Skin Care Information

Starting January 1, 2006 people with severe acne who need Accutane (isotretinoin), must enroll in the FDA’s new iPLEDGE program through a physician who is also enrolled.

In an effort to reduce the number of birth defects caused by isotretinoin, these new rules require anyone involved in the use or distribution of Accutane to be registered in iPLEDGE and to abide by its reporting requirements.

Specifically, users of Accutane (or any other drug containing isotretinoin) must do the following:

Everyone:

* must be registered in iPLEDGE by your doctor, who must also be registered.

* must understand that severe birth defects can occur with use of isotretinoin by a female who could become pregnant.

* must receive and read educational materials with safety information about isotretinoin and about iPLEDGE program requirements.

* must sign an Informed Consent form that contains warnings about the risks of isotretinoin.

* must fill your prescription for isotretinoin within 7 days of your doctor visit.

* must agree to see your doctor every month during treatment for a progress check-up and to get a new prescription for isotretinoin.

Women of childbearing age, in addition:

* must not be pregnant or breast-feeding.

* must have 2 negative pregnancy tests before starting isotretinoin, a negative pregnancy test every month during treatment, and a negative pregnancy test 1 month after treatment has ended.

* must use 2 different forms of birth control at all times unless you agree not to have heterosexual intercourse for 1 month before isotretinoin treatment, during treatment, and for 1 month after treatment has ended.

* must sign a second Informed Consent form with warnings about the risks of birth defects if pregnancy occurs before or during isotretinoin treatment.

* must access the iPLEDGE program on the Internet or by telephone before starting isotretinoin, once a month during treatment, and 1 month after ending treatment to answer questions about program requirements and to enter the 2 forms of birth control you have chosen.

The above is not a complete listing of program requirements.

For more information, visit www.ipledgeprogram.com or telephone 1-866-495-0654.

Visit Ron’s website Latest-Acne-Solutions for the lastest research into acne relief.

Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted as long as the resource box is left intact and all links are hyperlinked.

Tags: accutane, acneaccutane, acne

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The number people over 30 needing acne treatments has climbed to the extent that a report published in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology recommends raising the age for insurance coverage of the acne drug tretinoin to at least 40. The authors of the report, Drs. Steven Feldman and Alan Fleischer, dermatologists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, add that many insurance companies refuse to pay for tretinoin prescriptions for patients older than 25.

Even if your insurance company leaves you to fend for yourself, you still have options for freeing yourself from acne and wrinkles. At first, coping with acne and wrinkles may seem like a cosmetic catch 22. Do you dry your skin with acne cleansers containing benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, and worsen your wrinkles? Or, do you smear on the moisturizer to smooth the wrinkles, but cope with the zits brought on by the extra oil?

Before you get frantic, ask yourself a series of questions. Adult acne may be the result of hormonal flunctuations triggers by diet, stress or your environment.

1. Are you regular?

About 70% of your immune system is located in your intestines. If this area is blocked with waste, your immuno-defenses are down. So, instead of waste leaving your body via the rectum, it chooses to leave through the skin. Waste leaving the skin can cause an infection that presents itself as acne.

2. Are you tense?

Tension likewise reduces the vigor of the immune system. Take a few deep breaths throughout the day to calm your body. Take a long walk in the fresh air to wind down.

3. Are you eating all the nutrients you need?

Cases of acne have been improved with consuming foods containing zinc, essential fatty acids, vitamin A and a host of other nutrients. All of these vital nutrients are available in leafy green vegetables, fruits and olive oil.

4. Are you constantly thinking about a personal issue that you have not addressed?

Not resolving personal issues creates conflict and tension in the body. Again, these issues most be addressed to avoid undue stress within the body.

5. Are you exercising everyday?

Exercise reduces stress and gives you an opportunity to subconsciously contemplate challenges that you may be facing. Physical activity also keeps your muscles and intestines toned, which keeps encourages regularity.

6. Are you changing your pillowcase frequently?

Using a dirty pillowcase aggravates an acne condition. Your face naturally secretes oils during the night. These oils are sticky. So if you pillowcase if dirty, you are allowing your face to collect extra waste during the night, which could further clog your pores.

7. Have you moved recently or are you changing your job/career?

New demands or feelings of lose can sometimes accompany change. Transfer these emotions into something constructive by writing in a journal or envisioning how these changes are going to benefit you. Find comfort in these changes and opportunities for new beginnings.

8. (Women) Do you also experience excessive facial hair growth and erratic periods?

