Great for Skin, Not for Babies

Have you ever been prescribed Accutane? If so, did you ever wonder what the medication was before taking it? Were you aware of the side effects? Accutane is a commonly prescribed drug used for the treatment of severe acne (3). The active ingredient, isotretinoin, is produced naturally in the body from the metabolism of vitamin A (4). However, it is also synthetically made and used in medications to clear nasty breakouts on the skin (4).

Accutane works by stabilizing the outer hard layer of skin, called keratin (3). When keratin is stabilized, it is not able to break free from the skin and clog pores. Clogged pores are the main cause of acne (1). Additionally, Accutane helps to reduce the size of the glands in the skin responsible for the production of oil (3).

Although Accutane is very good at clearing pimples, it is extremely harmful to an unborn child (3). If a women uses Accutane while pregnant, birth defects such as deformed and small heads, paralysis, heart defects, and fusion of the fingers and toes may result (2). The risk of the child not surviving to full term increases by 40% (2).

The main controversy surrounding the use of Accutane is the co-prescription of birth control (1). To reduce the chance of birth defects, at least two forms of birth control should be taken when on Accutane (1). However, some women may not agree with the practice of birth control and may refuse to take the medications due to religious or personal reasons (1).

A natural alternative to using Accutane is to reduce the amount of dairy eaten (1). Dairy contains hormones called estrogens, which bind to their receptors to increase the amount of oil produced by the skin (1). Medical alternatives include using light to kill bacteria on the skin which may contribute to acne, and using painkillers to reduce the redness and pain associated with pimples (1).   

References

[1] Danby, F. W. (2014). Acne. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. (pp. 109-165).

[2] HSDB: 13-Cis-Retinoic Acid. (2005). U.S National Library of Medicine: TOXNET.             Retrieved March 28, 2016, from http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/ search2/f?./             temp/~wrjvSp:3

[3] Isotretinoin. (2016). Drug Bank. Retrieved March 26, 2016, from             http://www.drugbank.ca/drugs/DB00982

[4] Li, J. J., Johnson, D. S., Sliskovic, D. R., & Roth, D. B., (2004). Contemporary Drug             Synthesis. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (pp. 55-59).

[5] Pregnancy. (n.d). [Photograph]. Retrieved April 6, 2016, from             http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=46176&picture=pregnancy