Yesterday we discussed how the bacteria responsible for acne create fatty acids that attack and inflame blackheads. Today we’ll finish the discussion and answer Lora’s question about dermatologists using ant-inflammatory agents like those in Skintactix.
What’s in Skintactix?
This Skintactix line consists primarily of surfactant-based cleansers and exofolliants that use Salicylic Acid as their active ingredient. They also contain a several plant extracts like cinnamon, sage, and thyme. Their website is not exactly clear about the precise purpose of these ingredients, but the implication is that they are anti-inflammatory agents.
Do Skintactix products really work?
Well, Sal acid is an approved anti-acne agent, so I’d expect these products would work as well as similar products on the market. But we can’t find any clinical data that suggest the plant extracts they mention have been proven efficacious against acne inflammation.
Anti-inflammatory acne fighters
What about dermatologists? You asked why they don’t use anti-inflammatory agents. Well, in reality, they do. The most popularly prescribed anti-acne antibiotics (Tetracycline, Meclocycline, Erythromycin, Clindamycin, Tretinoin ) do have anti-inflammatory properties. So when your doctor prescribes this kind of medicine for your zits you’re really getting a two-for-one effect: antibiotic and anti-inflammatory. So, if you have a ton of inflamed blackheads, The Beauty Brains think you may need to see your doctor.
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Isn’t tretinoin a vitamin A derivative, aka the active ingredient in Retin-A? o_O
Oops, good catch Sandra. We were listing antibiotics with anti-inflammatory properties and we accidentally included Tretinoin because it’s listed as having anti-inflammatory properties too. Thanks for the correction.
Their products also include totarol. A new antibiotic ingriedient being researched for anti acne properties.
Interestingly, I think that the extracts of cinnamon, sage, and thyme (depending on concentration, type of extract etc) are skin irritants, certainly not anti-inflammatory?
The essential oils of these herbs are very antibacterial, especially cinnamon, though I haven’t found data on the proponi bacteria specifically, but they’re also very irritating
Salicylic Acid is a very common ingredient in acne treatments and works rather well. However, i don’t think I have ever come across a product that contains extracts of cinnamon, sage or thyme so I guess customer feedback will be the most critical evaluation of the product