High-Tech Acne Treatment -- Will It Work for You?
When is an acne treatment both natural and high-tech? That's easy - when it combines a natural substance that effectively wipes out acne using nano technology. Find out what discoveries researchers at UC San Diego made and how it may be one of the best acne treatments yet.
Natural Meets High-tech
Coconut oil and human breast milk, you can't get more natural than that. Despite the fact these two substances are completely natural, they both contain a compound called lauric acid. What's so great about lauric acid? Plenty. This particular acid is effective in killing the bacteria that causes acne and works great as a natural acne treatment.
With 85% of American teens and a total of 40 million Americans suffering from acne, any substance that works to combat this problem is good news. Currently, there are many different acne products that help fight acne, but they also have side effects.
From the severe side effects in acutane which has now been taken off the market, to burning, peeling, dryness, and redness, most acne products cause some sort of unpleasant side effect.
The reason for these problems is the medication in the product works to kill the bacteria causing the acne, but it is then too strong and harsh for skin that not affected by acne. This causes redness, itching, and burning on the rest of the skin.
Nano Technology to the Rescue
Thanks to Dissaya "Nu" Pornpattananangkul, a student at UC San Diego School of Engineering, skin irritation and acne may be a thing of the past. "Nu" put her knowledge of nano technology to work and created an effective way to get lauric acid directly on the acne-causing bacteria without irritating the unaffected skin.
Her discovery includes using gold nano particles to coat the outside of the lauric acid-fill nano bombs. This keeps the nano bombs from sticking together. It also helps locate the acne-causing bacteria.
When the nano-bombs find the tissue with bacteria, the acid in the bacteria causes the gold nano particles to fall off and the nano bombs fuse with the bacteria and kill it. By improving the delivery method and getting the lauric acid directly to the bacteria, it makes the treatment more effective and lessens irritation to other parts of the skin.
What can Nanos Do for You?
You can expect the release of products containing lauric acid with nano bombs to reach the market soon. Once the method is perfected, new products will have this technology and your skin can benefit from it. Begin looking for acne treatment products containing lauric acid or ask your dermatologist about prescribing them.