Acne drug Accutane nothing but a massive pain

Acne is usually assumed to be a skin condition that is thought to be primarily restricted to teenagers. However, it may come as a surprise to learn that spots can show up in adults too! In fact, 80% of people between the ages of 11 to 30 are affected by acne, with 5% of women and 1% of men over the age of 25 being estimated to suffer from severe form of acne. It is therefore no surprise that Medical Specialists Pharmacy is constantly experiencing an astronomical number of patients requesting effective acne treatments such as Dianette, Spironolactone and Retin-A Gel 0.01%.

One unlucky adult though had an unfortunate experience with the acne treatment he decided to try, and was so irate he has now decided to go all the way to the European Union to get his case heard and is raging about its side effects.  38-year-old Jason O’Sullivan from Ireland used the prescription drug ‘Accutane’ for a skin complaint all the way back in 1998.

After just nine days O’Sullivan voluntary took himself off the course of treatment after suffering from swelling to his face and head. He also says he was struck down with muscular and joint pain, headaches, and subsequently continued to be plagued with chronic fatigue.

Jason now hopes to get the acne drug completely banned in his native Ireland after furiously complaining that he has not been able to work as a heavy machinery driver since he first took Accutane fourteen years ago. In addition, he says there are more than 6,000 fellow countrymen who are suffering from the side effects of the drug.

To support his complaint, O’Sullivan has managed to receive the backing of Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly, and the pair now hopes that the case will be taken into consideration by the EU Petitions Committee.

O’Sullivan says, “I want to make people aware of the possible side effects of this drug, which was used originally in chemotherapy.”  Manufactured by Swiss company Roche Holding AG, Accutane first entered the market in 1982, but the drug was hauled from the US market in 2009 after juries awarded more than $33m (€26.6m; £21.13m) in compensation to users who blamed the drug for causing their bowel disease. Accutane has also been taken off the market in 11 other countries, including Denmark, Austria, France, Germany, Spain and Portugal.

ASA ban Proactiv acne product ads after spotting difference in UK and US versions

A company who use various celebrities to promote their range of skincare products have been slapped down with a ban from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for misleading claims in their television adverts.

Advertisements for a supposed ‘miracle’ spot cream have been played repeatedly in the UK on a shopping channel, starring acne-plagued pop stars such as Katy Perry and Justin Bieber. However, watchdogs have now put an end to this advertising campaign.

The ads for Proactiv’s acne products depict Perry endorsing Proactiv and subsequently informing viewers how the products had helped to banish her skin problems. More ads on Proactiv’s website show Bieber, Elle Macpherson and Avril Lavigne giving their seal of approval.

However, the chain of events that kick-started the removal of the ads from the shopping channel and other sources was initiated after a woman decided to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority, stating that the promotional adverts were misleading to viewers because the British versions of the products do not contain the same active ingredient included in the American brand.
The woman who filed the complaint to the ASA had a very good point when she argued that it was more plausible the celebrity endorsers would have used Proactiv’s American version, and not the UK one. Guthy-Renker UK Ltd (GRUK), the direct marketing company responsible for the controversial ads, attempted to deflect any criticism and claimed that featured ‘stars’ had been given the UK formulations of Proactiv products to try.

Despite their protestations however, the ASA have now forbid the ads on the grounds that the adverts suggest skin improvements are seen from continual usage of the product, whilst five of the seven celebrity backers said that they had merely used the UK Proactive range for just ‘several weeks.’

A statement made by an ASA spokesperson said, “We considered the overall impression of the ads was that the celebrities were continued and regular users of Proactiv and noted the same endorsement claims were included on the US Proactiv website. We noted the signed statements, which related to only five of the seven testimonials, said the celebrities had each used the UK formulation of the product for a period of only several weeks, between one and three years before the ads appeared. We noted the ads were targeted at a UK audience and that the UK Proactiv products had a different active ingredient to the US version. In that context, we therefore considered the claims of continued use had not been substantiated. We concluded that the ads were misleading. The ads must not appear again in their current form. We told GRUK to ensure endorsements and testimonials in future ads related to the product being advertised.”

