During my food microbiology Ph.D. I finally figured out how to fix my acne.
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My first pimple was a defining moment in my life. I recall feeling confused as to why something dreaded by teenagers was happening to me, a 9-year-old. That first pimple soon became my first breakout. From there, my skin never cleared up, despite spending a decade in and out of dermatology offices.
During one of those doctor appointments, I was given antibiotics for my acne. According to my dermatologist, the constellation of zits that marred my face was likely an overgrowth of the bacterium Cutibacterium acne. It’s well known that C. acnes play a key role in acne, so antibiotics to fight the bacterium seemed like the logical solution. We started with topical creams, which helped at first. Once those stopped working, potent oral antibiotics followed. No matter the treatment, the outcome was always the same: temporary improvement, only for the pimples to return with a vengeance.
Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily.
My first pimple was a defining moment in my life. I recall feeling confused as to why something dreaded by teenagers was happening to me, a 9-year-old. That first pimple soon became my first breakout. From there, my skin never cleared up, despite spending a decade in and out of dermatology offices.
During one of those doctor appointments, I was given antibiotics for my acne. According to my dermatologist, the constellation of zits that marred my face was likely an overgrowth of the bacterium Cutibacterium acne. It’s well known that C. acnes play a key role in acne, so antibiotics to fight the bacterium seemed like the logical solution. We started with topical creams, which helped at first. Once those stopped working, potent oral antibiotics followed. No matter the treatment, the outcome was always the same: temporary improvement, only for the pimples to return with a vengeance.
Slate Crossword: Genre for the Band Rush (Four Letters)
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By my mid-20s, it was clear that the acne was more than a lingering symptom of puberty; it was a chronic condition. I was facing the harsh reality that modern skin care may never give me a clear complexion.
That was also the time when I started my Ph.D. in food microbiology and was developing a deeper appreciation of bacterial systems. Naturally, I turned to examining my acne—and its refusal to leave my face—through the lens of a microbiologist. As it turns out, people blessed with healthy skin have comparable amounts of the bacteria C. acnes to those with acne. The devil’s in the details when we examine strain-level differences: acne-prone individuals tend to have a greater diversity of C. acnes strains—and that diversity includes more pathogenic strains.
