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Acres of Skin: The Cost of Scientifc Innovation Written By Cynthia Schneider Designed By Phuong Ngo
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ome of the greatest scientific advancements of the last century have been at the expense of ethics. The famous HeLa cells were extracted from an unconsenting African-American woman with cancer, but now polio is almost entirely eradicated. Even a former University of Pennsylvania dermatologist, researcher, and scientific pioneer in dermatology, Albert Kligman, performed unethical experiments on African-American prisoners for years. However, these experiments propagated a revolutionary antiaging/acne prescription known as Retin-A. Retin-A is a commonly used topical prescription medication within a group of chemicals made of vitamin A known as retinoids, including Retin-A and retinol (a slower-acting retinoid for skincare treatment)1. The skincare and the anti-aging industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that relies on the wonders of these products like Retin-A that was discovered by Albert Kligman. Kligman’s 1986 study titled “Topical tretinoin for photoaged skin” detailed how 0.05% topical tretinoin, which is Retin-A, heals sun-damaged and acne-prone skin2. Kligman’s work determined that tretinoin could be used to aid those with damaged skin because of its properties of repairing skin, removing any atypical tissues, forming collagen, increasing newly formed small vessels in the dermis, and reducing precancerous sites2. Kligman mentions multiple times throughout the manuscript the difference in the skin between white and black subjects, which
we now understand was the black prisoners used in many of his studies in the 20th century. His work gave rise to dermatology becoming a more respected and researched scientific field. He published over a hundred papers detailing other retinoic acid effects such as acne progression, herpes simplex, the human hair cycle, or simply testing the effects of different products on the skin (shampoos, deodorants, drugs, etc.). This wealth of data Kligman acquired during his time as a researcher transformed the field3. He invented Retin-A, which is still widely regarded as an effective prescription for those with acne, wrinkly skin, or damaged skin (sundamaged, precancerous, etc.). He conducted most of his infamous experiments at Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia in what is now known as “The Holmesburg Prison Experiments”. While his contributions to the skincare industry cannot go unnoticed, his data was from prisoners who did not give informed consent, a concept in medical ethics where test subjects are required to have sufficient information to make a
Spring 2022 | PENNSCIENCE JOURNAL 31
