www.drvaibhavshah.net
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| +Dr Vaibhav Shah |
ACNE
Sounds like a
headline from the National Enquirer! After decades of safety of use
in millions of patients (including this author!), a recent report has raised
some eyebrow when a recent study made some alarming claims. Relax,
you are not going to die, but read on to learn some interesting facts that
could affect your health.
Retin A
(generically known as tretinoin), a Vitamin A analogue that is a popular acne
medication and has been used by physicians to prevent skin cancers, treat
wrinkles, and prevent skin aging, has been criticized in a recent study for
increasing the risk of death in some patients. Even though these products have
been used safely and effectively for many years, a recent study by Weinstock MA
et al, published in the Archives of Dermatology, showed that
patients treated in a VA hospital with 0.1% tretinoin topically to prevent skin
cancer had a higher risk of death than those not using tretinoin. The veterans
in this study were predominately elderly men.
The researchers
looked at various factors in the study to try to determine the explanation for
the increased number of deaths among tretinoin users. It is difficult to know
for sure because the study was not designed to look for risk of death, but it
seems that it is smokers who are at greater risk. This finding goes along with
a study looking at an oral form of Vitamin A called isotretinoin that showed
that isotretinoin may be harmful to current smokers. It is important to realize
that this is the first sign of a risk of harm from using tretinoin after
decades on the market, so this study’s results may not hold up when more
testing is done. However, it is prudent to take this advice: If you use
tretinoin (retinol, adapalene, tazarotene) or take Vitamin A or beta carotene
supplements, please do not smoke. Smoking is known to age your skin prematurely
and to cause lung disease and heart disease. It now looks as if using popular
anti-aging products in addition to smoking may increase your risk of death.
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