5 Dec 2011

Acne And Sore Throats

Introduction
Sore throats and acne do not seem to be related, but two recent studies have shown that they could be related. So if you take oral antibiotics for acne, there is a good chance you could develop a sore throat more frequently than normal.

The Studies
There were two studies conducted on college students who took oral antibiotics for acne and those who did take these antibiotics.
The first study conducted in early 2007 found that 67% of students who took oral antibiotics for acne complained of having had a sore throat in the preceding month. While only 36% of those students with acne and not taking oral antibiotics reported having a sore throat in the previous month.
The second study was performed in the 2007 to 2008 college year. In this study it followed 600 students, some with acne and some without. It showed that 11% of those taking oral antibiotics had complained of sore throats.
Those students taking topical antibiotics, medication applied to the skin, for acne saw no increase in the occurrence of sore throats.
Causes
Why oral antibiotics for acne cause more frequent sore throats is not exactly known, but one theory is that the antibiotics could have upset the balance of bacteria. When this happens the bacteria that causes a throat infection are allowed to reproduce more, resulting in infection.
Other thoughts on why there was an increase in throat infections are that it just natural for college students to develop these types of conditions because of their environment. For example, they use their throats more to yell at ball games, they may try smoking, there is a lot more interaction with other students and they are exposed to new bacteria such as mononucleosis.
It is believed by some that more studies are needed before a definite link can be drawn between oral acne antibiotics and the increase occurrence of throat infections.
What This Means
Based on these studies, the researchers came to no definite conclusions.
The researchers did conclude that people taking oral antibiotics should not panic, because they saw nothing-serious going on. Only that they should be aware of these studies and weigh the risks and the benefits of taking oral acne antibiotics with their dermatologists.
Conclusion
Though these two studies did draw a link between sore throats and oral acne antibiotics, people taking oral antibiotics for acne should consult with their dermatologist on continue use of this medication.
Jimmy C has been studying skin care for many years because of his skin problems in his youth and he is the Editor in Chief of a number of skin care web sites. Being a victim of acne in his younger days, he has researched this subject to help people prevent and stop acne. He has also studied many aspects of caring for the bodies skin and keeping it youthful and free of irritants.
For more information on caring for acne or other facial blemishes and keeping your youthful appearance go to his web sites at http://www.skinguidelines.com/p/causes-and-cures-for-acne.html or http://www.squidoo.com/cause-and-cures-of-acne.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jimmy_C

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