Acne Treatment (acne + treatment)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Practical Considerations in Acne Treatment and the Clinical Impact of Topical Combination Therapy

PEDIATRIC DERMATOLOGY, Issue 2008
Andrew C. Krakowski M.D.
The effects of acne are profound both physically and psychosocially across all age groups and ethnicities; therefore, prompt recognition and appropriate treatment are critical. Pharmacotherapeutic approaches range from simple monotherapy to multimodal treatments with a variety of topical and systemic agents. Optimal patient outcomes in acne management, however, are based both on treatment efficacy as well as overall patient satisfaction. In an effort to comprehensively address these key clinical considerations in acne management, we examine the diverse nature of acne patients, the factors in optimizing treatment outcomes, and the clinical impact of current medications, particularly topical combination therapy. [source]


A rapid method to clinically assess the effect of an anti-acne formulation

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE, Issue 1 2010
N. Muizzuddin
J. Cosmet. Sci., 60, 25,29 (January/February 2009) Synopsis Historically, clinical evaluation of acne treatment has been based on direct visual assessment and the counting of lesions over a period of several weeks of treatment. However, with advancing technology there has been ever-increasing speed in the effectiveness of these treatments. To successfully assess these faster treatments, acne pathology needs to be evaluated in a shorter time frame. The object of these studies was to develop techniques to evaluate individual acne lesions in a shorter time frame and to assess speedier treatment technologies. Ten healthy volunteers with acne lesions on their upper backs were recruited for the study. Two inflamed acne lesions were selected for each treatment, along with lesions to be left untreated, on each volunteer. Each lesion was marked, photographed, and visually graded. A skin surface microscope (Scopeman) was used to visualize size and to grade the lesions by two experts every day for five days. The sites were treated once a day for the course of the study. There was a remarkable reduction in the size and erythema of acne lesions after treatment with the acne formulation as compared to the untreated and vehicle-treated lesions. Individual lesions, both treated and untreated, appeared resolved in 14 days. This resolution can be noticeably accelerated by topical treatments. We have developed a simple and faster clinical method to evaluate the effects of topical anti-acne technology. [source]


Acne's relationship with psychiatric and psychological morbidity: results of a school-based cohort study of adolescents

JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY & VENEREOLOGY, Issue 1 2010
PJ Magin
Abstract Background, There is a considerable number of studies linking acne with psychological and psychiatric morbidities, although this literature is not entirely consistent and is largely cross-sectional in methodology. Objective, This study aims to establish the relationship of acne and psychological and psychiatric morbidity in adolescents in a community setting and, via a longitudinal methodology, provide evidence for causality in the relationship. Methods, The study was a 12-month cohort study. Two hundred and forty-four students in Years 8, 9 and 11 (ages 14,17) at four Australian high schools were assessed at baseline 6 months and 12 months. Presence and severity of acne were assessed, along with a number of psychological and psychiatric morbidities and personality traits (depression, anxiety, overall psychiatric morbidity, self-consciousness, neuroticism and introversion/extraversion) and other demographic variables. Results, Of the 244 participating students, 209 (86%) completed all three rounds of data collection. A further 26 (11%) completed two rounds. The study failed to demonstrate an association of the presence of acne or of acne severity with the examined measures of psychological and psychiatric morbidity, and no evidence for an effect of acne in their causation. Conclusion, The relationship of acne and psychological morbidities found in previous health care settings was not found in this community sample. This may be due to differences between community and clinical acne populations. Other possible reasons for this finding are attenuation of psychological morbidity in subjects in this study by successful acne treatment, and the role of personality traits in the complex relationship between acne and psychological morbidities. It is suggested that this relationship would be best investigated by means of longer-term cohort studies enlisting subjects at an zearly age, prior to the onset of acne. [source]


Blue and red light combination LED phototherapy for acne vulgaris in patients with skin phototype IV

LASERS IN SURGERY AND MEDICINE, Issue 2 2007
Seung Yoon Lee MD
Abstract Background and Objectives Blue light is effective for acne treatment, inducing photodynamic destruction of Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes). This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of combined blue and red light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy for acne vulgaris. Materials and Methods Twenty-four patients with mild to moderately severe facial acne were treated with quasimonochromatic LED devices, alternating blue (415 nm) and red (633 nm) light. The treatment was performed twice a week for 4 weeks. Objective assays of the skin condition were carried out before and after treatment at each treatment session. Clinical assessments were conducted before treatment, after the 2nd, 4th, and 6th treatment sessions and at 2, 4, and 8 weeks after the final treatment by grading and lesion counting. Results The final mean percentage improvements in non-inflammatory and inflammatory lesions were 34.28% and 77.93%, respectively. Instrumental measurements indicated that the melanin levels significantly decreased after treatment. Brightened skin tone and improved skin texture were spontaneously reported by 14 patients. Conclusion Blue and red light combination LED phototherapy is an effective, safe and non-painful treatment for mild to moderately severe acne vulgaris, particularly for papulopustular acne lesions. Lasers Surg. Med. 39:180,188, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Effects of skin care and makeup under instructions from dermatologists on the quality of life of female patients with acne vulgaris

