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Body News

Your Hair on Drugs

Your Hair on Drugs Age, genetics, stress, and smoking have all been implicated as causes of gray hair. A study in Archives of Dermatology identifies another culprit: substance abuse. A doctor in Brisbane, Australia, A. Stuart Reece, sampled hair from 196 patients who had a history of addiction to drugs or alcohol and 79 others who did not. He found that 53 percent of the addicts had substantial gray hair, versus only 16 percent of the nonaddicts (the average age for both groups was the early 30s). Drugs and alcohol may damage stem cells that make hair pigment. Though it isn't known how much alcohol is safe, Reece says, he speculates that "women drinking more than two drinks each day may be in the toxic zone."

Body News

Acne-Fighting Advance

Acne-Fighting Advance Acne can usually be treated with a combination of benzoyl peroxide plus antibiotics, but prolonged use can lead to antibiotic resistance. A new combination product in development avoids that problem. Doctors assigned 26 patients with mild to moderate acne to apply benzoyl peroxide plus butenifine (an antifungal agent that activates benzoyl peroxide) or only benzoyl peroxide for eight weeks. The patients who used the combination treatment had significantly greater reductions in blackheads, acne lesions, acne severity, and facial oiliness than did the ones who used just benzoyl peroxide. (Overall, the combination group had ...