23 November 2009 > ACNE - DRUGS VERSES LIGHT THERAPY

New FDA restrictions on Accutane are now in force, in the wake of ineffective guidelines which failed to reduce pregnancies and birth defect risks. Similarly, a study examining the association between use of antibiotics and risk of breast cancer appeared in the February 18 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JA Acne Medication Controversy Fuels Development of Safer Treatments

Recent negative publicity about Accutane and antibiotics is driving patients and physicians alike to seek alternatives to pharmaceuticals when treating acne.

MA). This crosscontrol study of more than 10,000 American women found that those who use antibiotics on a regular basis are twice as likely to develop breast cancer.

“Certainly antibiotics should be used judiciously because of emerging resistance,” said Paul Friedman, M.D., director of the DermSurgery Laser Center in Houston, Texas. “But I do not think it is appropriate to conclude that antibiotics overall increase the risk of breast cancer. I do believe, though, that we are evolving toward a combination of drug therapy and light sources, that will work in concert to shrink the sebaceous gland, decrease organism count and decrease inflammation, as well as improve the underlying acne scarring.”