Conditions such as acne, excessive facial hair, and erratic periods could indicate an androgen disorder or other underlying hormonal imbalances. Your doctor can provide you with a series of endocrine tests to ascertain your hormone levels and what corrective actions you should take. Ricardo Azziz, M.D, who serves as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Director of the Center for Androgen-Related Disorders at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, estimates that 80 percent of women with excessive androgen levels suffer from an endocrine disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Dr. Azziz adds that women with PCOS often have insulin resistance and are at increased risk for developing Type II diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

Health author and Stanford University graduate Naweko San-Joyz lovingly writes from her home in San Diego. Her works include “Acne Messages: Crack the code of your zits and say goodbye to acne” (ISBN: 0974912204) and the upcoming work “Skinny Fat Chicks, Why we’re still not getting this dieting thing” (ISBN: 0974912212) for release in June of 2005. For useful acne self-help articles visit http://www.Noixia.com

Tags: accutane, adult acne, hormones, How to get rid of acne, zitsaccutane, adult acne, hormones, How to get rid of acne, zits

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Medical professionals and acne-pestered adolescents have no doubts about the effectiveness of the severe acne drug isotretinoin. It’s the looming possibility of side effects such as depression and fetal damage that makes people uneasy when considering using this medication.

Accutane (isotretinoin) is one of Hoffman-LaRoche’s most popular and controversial pharmaceuticals. This week, a study published in the Archives of Dermatology vindicated isotretinoin from causing depression. In this report, Christina Y. Chia, MD, from Saint Louis University Health Sciences Center, St. Louis, and colleagues examined whether patients with moderate to severe acne treated with isotretinoin experienced an increase in depressive symptoms compared with patients treated with a topical antibiotic, topical retinoid, and an oral antibiotic.

Dr. Chia found that “The use of isotretinoin in the treatment of moderate-severe acne in adolescents did not increase depressive symptoms. On the contrary, our study shows that treatment of acne improves depressive symptoms”.

Five years earlier, in 2000, the isotretinoin-depression link still appeared misleading. That time, the Archives of Dermatology posted study, headed by Dr. Susan S. Jick, from the Boston University School of Medicine, which found no evidence that isotretinoin increases the risk for depression, suicide, or other psychiatric disorders.

Even though isotretinoin finds ample support among dermatologists and psychiatrists, a host of parents, politicians and medical professionals hail isotretinoin as a medical misfortune.
For instance, Dr. David J. Graham, the Associate Director for Science and Medicine in FDA’s Office of Drug Safety, recently warned that Accutane should be taken off the market.

And while there are few studies with any negative observations about isotretinoin, Dr. Douglas Bremner’s research at of the Emory University School of Medicine has linked isotretinoin treatment with changes in brain function. At the conclusion of this study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, Dr. Bremner concurred with Dr. Graham’s view that isotretinoin proves too dangerous for human use.

Dr. Bremner explains that to invoke depression, isotretinoin must influence the brain. During the investigation, brain function of the subjects was measured using positron emission tomography (PET) before and after four months of treatment with isotretinoin. Isotretinoin treatment was associated with decreased brain metabolism in the orbitofrontal cortex- the area of the brain known to mediate symptoms of depression. Yet, there were no differences in severity of depressive symptoms between the isotretinoin and antibiotic treatment groups before or after treatment.

The pessimistic effects of isotretinoin also caught the attention of Diane K. Wysowski PhD. Dr. Wysowski noted that in June 2000, isotretinoin ranked among the top 10 drugs linked to depression and suicide attempts in the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System database. In 2001, Dr. Wysowski examined isotretinoin’s depression inducing potential and posted her findings in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Dr. Wysowski concluded that more studies of isotretinoin are needed. She also advised patients and their parents to immediately report mood swings and symptoms that are suggestive of depression such as sadness, crying, loss of appetite, unusual fatigue, withdrawal, and inability to concentrate to their prescribing physician. These protective measures can avoid more serious side effects and permit appropriate treatment, including consideration of drug discontinuation and referral for psychiatric care.

While dissension among researchers still exists about whether or not isotretinoin causes depression, one idea most of them can agree on is that more research on the side effects of isotretinoin are desirable. If you are not in the mood for being an isotretinoin guinea pig, Geoffrey Redmond MD, author of The Good News about Women’s Hormones, suggests using hormone therapy and/or using Retin-A if isotretinoin seems too chancy for you.

Health author and Stanford University graduate Naweko San-Joyz lovingly writes from her home in San Diego. Her works include “Acne Messages: Crack the code of your zits and say goodbye to acne” (ISBN: 0974912204) and the upcoming work “Skinny Fat Chicks, Why we’re still not getting this dieting thing” (ISBN: 0974912212) for release in June of 2005. For useful acne self-help articles visit http://www.Noixia.com

Tags: accutane, accutane and depression, accutane information, accutane suicide, accutane treatment, acneaccutane, accutane and depression, accutane information, accutane suicide, accutane treatment, acne

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