Nobiletin reduces sebum production

If you have read part one of our posts on oil control and acne, you know that  Nobiletin has been shown to be very effective in reducing the amount of oil that is produced by the sebaceous glands, as well as the overall size of the glands themselves. If you have not yet read this post, click here to have a look. The researchers showed quite convincingly that Nobiletin reduced the production of sebum by hamster sebocytes, both in vitro and in vivo.

Nobiletin is found in Tangerine Extract

Nobiletin is a flavenoid that is present in many citrus fruits, and is especially prevalent in tangerine. The Tangerine Extract we use also has a large amount of tangeretin, which has a very similar structure as compared to nobiletin. For you chemistry buffs out there, there is only a  difference of one methoxyl group between the two.

Formulation and Testing

Over the last two months we have been working hard on putting together the optimal formulation for our new Tangerine Anti-Shine Cream. We obviously did not want to use an oil cream base for this product. After all, we are trying to reduce the amount of oil on your face, so adding more via the base would be kind of counter-productive. It took some doing, but we found an oil-free base that fits the ticket and that in and of it self is a very nice and luxurious moisterizer.

After finding the right formulation the testing team took its time to thoroughly test the new product. The response was very encouraging. One of our testers chose to first use it only on her nose, but within a week decided that the results were so good that she started to use it on her forehead also.  Here is what she said:

“I’ve been testing the Tangerine Anti-Shine Cream for about a week, and I’m already noticing a big difference! I started off just using it on my nose and expanded to using it on my forehead a few days later, and tonight I noticed that my nose was way less greasy than my forehead- which will be soon to follow the pattern! It smells really good, too ”

Kara from Irvine, CA

No strong tangerine smell

One question we received was: “Won’t I be smelling like an orange when I put this stuff on?” (this question came from a male on our test panel) The answer is a clear “No!”. The smell is quite subtle and goes away quickly. You won’t be able to smell it anymore within 15 minutes or so. Our test panel thought it smelled quite nice!

Very fast skin absorption

As is the case for our Acne Treatment product, the new Anti-Shine cream also is absorbed very quickly and spreads very easily. You only need a small dab for pretty much your whole face.

Only for night use

Sana Fela Tangerine Anti-Shine should only be used as a night cream. The reason why is because Tangerine Oil – as do other citrus oils – can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.   Until we have more data, we decided that it is best to only approve use as a night cream. In any case, once-nightly use has provided excellent oil control, so there is no need to have more than one treatment per 24 hour period.

Reducing oil can help prevent acne

There are many factors that are involved in causing acne, and which ones are responsible in each particular case is not always clear. However, since the amount of oil that is being produced by your skin is often correlated to the development of acne, it stands to reason that reducing the amount of oil produced will also help prevent acne.

The combination of Sana Fela Acne Treatment and Tangerine Anti-Shine in our test panel definitely helped to further control acne outbreaks.

One thing we want to test is whether it is possible to combine both products into one. We are actively working on this. One problem is that the Sana Fela Acne Treatment is typically used at least twice a day, whereas the Tangerine Anti-Shine is only a night cream. The obvious alternative is to make it available as a set.

Announcing the immediate availability of
Tangerine Anti-Shine Cream

Sana Fela is proud to announce the immediate availability of Tangerine Anti-Shine Cream, our new oil control facial cream that is designed to reduce oily skin by reducing the amount of sebum that is produced by the sebaceous glands.

Get your own!

Whether you would just like to reduce the oily sheen of your face, or whether you want to help prevent the (re-) occurence  of your acne, we are confident that you will like this new product.  Sana Fela Tangerine Anti-Shine Cream did wonders for the skin of our test panel. What worked for them will also work for you! So, get your own and see for yourself. As always we offer a 100% money-back guarantee. So what do you have to lose? Visit our store and order your own! Experience for yourself how much it will improve the looks of  your skin!

Here is to a healthier skin!

For further reading

How to reduce oily skin and prevent acne (1)
How to reduce oily skin and prevent acne (2)
Posts on nobiletin
More information on our Anti-Shine Cream

OK, so may be that  is a bit of an exaggeration.

An apple a day doesn’t REALLY keep acne away.

