2008 Woodie Awards
Would you risk your health for your skin?
Diana Castaldini, Features Editor
Issue date: 8/29/07 Section: Features
How far would you go for a flawless complexion? Would you risk your mental well-being, physical health, or even your life, for a picture-perfect reflection? Today, more and more Americans seem willing to take that chance. The most common skin disorder in America is one called acne vulgaris, a chronic condition caused by excess oil production from sebaceous glands which cause
the skin's hair follicles to become plugged, inflamed, and infected. Affecting an estimated 17 million people in the United States, acne usually begins during the teenage years, when hormonal changes start and stimulate the sebaceous glands.
However, an unlucky percentage cannot seem to outgrow the stubborn breakouts and suffer from this physically and emotionally scarring disease well into adulthood. Astoundingly, about 25% of adult men and up to 50% of adult women have had acne during their adult lives, and women who have bypassed the acne portion of adolescence may develop persistent adult-onset acne once they reach their twenties.
A powerful drug called Accutane, the biggest breakthrough in acne treatment over the last 20 years, is the only treatment that has the potential to permanently clear severe or persistent acne after only five months of treatment. It is the drug of "last resort," turned to when all other options,
such as prescription creams and antibiotic therapy, have failed.
Accutane is the closest the medical field has come to finding a "cure" for this disfiguring condition, and although it is highly effective, it also has the potential to be extremely dangerous. With side effects ranging from liver failure to loss of vision, depression to suicide, bowel diseases to bone disease, an acne patient may be left anxious and on the fence about jumping on the "Accu-train," despite the fact that their condition is deeply affecting their quality of life.
Daniel Kern, long-time acne sufferer and founder of Acne.org, an online community composed of those dealing with the disorder, started getting acne at age 11 or 12, and was prescribed many topical creams, oral antibiotics, and countless other treatments. and was still unable to cure
the skin's hair follicles to become plugged, inflamed, and infected. Affecting an estimated 17 million people in the United States, acne usually begins during the teenage years, when hormonal changes start and stimulate the sebaceous glands.
However, an unlucky percentage cannot seem to outgrow the stubborn breakouts and suffer from this physically and emotionally scarring disease well into adulthood. Astoundingly, about 25% of adult men and up to 50% of adult women have had acne during their adult lives, and women who have bypassed the acne portion of adolescence may develop persistent adult-onset acne once they reach their twenties.
A powerful drug called Accutane, the biggest breakthrough in acne treatment over the last 20 years, is the only treatment that has the potential to permanently clear severe or persistent acne after only five months of treatment. It is the drug of "last resort," turned to when all other options,
such as prescription creams and antibiotic therapy, have failed.
Accutane is the closest the medical field has come to finding a "cure" for this disfiguring condition, and although it is highly effective, it also has the potential to be extremely dangerous. With side effects ranging from liver failure to loss of vision, depression to suicide, bowel diseases to bone disease, an acne patient may be left anxious and on the fence about jumping on the "Accu-train," despite the fact that their condition is deeply affecting their quality of life.
Daniel Kern, long-time acne sufferer and founder of Acne.org, an online community composed of those dealing with the disorder, started getting acne at age 11 or 12, and was prescribed many topical creams, oral antibiotics, and countless other treatments. and was still unable to cure
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