Chloracne is rarely an acne-like disease caused with strong toxic chemicals such as dioxins. It develops several months after ingestion, inhalation or contact with an appropriate agent.
Most cases occur due to chronic exposure but can also occur after an accidental release of toxins into the environment. One hundred and ninety-three cases of chloracne were reported during an industrial accident in Seveso, Italy in 1976. Deliberate administration of dioxin venom was reported to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushshenko, who changed the appearance of his facial skin in September 2004. year.
President Viktor Yushchenko, December 2004 TIME South Pacific, with permission
What are the causes of chloracne?
Chloracne is caused by exposure to halogen aromatic hydrocarbons that are most commonly found in
• Fungicides
• Insecticides
• Herbicides
• Forest protection products
Chloracnesis the most common skin sign of dioxin poisoning. Suitable chemicals include:
• Chlornaphthalene
• Polychlorbiphenyls
• Polychlorinated dibenzofurantoin
• Chlorophenol contaminants
• Trifluoromethyls
• Pyrazole derivatives
• Chlorobenzene
What are the basic features of chloracne?
Features of chloracne are:
• Open and closed comedones (whiteheads and blackheads)
• Uninflamed nodules and cysts
Where do they most often appear?
They are most often seen on the cheeks, behind the ear, in the armpits and in the groin. Although they look like acne, the skin is usually not oily, in fact the sebaceous glands are usually smaller than usual.
Are there any other skin manifestations of chloracne?
Other skin problems seen in patients with chloracna include:
• Sweaty palms and feet (hyperhidrosis)
• Porphyria cutanea tarda (pigmentation, increased hair growth and blisters on exposed skin).
Can other health problems occur?
Other health problems may include:
• Abnormal liverfunction
• Fatigue(sleep disorder)
• Nervous system disorders (short-term peripheral neuropathy, encephalopathy manifested by poor concentration and depression)
• High levels of circulating blood fats (hyperlipidemia)
• Impotence
• Type 2 diabetes
Associations with other health problems and birth defects are contradictory.
How are they treated?
Long-term cases can be treated with standard topical acne treatment and with oral antibiotictherapy and sometimes with isotrethionine(a derivative of vitamin A). Comedones and cysts can be cauterized.
Conclusion
In Chloracne, the source of the poisoning must be identified and the affected persons and other workers must be removed from the site. If they occur due to chemical exposure in the workplace, they are the subject of research and belong to occupational diseases.
Most chloracne lesions disappearwithin two years after exposure to the chemicals ceases. In some cases, they persist much longer due to the contamination of fat cells with toxins from where they are released more slowly.
For My doctor Perica Ante dr. Med. dermatovenerologist
Keywords:
Klorakne, dioksin, Saves, Viktor Yuschenko, antibiotici, izotretionin
Interesting facts:
Nearly two thousand people developed acne after chronic exposure to cooking oil contaminated with PCBsIPCDFspoisons in the city of Kyushu, Japan in 1968. The syndrome is called Yusho disease. Eleven years later, a similar case of major cooking oil contamination occurred in central Taiwan when more than 2,000 people were affected.
In short: Chloracne is an occupational disease, and has been the subject of accidental or intentional dioxin poisoning. substances containing halogenated aromatic carbohydrates. Their specificity is that, unlike real acne, their skin is not oily. They are treated in the same way as other acne.