… Or does it?

Let me not mince words here and give it to you straight.

The fact of the matter is that eating right is a large part of being acne free. I know you don’t necessarily want to hear this, but eating fast food a couple times a week and eating pizza every other day is not going to help to get you acne free.

We all know that eating healthy is important for all kinds of reasons. Staying acne free is just one of them.

In some ways, acne is a creation of the modern food industry. Processed foods wreak all kinds of havoc on our health. The food industry puts a ton of sugar and fat in all kinds of things. Why? Because it is cheap and because it is what people want. Why? Because people have been conditioned to believe that it tastes good.

There didn’t use to be as much sugar in, for example, bread. But over time it has become sweeter and sweeter. Used to be that sugar was rare and expensive. So people didn’t use it much. Now you can find it everywhere. And it is not even real sugar. It is high fructose corn syrup which is cheaper and easier to use. No wonder it is used so much by the food industry.

So, to get back to the apple:  If you really would be eating an apple a day, chances are that your other food choices also would be healthier. If you eat an apple a day, maybe you also eat more veggies and salad. Maybe, just for today,  you let the pizza pass you by. Maybe the sum total of all the better choices you make, will in fact make you heatlhier over time. And so, starting with an apple a day, you will indeed keep your acne away !

For further reading:

Acne and Diet

]]> http://www.sanafela.com/2009/11/can-an-apple-a-day-keep-your-acne-away/feed/ 0 http://www.sanafela.com/2009/09/how-your-skin-defends-itself-against-acne-bacteria/ http://www.sanafela.com/2009/09/how-your-skin-defends-itself-against-acne-bacteria/#comments Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:05:14 +0000 admin http://www.sanafela.com/?p=359 As promised, here is a follow-up post to the acne viewpoint paper that was published in Experimental Dermatology (Ref 1) . This paper was published very recently and summarizes the state-of-the-art of our knowledge about acne. This post explains recent insights in the way sebocytes recognize and respond to bacteria.

Sebocytes are more than skin deep

Scientists used to think that sebocytes (the cells inside the sebacious glands, see the diagram on the right and the Skinny on Acne post),  were only involved in producing sebum (oil) for lubrication. However, it is now becoming clear that these cells are much more sophisticated than that.

Neuropeptide Receptors

The cells have now been shown to express several important receptors for neuropeptides on their cell surface. Binding of neuropeptides to these receptors cause the cells to respond by producing cytokines such as IL-6 and IL-8 (Interleukin-6 and Interleukin-8). These are signaling molecules that are involved in inflammation and help to stimulate immune responses. For an introduction to cytokines, see this Wikipedia post

TOLL Receptors

Sebocytes now also have been shown to express TLR2 and TLR4. These are so-called TOLL-like receptors and are components of the innate immune system. Your innate immune system does not make antibodies and does not require exposure to pathogens to learn which antibodies to make. Instead, it relies on pre-existing receptors (the TOLL-like receptors) that recognize certain classes of micro-organisms. As a result, this part of your immune system can respond very quickly to an infection, and does not first have to make antibodies. The innate immune system is your first line of defense, so to speak. TLR2 and TLR4 recognize certain bacteria directly, as well as indirectly due to the endotoxin and other molecules that these bacteria produce.

Bactericidal agents

Researchers now also have found that that sebocytes secrete bactericidal substances such as defensins (small proteins that are active against bacteria, fungi and viruses), as well as oleic acid and palmitic acid. The latter two are fatty acids that are known to kill Gram-positive bacteria. The major culprit associated with acne, Propionibacterium acnes, is Gram-positive.

Conclusion

So, you can see that the skin is well equipped to defend itself against all sorts of bacteria, including acne bacteria. Unfortunately, in the process of eliminating the infection, a temporary inflammation is created that manifests itself as acne.

The good news is that new scientific insights in how skin functions, such as the ones discussed above, eventually will lead to new treatments. It will take time, but more effective acne treatments may be on the horizon.

References

(1) Kurokawa et al (2009) New developments in our understanding of acne pathogenesis and treatment. Exp Dermatol. 2009 Jun 23. [Epub ahead of print]

For further reading

If you liked this post, you may also be interested to read:

New acne viewpoint paper published

Why do skin pores get plugged and cause acne?

