be considered low;
Conversely, if we observe the strong points of sebum production, corresponding to some sebaceous follicles, the child is likely to suffer from acne later.
Angel or demon, acne has not finished captivate researchers. Typing "acne" in Pubmed, the largest online library of scientific publications, there are well over 7 000 items ... The research is rife, but teens do not get rid of acne, however.

 

Home » Acne » Acne would prevent skin cancer