How to contact us. Contact for patients. Contact for media inquiries. Together with many other types of bacteria, the skin bacterium Cutibacterium acnes acts as a protective film for a healthy skin climate, also in the shoulder area. Yet the acne bacterium has two sides: on the one hand, it protects the skin β apart from on the face of pubescent adolescents β on the other hand, it can trigger inflammations and complications in subcutaneous tissue.
They are detected at the source of infection during the necessary follow-up operations. Thorough disinfection of the surgical site and antibiotic treatment are evidently unable to prevent their penetration. However, if commercial acne cream is generously applied to the relevant shoulder every evening for a week before the operation, these acne bacteria no longer penetrate as far as the shoulder joint capsule.
This was the finding of a recent study conducted among 60 patients at Balgrist University Hospital. Two properties are critical for determining whether the acne bacteria can get as far as the joint capsule.
Firstly, they primarily colonize sebaceous glands in the lower skin layer, especially around the hair root, and thus avoid surface skin disinfection. Secondly, they protect themselves with an antibiotic-resistant shell.
Ines Unterfrauner , first-time author of the studies. The commercial acne cream selected for the study was proven to be effective because it contains two highly effective substances: the antibacterial substance benzoyl peroxide and the antifungal agent miconazole nitrate that, according to laboratory studies, also successfully eliminates antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
