A study appearing in Clinical and Experimental Dermatology (2006; 31(3): 430-3) compared 100 subjects who were recently diagnosed with acne with 100 healthy controls. The vitamin A level in the acne group averaged 336.5 mug/L compared to 418 mug/L in the control group. The authors also found a strong correlation between low levels of vitamin A and the severity of the condition. Vitamin E levels were also lower in the acne group than in the control group (5.4 vs. 5.9 mg/L). The authors of the study came to the conclusion that low plasma levels of vitamin A and E have an important role in the pathogenesis of acne.