Acne vulgaris: therapy directed at pathophysiologic defects.

An effective therapeutic regimen for the treatment of acne vulgaris is presented. The emphasis is based upon correcting a defect in keratinization of the sebaceous follicles with a combination of vitamins A and E. This prevents the formation of milia and comedones, thus depriving the Propionibacterium acnes of a culture medium. Vitamin E also prevents irritating lipid peroxidation of sebum, damaged by bacterial growth, which may be responsible for the inflammatory aspects of acne. No antibiotics were employed in the series of 98 consecutive cases examined herein.