Acne Treatment

… or visit the Sana Fela Store

Tea Tree Oil is just as effective as Benzoyl Peroxide to treat acne

Acne patients (average age 19.7 years old, 124 participants total) were randomly assigned to either the tea tree oil group or the benzoyl peroxide group. The researchers then scored the number and severity of acne lesions in both treatment groups using a standardized method.

After three months the amount and severity of acne had decreased significantly in both groups. However, the researchers reported that there was no significant difference in amount or severity of acne between patients treated with tea tree oil and patients treated with benzoyl peroxide.

The design of this study was straight forward enough, but there was one design flaw in that there was no formal placebo group. Thus, the theoretical possibility existed that the improvements were due to spontaneous healing in either or both groups.

Now, while theoretically this is a possibility and while the researchers can be criticized for leaving out a control group, anybody who suffers from acne knows that the chances that the acne went away by itself in all these patients is rather remote. It is much more likely that the two treatments worked.

Never-the-less, this is something to keep in mind when reading these kinds of reports. The take-home message for a scientist is clear:  Never, never, never leave out your control groups!

Tea Tree Oil is much less irritating to the skin

The paper also notes that the patients in the tea tree oil group reported much less of the skin dryness, redness, itching and stinging that patients that have tried benzoyl peroxide products are so familiar with. To be fair, note that in this study benzoyl peroxide is used at a concentration of 5% whereas Proactiv only contains 2.5%, so is likely less irritating. While we are on the topic of irritation: Clearasil Ultra contains a whopping 10% (ouch!).

So what is better?

One part of the paper that we take issue with is that the researchers say that the time it took for tea tree oil to start showing its effects was a little longer as compared to benzoyl peroxide.

Actually, people that have tried Sana Fela Acne Treatment  have told us that one of the things they like most about it is how fast it works, with a typical pimple shrinking away within just a few days. Then again, this might be because Sana Fela Acne Treatment in addition to Tea Tree Oil also contains Eucalyptus Oil as a transdermal delivery agent.  The other thing to keep in mind is that the amount of benzoyl peroxide used in the Australian study was double of what is found in Proactiv, so this is like comparing Tea Tree Oil with “double strength Proactiv”.

What would you chose?

So, if you have to choose between two products that are equally effective, but one is based on harsh chemicals that leave your skin parched and irritated, whereas the other one is based on natural, botanical, active ingredients that are much gentler; which one would you chose?

Call us biased if you want to, but we at Sana Fela would chose the gentler approach any day of the week  :-)

References

The reference for the paper is below. Unfortunately it is not available online. You will have to get it via a university library if you are interested in reading it. At least the link below let’s you read the abstract.

1. Bassett IB, Pannowitz DL, Barnetson RS (1990) A comparative study of tea-tree oil versus benzoylperoxide in the treatment of acne.  Med J Aust. 153:455-458  (Medline abstract)

For further reading

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in reading

Tea Tree Oil is effective against Acne

Sana Fela Acne Treatment

The skinny on Acne

But the question is: how and why exactly do the hair follicles get plugged?

The answer is found in one of the properties of the bacteria (Ref 1, 2).

Acne bacteria secrete a glue-like substance

How bacterial biofilm causes acne

It turns out that the bacteria secrete a bio-film (glycocalix) of sticky polymers. The bacteria produce this bio-film to attach themselves to the walls of the hair follicles.  Some of this “glue” also ends up in the sebum (oil). This causes dead cells that are being sloughed off from the walls of the hair follicles, as well as bacteria and dirt to clump together.

Plugging of pores

The clumpiness gets worse and worse until the hair follicle is completely plugged. Now the mix of sebum, bacteria, dirt and dead cells (keratinocytes) cannot go anywhere. The hair follicle starts to swell and the infection gets really started. The end result is an acne break-out. First a whitehead is formed. More advanced stages are blackheads and actual acne lesions.

