Orion March 2015 | Page 10

chemistry

march 2015

BY annie chang

Got Acne?

Nanoparticles Have a Solution

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Researchers at UC Santa Barbara and the pharmacological company Sebacia are using the latest in nanotechnology to combat an old problem: acne. An uncomely hallmark of adolescence, acne is a widely prevalent yet poorly researched disease. This newly developed therapy uses a low-frequency ultrasound to push tiny gold-coated silica particles--which are about one hundred times smaller than the width of a human hair--through the follicles and into the sebaceous glands.

The gold shells interact with the specific wavelengths of light from lasers to convert the light into heat. The heated particles deactivate the sebaceous glands by inducing a phenomenon called selective photothermolysis. Then the

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image sources

Science Daily

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Science Daily