Re: Accutane causes Immune System Disorders

An explanation of how Acne forms and accutane works is written below. Because the drug breaks down the glue that holds skin cells together, it often causes peeling of the skin. Do you think the synthetic chemical of vitamin A is trapped in tissues? I mean if toxic metals do not show up in blood test, they may have settled in your tissue. The dry mucus membranes caused by accutane can also lead to chronic yeast infections, which may cause peeling lips, too. I wonder if the immune system is attacking fordyce spots that have sebum in them.

Again, isn't this a problem with the glue that holds the skin cells together? Someone should look further into this. I never took accutane, but I am curious about this glue. Anyone know what the glue is called?

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"Every case of common Acne begins with an event known as retention hyperkeratosis. For reasons that researchers do not yet understand, the linings of a pore in the skin start to produce cells at an unusually fast rate. They begin to tighten the pore so that sebum cannot drain.

After a few days to a few weeks, these additional cells in the lining of the pore are shed so that younger cells beneath them can come to the surface. They form a clump in the pore that blocks the flow of oil and traps Acne bacteria. The immune system attacks the bacteria with inflammation, and makes the pore even tighter so that a whitehead or blackhead forms, or the lining of the pore begins to break down, causing a pimple.

Sometimes there is also hyperkeratosis of the skin surrounding the pore. Skin can grow over the pore, trapping sebum and acne bacteria inside. The immune system continues attacking the bacteria, destroying more and more healthy skin tissue until a cyst or a nodule forms under the skin.

Accutane reverses this process by making hyperkeratosis less “hyper.” It reduces the production of an enzyme called telomerase, which repairs cellular DNA. Without the action of telomerase, cells die more quickly and can be flushed out of pores and off the skin. It also activates a gene that codes proteins to make neutrophil-gelatinase associated lipocalin, an enzyme that breaks down the “glue” that holds clumps of dead skin cells together inside pores and on the skin. Pores begin to open from the inside out, spilling their contents on the skin. The chemical changes induced by Accutane are temporary, but clearing of the skin may be permanent."
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