The sticky polymers also protect against antimicrobial agents

Incidentally, the sticky polymers not only causes everything to clump together and plug the hair follicles, but they also function as a protective shield that protects the bacteria from antimicrobial agents such as the ones that are being used to treat acne (Ref 2). This makes such agents less effective and is one of the reasons why acne is so hard to treat.

Use essential oils to unplug pores

Oil and water don’t mix. On the other hand, oils and oils do. The active ingredients in Sana Fela Acne Treatment are essential oils of Tea Tree and Eucalyuptus that have strong antibacterial and transdermal properties.

But there is more to it than that.  Since they are essential oils, it makes sense that these extracts also can dilute and help prevent the clumping together of sebum, bacteria, dead cells and dirt! This is one of the reasons why Sana Fela Acne Treatment works so well.

See  the pages on Sana Fela Acne Treatment and on Tea Tree Oil to learn more or visit the store to purchase your own!

References

1. Burkhart CG and Burkhart CN (2007) Expanding the microcomedone theory and acne therpeutics: Propionibacterium acnes biofilm producesbiological glue that holds corneocytes together to form plug.  J. Am. Acad. Dermatol 57:722-724

2.  Coenye T et al (2007) Biofilm formation by Propionibacterium acnes is associated with increased resistance to antimicrobial agents and increased production of putative virulence factors. Research in microbiology 158: 386-392

An awesome new paper on current understanding of the causes of acne and how it can be treated was recently published in Experimental Dermatology (1). This is like a consensus paper that was written by 14 scientists from all over the world — USA, Japan, China, Germany, Taiwan, Hungary, Italy, South Korea, Lithuanina, and Switzerland. The paper is not yet in print and only available as an e-publication. It was published online on June 23 and you can find it here. Unfortunately, as for most scientific papers, you can only see the abstract for free. You will have to pay to get access to the whole paper as a PDF file.
Or you can just read all about it here at sanafela.com

What’s in the paper?

The paper addresses pretty much the gammut of the current thinking about acne.
Some of the topics below may sound quite foreign to you, and I will do my best to explain it all in future posts. For now I just wanted to let you all know that this paper is out there, and then I’ll explain more as we go along.

• Biology of sebaceous glands
• Role of neuropeptides
• Role of innate immunity
• Stem cells for sebaceous glands
• Properties of sebocytes
• Role of hormones
• Hyperkeratinization
• Bacteria and sebum
• Role of nutrition
• Role of cytokines
• Role of Toll-like receptors
• New acne drugs
• Plant extracts with anti-acne properties

References

(1) Kurokawa et al (2009) New developments in our understanding of acne pathogenesis and treatment. Exp Dermatol. 2009 Jun 23. [Epub ahead of print]

Part (1) of this series describes how nobelitin, an ingredient found in citrus fruits, reduces the amount of oil that is produced by the sebaceous glands surrounding the hair follicles. Less oil means fewer acne breakouts and better looking skin! This post describes an alternative treatment to improve oily skin. This treatment involves a mixture of three plant extracts, which we’ll call SKS:

COMPOSITION OF SKS

• Sesame seed (Sesamum indicum)
• Kernel oil (Argania spinosa)
• Saw Palmetto Fruit (Seranoa serrulata)

How the study was done

A clinical trial with this mixture in an oil-free base was described in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology in 2007 (Ref 1). Test subjects applied SKS in an oil-free base onto their face twice a day for a period of 4 weeks. After that they were asked to score how much they thought their skin had improved. In addition to this subjective assessment, the scientists also actually measured the reduction of oil produced with a sebumeter and with sebum collection foils.

SKS significantly improves oily skin

SKS was generally very well tolerated and 95% of the test subjects felt that their oily skin condition had improved significantly.
The table below details the results:

The quantitative measurements correlated well with the subjective opinions and also demonstrated that the amount of oil on the forehead and cheeks was reduced by 20% and that the area covered by oily spots had been significantly reduced by 42% as compared to four weeks earlier.

How does SKS work?

As far as mechanism is concerned, it is thought that the SKS treatment interferes with the function of an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase that is found predominantly in the sebaceous glands. Usually, this enzyme activates androgen hormones and changes them into more potent versions. These, in turn cause the sebaceous glands to secrete larger amounts of oil. By interfering with this enzyme, SKS reduces the production of sebum (oil). Less oil means healthier looking skin and less acne!

