If my atopic skin is due to genetic abnormalities, how can it be healed?

It is reported that some patients with atopic dermatitis have genetic abnormalities.

On the other hand, atopic dermatitis can be healed naturally in many patients. If the disease is due to genetic abnormalities, why can it be healed naturally?

For example, filaggrin, one of major proteins consisting horny layer, is reported to be genetically abnormal in considerable percentage of patients. 

 

The above figure shows the filaggrin gene. Red parts indicate point mutations identified in considerable number of patients with atopic dermatitis. Atopic patients of different nation (European and Japanese) have different points of mutation.

The part From 1 to 11 means repeated genes. It is reported that several patients have shortage of this copy.

Dr. McGrath in King’s college wrote an interesting comment in the following article.

Profilaggrin, Dry Skin, and Atopic Dermatitis Risk: Size Matters. McGrath JA ; J Invest Dermatol 132: 10-11

His opinion is rather optimistic and encouraging. He wrote that there must exist some mechanism by which human genes recover its mutation or shortage of copy according to some experiments. In the experiments, mice treated by ursolic acid or oleanolic acid increased filaggrin in their skin. So he thinks there must be some recovery mechanism.

Ursolic acid or oleanolic acid are contained in Rosemary oil which is an ingredient of commonly available cosmetics.

Simultaneous effect of ursolic acid and oleanolic acid on epidermal permeability barrier function and epidermal keratinocyte differentiation via peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-alpha. Lin SW ; J Dermatol 34:625–34

There is another interesting report about coal tar. As I have already refered, coal tar has been long used to calm eczema empirically. Dr. Ellen in Nederland revealed one of its mechanisms is increase of filaggrin in the corneal layer.

Coal tar induces AHR-dependent skin barrier repair in atopic dermatitis J Clin Invest. 2013 February 1; 123(2): 917–927.

The mechanism how these work to abnormal genes and up-regulate filaggrin production is still unclear. But anyway, there seem to be some useful materials in the world working to compensate for incomplete genes. People might say such a way of healing due to some unnoticed extrinsic supplementation as the “natural healing”.

So there is enough hope if your atopic dermatitis is associated with genetic abnormalities. There must exist something to compensate for them.

Or it may only the time that compensates for genetic insufficiency. Recently in one skin disease, though not atopic dermatitis, self-healing mechanism has been revealed.

Mitotic recombination in patients with ichthyosis causes reversion of dominant mutations in KRT10. Choate KA,et al Science. 2010 Oct 1;330(6000):94-7. doi:10.1126/science.1192280. Epub 2010 Aug 26.

The disease has been known to develop patchy improvement as the patient becomes old. Recent study about the patient's chromosome revealed that gene recombination occurred in such an improved area.

Schema : Usual cell division. Plus marked gene means normal while pentagram means abnormal.

Gene recombination happens to occur and normal cell (white) appears suddenly as the patient becomes old.

So in this disease, without any extrinsic factor, self-healing occurs as the time simply passes.

Sometimes you might be depressed by the news that another gene abnormality was detected relating with atopic dermatitis. Remember that it never means you are not incurable. Medical research never exist to make any patients disappointed.

Believe your own internal power of self-healing and the existence of something which lead you to thr natural healing. Atopic dermatitis was regarded as one of self-healing or naturally healing diseases. The substance has never changed.

 

Sorry, the comment column is not available now. But the author believes readers can find some hints to overcome their own situations by the previous comments.