A Vaccine to Get Rid of Acne Forever May Soon Be a Reality
When it comes to acne, it’s a blessed few that find themselves free of worry from its complexion woes. Even A-listers like Kendall Jenner and Emma Stone have struggled to keep their skin free and clear of the dreaded zit from time to time.
Roughly 50 million Americans suffer from the unpleasant skin condition, and scientists may have just come up with a solution that could change your acne-ridden life forever: an acne vaccine.
Apparently, while we’ve been making due with regulatory birth control and acne-fighting beauty products, a team at the University of California, San Diego has been hard at work, attempting to develop a potion that would eradicate our complexion problems once and for all.
Though the project’s lead researcher, Eric C. Huang, said the undertaking poses several unique challenges, he recently chatted with Allure to say they’re one step closer to achieving the very thing they set out to do.
“Acne is caused, in part, by P. acnes bacteria that are with you your whole life — and we couldn’t create a vaccine for the bacteria because in some ways, P. acnes are good for you,” he said. “But we found an antibody to a toxic protein that P. acnes bacteria secrete on skin — the protein is associated with the inflammation that leads to acne.” In other words? The team’s newly developed vaccine would work to target the protein rather than the actual bacteria, eliminating its negative, acne-causing effects.
It’s shown plenty of promise thus far, giving way to successful results on skin biopsies taken from acne patients. Next up for the potential miracle vaccine? Human trials. While it will likely be a while before we hear any further progress, as tests are expected to take up to two years, it’s certainly an exciting idea — just imagine! No pimples on a date or an interview ever again.
Fingers crossed this dream becomes a reality.
Would you get a vaccine to end your acne woes? Share with us @BritandCo.
(h/t Cosmopolitan; photos via Getty)