References

(1) Dobrev, H. (2007)
Clinical and instrumental study of the efficacy of a new sebum control cream.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 6: 113-118 [Medline Link]

For further reading

How to reduce oily skin and prevent acne. Part (1)
How to reduce oily skin and prevent acne. Part (3)
Posts on Nobiletin
More information on our Anti-Shine Cream

Overproduction of sebum increases acne

Overproduction of sebum increases the likelihood of infections and acne out-breaks. Over-active sebaceous glands also cause an excessively oily facial skin. This feels unpleasant and is shiny and feels greasy. The pores are large and the whole situation feels unpleasant and ofcourse can result in inreased occurence of acne.

Retinoic acid reduces oil production but has side effects

Since an overproduction of sebum (oil) increases your chances for infections and acne, it makes sense that if you could reduce the amount of oil that is produced by the sebaceous glands, this should result in a reduction of infections and acne. Dermatologists have been looking for ways to reduce sebum production, but there are only a few known medications that are known to be effective for this. The best known are the retinoic acids such as Retin-A. Unfortunately these medications can have nasty side-effects such as severe skin dryness , flaking and blistering, as has been shown to cause birth defects and certain cancers in mice and rats. For more on Retin-A check out The Skinny on Retin-A. Obviously such medications are only available on prescription.

Mother nature to the rescue

While it is desireable to reduce sebum production to improve and prevent acne and oily skin, retinoic acid based medications have many side effects and are only available by presrciption. Fortunately, mother nature comes to the rescue. In the recent scientific literature there are a number of papers that discuss botanicals that have been shown to also reduce sebum production. One of these papers is discussed below. Be on the look-out for another post on this topic soon!

Nobiletin prevents acne and reduces oily skin

In an elegant paper by Takashi Sato and co-workers (1), we can read about the beneficial effects of Nobiletin on sebum reduction. Nobiletin is a flavonoid that is present in the peel of many citrus fruits. It is especially prevalent in mandarines (Citrus nobilis). Medicinal flavonoids have been shown to have a variety of beneficial effects when taken internally or used topically. These include antioxidant, free radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as antitumorigenic and antitumor metastatic activities (1).

The researchers applied a mixture of 2% nobiletin in 95% ethanol and 5% glycerol to the ears of hamsters once a day for 14 days and then measured the amount of triacylglycerol on the skin surface. Triacylglycerol is the main constituent of mammalian fat and is a major component of sebum. They also made microscope sections of the skin and analyzed the size of the sebaceous glands. The treatment decreased the amount of triacylglycerol on the skin surface by 34% and also reduced the size of the sebaceous glands. The researchers were even able to show that nobiletin reduced the rate of cell divisions by sebocytes, the cells in the sebaceous glands that secrete sebum.

Adapted from Sato et al. J Invest Dermatol 127 (2007) 2740

In another study, the researchers treated cultured hamster sebocytes with nobiletin. When these cells are treated with insulin, they respond by producing high levels of oil (triacylglycerol – compare the left two bars in the graph: “control” and “10 nM insulin”). By simultaneously treating the cells every 3 days with increasing concentrations of nobiletin, the researchers were able to force the cells to reduce the secretion of triacylglycerol almost back down to the low levels secreted in the absence of insulin (these are the three right bars in the graph).

In summary, this paper shows that nobiletin can effectively reduce the amount of oil produced by the sebaceous glands. Since less oil production means less predisposition to acne out-breaks, nobiletin should be a valuable addition to your acne treatment war chest!

Inspired by the scientific data above, Sana Fela is currently working on a new formulation of a Sebum Control cream based on Extracts of Tangerine. We will introduce this product soon. We are actively working on a complete line of botanical skin care products. If you would like to be notified about updates on our products or web site, please leave your contact information on our contact form

*** UPDATE***  November 2009 – Product development for Tangerine Anti-Shine Cream is now complete!  For details, see How to reduce oily skin and prevent acne part (3). Or visit our store to get your own!

