http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15102088

I took accutane 5 years ago and have permanent damage: Now my face has skin fragility and thinness, extreme dryness and wrinkling, inflammation and irritation, dyshesion and diminished waterproofing, as the skin barrier homeostasis has been disrupted, etc. etc.

about 1 year ago i started taking adderall for adhd. and this has made my skin condition worse.

i'm wondering if anyone knows anything about PPAR stimulators ...which stimulate seb glands and other relevant mechanisms. i did not realize that there are TOPICAL ppar stims. i have posted about internal treatments for diabetes, but a topical option seems more pragmatic and less risky, especially since my damage is mostly localized in the face.

the specific one i read about is called GW1514....







Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-beta/delta stimulates differentiation and lipid accumulation in keratinocytes.
Schmuth M, Haqq CM, Cairns WJ, Holder JC, Dorsam S, Chang S, Lau P, Fowler AJ, Chuang G, Moser AH, Brown BE, Mao-Qiang M, Uchida Y, Schoonjans K, Auwerx J, Chambon P, Willson TM, Elias PM, Feingold KR.

Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
Erratum in:

J Invest Dermatol. 2004 Oct;123(4):806.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) are nuclear hormone receptors that are activated by endogenous lipid metabolites. Previous studies have demonstrated that PPAR-alpha activation stimulates keratinocyte differentiation in vitro and in vivo, is anti-inflammatory, and improves barrier homeostasis. Recent studies have shown that PPAR-beta/delta activation induces keratinocyte differentiation in vitro. This study demonstrated that topical treatment of mice with a selective PPAR-beta/delta agonist (GW1514) in vivo had pro-differentiating effects, was anti-inflammatory, improved barrier homeostasis, and stimulated differentiation in a disease model of epidermal hyperproliferation [corrected]. In contrast to PPAR-alpha activation, PPAR-beta/deltain vivo did not display anti-proliferative or pro-apoptotic effects. The pro-differentiating effects persisted in mice lacking PPAR-alpha, but were decreased in mice deficient in retinoid X receptor-alpha, the major heterodimerization partner of PPAR. Furthermore, in vitro PPAR-beta/delta activation, aside from stimulating differentiation-related genes, additionally induced adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP) and fasting induced adipose factor (FIAF) mRNA in cultures keratinocytes, which was paralleled by increased oil red O staining indicative of lipid accumulation, the bulk of which were triglycerides (TG). Comparison of differentially expressed genes between PPAR-beta/delta and PPAR-alpha activation revealed distinct profiles. Together, these studies indicate that PPAR-beta/delta activation stimulates keratinocyte differentiation, is anti-inflammatory, improves barrier homeostasis, and stimulates TG accumulation in keratinocytes.

So its just your facial skin thats very dry after accutane?

how is the rest of your skin on your body?

What did the derm that prescribed the Accutane say about this severe dryness?

yes just my face. however i have dry, coarse hair around my hair near the ear line and neck line. but the difference between my face and the rest of my body is so stark -- I actually really like the rest of my skin.

about my former dermatologist...i dont know what to say...it was 5+ years ago, i was a dumb teenageer seeing the random private practice derm in my neighborhood. now im seeing dermatologists at a major university hosptial....some of them with MD/PHD credentials. don't really know what that has to do with moving forward and trying to find treatment for my current ailments....


one other thing.....even within my face the damage seems to exclude my chin and even nose. my nose still has oil production and my chin also looks and feels like "normal"...but the rest of my face (cheeks, forhead, etc.) are very clearly damaged.

This post has been edited by myleastfavoritemistake: Oct 31 2009, 04:32 PM

I have the exact same problem except everytrhing is dry, including my nose. I recently found this website and wanted to try the product. I will post the link http://www.aoteapacific.co.nz/default.html

Do a bit of research elsewhere, there is some journal that has done scientific studies on it and seems like it could be effective, but I really think my skin is beyond repair now.