Even though acne-causing bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) live on the skin of all individuals,pimples only occasionally appear on the face of one in five people, while the rest of the mortals see how their face is flooded with pimples in adolescence, and sometimes even in older ages. What are these differences due to? American scientists from the universities of California and Washington have concluded that there are dThe types of acne bacteria strains: some “bad”, associated with unpleasant pimples, and others “good”, which keep the skin healthy and free of purulent pimples.
Specifically, in the experiments the researchers collected samples from the pores of the skin of a hundred subjects, half of them with pimples, and came to isolate more than 1,000 different strains. Among them they identifiedtwo strains of P. acnes that appeared in one in five volunteers with acnebut not in those with clean skin. In parallel, the study authors founda common strain in healthy skin but absent from pimpled faces. “We suspect that this last strain has anatural defense mechanismIt allows it to recognize attackers and destroy them before the infection that gives rise to pimples occurs, ”says Huiying Li, professor of pharmacology at UCLA.
As the authors explain inJournal of Investigative Dermatology, it is possible that the new finding will allowavoiding acne before it starts to appearusing probiotic creams with “friendly” strains of bacteria that prevent acne-causing bacteria from invading the skin. Another option Li and his colleagues are considering isdevelop drugs that kill bad strains but preserve protective ones, ending acne forever. Great news considering that at least 80% of people suffer from acne at some point in their life.