References

(1) Takashi Sato, Aiko Takahashi, Mika Kojima, Noriko Akimoto, Masamichi Yano and Akira Ito (2007). A Citrus Polymethoxy Flavonoid, Nobiletin Inhibits Sebum Production and Sebocyte Proliferation, and Augments Sebum Excretion in Hamsters. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 127: 2740-2748

For further reading

How to reduce oily skin and prevent acne. Part (2)
How to reduce oily skin and prevent acne. Part (3)
All posts on nobiletin
More information on our Anti-Shine Cream

Since the vast majority of adolescents will suffer from Acne, an environmental factor may be the cause. One of the pillars of the Western diet is the consumption of cow’s milk. The paper points out that a study of over 10,000 teenagers has shown a strong correlation between milk consumption (particularly reduced fat milk) and Acne in teen agers. In contrast, a study of inhabitants of Papua New Guinea and of hunters and gatherers in Paraguay that do not drink or eat dairy products, shows that not a single case of Acne is found. Obviously, such results suggest that milk consumption contributes to Acne in Western society.

The milk hypothesis says that the level of growth hormone (GH, somatotropin) and Insulin-like-Growth-Factor -1 (IGF-1), which already are increased at the onset of puberty, are further increased as a result of milk consumption. These hormones are powerful mitogens and play a central role in growth and homeostasis of the skin and various other tissues. It turns out that the levels of these hormones also correlate strongly with the occurrence of Acne.

IGF-1 (as well as insulin) stimulates sebocogenesis (2) and the production of oil by the sebaceous glands (3). It is this stimulation of the sebaceous glands that results in Acne when this coincides with infection.

Now, the problem in comparing different population groups is that it is just too much of an over-simplification to pretend that two groups only differ in the aspect that you are trying to study. There are a million other things that are different between them. And a number of these could be easily also be involved in whatever the reasons are that one group has acne and the other doesn’t. So, one always has to keep this in mind when comparing population groups. Never-the-less, this data points in the direction of a potential role of milk consumption in the development of Acne.

Should we counsel our kids to drink less milk? Maybe not. There are many reasons why milk consumption is a good thing. But a link between milk and acne is an intriguing concept that is worth thinking about.

References

(1) Melnik B. Milk consumption: aggravating factor of acne and promoter of chronic diseases of Western societies. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2009 Feb 19.
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19243483)

(2) Deplewski D, Rosenfield RL. Role of hormones in pilosebaceous unit development. Endocr Rev 2000; 21: 363-392
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10950157)

(3) Smith TM, Cong Z, Gilliland KL, Clawson GA, Thiboutot DM. Insulin- like growth factor-1 induces lipid production in human SEB-1 sebocytes via sterol response element-binding protein-1. J Invest Dermatol 2006; 126: 1226–1232.
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16575389)

They reported on studies that show the negative interaction between glycemic load, insulin sensitivity, hormone mediators, and acne. It goes something like this (see the schematic):

How does sugar cause acne?

The regular consumption of foods with a high glycemic index causes an elevation of insulin levels in the blood. Chocolate and candy, but also foods that contain white flour, and soda with sugar are just a few examples of high glycemic foods. Apart from insulin resistance (which may result in diabetes), elevated insulin reduces the concentration of SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) in the blood. This is a glycoprotein that binds sex hormones, in particular androgen (male) hormones, and keeps their levels in check. Consequently, if there is less SHBG, the levels of sex hormones go up. This, in turn, causes a stimulation of the growth of sebocytes. These are cells that secrete sebum (oil) in the hair follicles. Increased sebum secretion increases the chance for blockage and infection of the follicles which can ultimately lead to acne.

Conclusion: Chocolate and Acne don’t mix

There is more and more evidence that suggests that your diet is an important factor in how much acne you will develop. It is important to treat acne breakouts using a good tea tree oil based product before they have a chance to become more severe and result in acne scars. At the same time, scientific evidence such as presented in this post, suggests that you might want to reduce snacking on chocolate, candy, and other high sugar and high glycemic foods. Chances are that this will help reduce the number of future outbreaks.

References

(1) Spencer EH, Ferdowsian HR and Barnard ND (2009) Diet and acne: a review of the evidence. Int J Dermatol 48: 339 – 347
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19335417