Medical Specialists Pharmacy are always fully honest with our patients and do not mislead – the products listed on our website are exactly what you get. If you are a woman who is suffering from acne, we have various highly effective treatments available to help you.

Dianette is one such medication. Your body makes both male and female sex hormones and the hormones (androgens) stimulate the grease-glands in your skin and hairs that grow from it. If you produce too much androgen, or if you are particularly sensitive to their effects, the grease glands may produce too much sebum. This can block the grease-glands, which can become infected and inflamed causing acne spots. The main action of a special hormone in this medicine (cyproterone acetate) stops androgens affecting the skin. Dianette is also an oral contraception for women and can work to treat hirsutism or female hair loss. A six month course will cost the equivalent of just £9.99 per month.

Alternative treatment is the non-hormonal medication Spironolactone. This medication has actually been used for over 20 years as an anti-androgen in the treatment of acne and hirsutism, and is currently the most widely prescribed medication for these problems in North America. Treatment works out from as little as £17.63 per month following an online consultation with one of our doctors.

US teenager with acne problems has become a massive hit on YouTube

A 19 year old girl with severe acne from California, US, has become a huge YouTube sensation after she uploaded a video of herself discussing her ordeal and then showed viewers how to expertly cover up the spots with the aid of make-up. Cassandra Bankson, who is clearly quite intelligent and far beyond her years, initially talks to viewers with her face apparently picture perfect and flawless. It is only when she begins to wipe away all the foundation and other bits of make-up that her acne problems are revealed.

She then gives viewers close-ups of the brightly red coloured blemished skin on her face, which she then shows is evident on her shoulders, neck and back areas. After the video received an incredible 7.6 million hits around the globe, Cassandra was invited onto the American breakfast television show, ‘Good Morning America’, to discuss the history of her problems and how she deals with them. She painfully discussed the bullying she received at school and how she meticulously tried various methods of covering her acne with different make-up and techniques. She explained how she has found modelling work after her portfolio snaps showed her with perfect skin, thanks to her talents at spot-concealing.

Cassandra commented on her acne struggles, saying, “I filmed the video last November but it took me a month to post it, I thought I was going to get the same hate I got at school over my skin. But I thought if it could help one person, one girl or guy with the same condition, it would be worth it.” She was surprised by the massive positive response to the initial video, with people all around the world posting comments thanking her for her tips and requesting her to share anymore useful bits of advice. When speaking on Good Morning America, she said, “It was a real eye opener. It (acne) is such an epidemic for adults as well as teens."

She is currently training to become a nurse and one day hopes to produce her own skin care range of products. In addition, since her first video, she has subsequently posted many other videos of beauty tips that she herself has come across and found useful.

If you suffer from Acne, you do not have to suffer like Cassandra. We are fully aware of the damage that acne can do to a person’s confidence and how it effects their daily life. At Medical Specialists Pharmacy we have several prescription products that have been proved to effectively treat acne.  For women we offer the oral contraceptive pill, Dianette, for as little as £9.99 per month. As well as working effectively as a contraception and combating acne in women, Dianette can also be taken for excessive hair growth on the face and body (hirsutism) in women and female hair loss.

Spironolactone is another prescription only medication for women, and unlike Dianette, it is non-hormonal and does not work as a method of contraception. It also helps water retention. Spironolactone has been used for over 20 years as an anti-androgen in the treatment of acne and hirsutism and is the most widely prescribed medication for these problems in the USA. At Medical Specialists Pharmacy, prices start from as little as £17.63 per month.

For both men and women, we also have Retin-A Gel(tretinoin 0.025%), which is a prescription only medication and is used in the treatment of acne, fine lines and wrinkles but is more suited to people with oily skin. The Vitamin A contained in the gel, is thought to loosen the cells in the surface of the skin. This helps to unblock pores, so that the skin’s natural oil producing glands can function normally. In addition, tretinoin increases the turnover of the skin cells, which aids the natural exfoliation of the outer layers of skin. This also helps to unblock pores and decrease the formation of blackheads (comedones) and spots. Prices of this product start from as little as £15.88 per tube.