Acne vaccine comes closer to reality

London : A cure for acne may have been found in the form of a vaccine, according to a team of scientists.

Acne is one of the most common skin conditions. According to the NHS around 80 percent of people aged 11 to 30 are affected by the disorder.

Lead researcher Eric C. Huange said, "Acne is caused, in part, by P. acnes bacteria that are with you your whole life and we couldn't create a vaccine for the bacteria because, in some ways, P. acnes are good for you," the Daily Star reported.

He added, "But we found an antibody to a toxic protein that P. acnes bacteria secrete on skin - the protein is associated with the inflammation that leads to acne."

Eric's team at the University of California San Diego have developed a vaccine that will block the acne-causing effects of the bacteria without harming the benefits of bacteria.

So far the vaccine has been tested on skin biopsies from acne patients which have produced good results.

The next steps will be clinical trials and will hopefully make the vaccine public within the next couple of years.