THE JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 11 2006
Yoshie MATSUOKA
ABSTRACT Acne vulgaris significantly affects patients' quality of life (QOL) and their lives in various ways, including social behavior and body dissatisfaction. This may be heightened by acne's typical involvement of the face. We investigated whether the use of skin care and makeup could influence the QOL of affected patients without deteriorating conventional acne treatments. Fifty female patients with acne were recruited for our study. Twenty-five patients were instructed how to use skin care and cosmetics, while 25 patients received no specific instructions from dermatologists. Both groups received conventional topical and/or oral medication for acne during the study period for 4 weeks. Both groups did not show any significant difference in clinical improvement of acne severity. Two validated QOL questionnaires, World Health Organization (WHO)QOL26 and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) were administered to all patients at first visit and 4 weeks later. The mean scores of psychological and overall domains in WHOQOL26 for patients with instructions were improved significantly, while only the overall score was significantly improved for patients without instructions. The total mean scores and all domains except work/school in DLQI for patients with instructions were improved significantly, while the total scores and all domains except discomfort for treatment in DLQI were significantly improved for patients without instructions. Thus, instructions on the use of skin care and cosmetics for female acne patients did not deteriorate acne treatment and influenced patients' QOL effectively. We therefore suggest that instructions for using skin care and cosmetics complement conventional medical treatments for acne. [source]


Continued occurrence of Accutane® -exposed pregnancies ,

BIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH, Issue 3 2001
M.A. Honein
Background Accutane® a teratogenic prescription drug licensed to treat severe, recalcitrant nodular acne. First-trimester pregnancy exposure can cause major birth defects. The manufacturer began a Pregnancy Prevention Program (PPP) in 1988; however, exposed pregnancies continue to occur. In 1996, the manufacturer began a direct-to-consumer advertising campaign, raising concerns of more exposed pregnancies. Methods We examined trends in Accutane use by reproductive-aged women. We also interviewed a series of 14 women in California who had recent Accutane-exposed pregnancies to identify opportunities for prevention. Results The estimated number of Accutane prescriptions for reproductive-aged women has more than doubled in the past 10 years; it is the most widely used teratogenic drug in the United States, with approximately 2.5 per 1,000 reproductive-aged women exposed to Accutane in 1999. One-half of the women interviewed reported seeing an advertisement for prescription acne treatment before taking Accutane. Eight of the 14 women used no contraception at the time of the exposed pregnancy; 13 of the 14 women did not use two forms of contraception. Four of the 14 women did not have pregnancy tests before starting Accutane. None reported seeing all PPP components, and four saw only the information on the pill packet. These 14 pregnancies resulted in four live infants who had no apparent birth defects, one live-born infant with multiple defects, four spontaneous abortions, and five induced abortions. Conclusions The increase in Accutane use observed among females may be exacerbated by advertising. Physicians and patients must use more caution with teratogenic prescription drugs. Teratology 64:142,147, 2001. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Effects of skin care and makeup under instructions from dermatologists on the quality of life of female patients with acne vulgaris

THE JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 11 2006
Yoshie MATSUOKA
ABSTRACT Acne vulgaris significantly affects patients' quality of life (QOL) and their lives in various ways, including social behavior and body dissatisfaction. This may be heightened by acne's typical involvement of the face. We investigated whether the use of skin care and makeup could influence the QOL of affected patients without deteriorating conventional acne treatments. Fifty female patients with acne were recruited for our study. Twenty-five patients were instructed how to use skin care and cosmetics, while 25 patients received no specific instructions from dermatologists. Both groups received conventional topical and/or oral medication for acne during the study period for 4 weeks. Both groups did not show any significant difference in clinical improvement of acne severity. Two validated QOL questionnaires, World Health Organization (WHO)QOL26 and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) were administered to all patients at first visit and 4 weeks later. The mean scores of psychological and overall domains in WHOQOL26 for patients with instructions were improved significantly, while only the overall score was significantly improved for patients without instructions. The total mean scores and all domains except work/school in DLQI for patients with instructions were improved significantly, while the total scores and all domains except discomfort for treatment in DLQI were significantly improved for patients without instructions. Thus, instructions on the use of skin care and cosmetics for female acne patients did not deteriorate acne treatment and influenced patients' QOL effectively. We therefore suggest that instructions for using skin care and cosmetics complement conventional medical treatments for acne. [source]


A randomized, single-blind comparison of topical clindamycin + benzoyl peroxide and adapalene in the treatment of mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris

BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 1 2008
A. Langner
Summary Background, Antibiotics are often combined with other agents to provide topical acne treatments that are effective against both inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions and minimize the development of antibiotic resistance. Retinoids and associated treatments also have anti-inflammatory activity and decrease microcomedo formation. To date, few direct comparisons of these different acne treatments have been conducted. Objectives, To compare the clinical effectiveness of two treatments for facial acne: a ready-mixed once-daily gel containing clindamycin phosphate 10 mg mL,1 + benzoyl peroxide 50 mg mL,1 (CDP + BPO; Duac®; Stiefel, High Wycombe, U.K.) and a once-daily gel containing adapalene 0·1% (ADA; Differin®; Galderma, Watford, U.K.). Methods, In this assessor-blind, randomized study; 65 patients were treated with CDP + BPO once daily and 65 patients with ADA once daily. The treatment period was 12 weeks and lesion counts, acne grade and global improvement were assessed at weeks 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12. Results, CDP + BPO showed an earlier onset of action with a faster significant reduction in inflammatory and total lesion counts than ADA. A between-group comparison of the percentage change from baseline showed that CDP + BPO was statistically significantly superior to ADA from week 1 onwards both for inflammatory lesions (P , 0·001) and for total lesions (P , 0·004). While 76% of inflammatory lesions remained at week 2 for patients using ADA, in contrast, only 55% of inflammatory lesions remained at week 2 in the CDP + BPO group, resulting in a treatment effect of 1·38. Thus CDP + BPO removed 38% more inflammatory lesions than ADA at this timepoint. The trend in favour of CDP + BPO, although less marked, continued to the end of the study. CDP + BPO was better tolerated than ADA, with a greater proportion of ADA-treated patients experiencing treatment-related adverse events. Adjunctive topical or oral agents and their impact on acne were not studied in this trial. Due to product differences, this study could not be double blinded but was only single (assessor) blinded. Conclusions, CDP + BPO and ADA are both effective treatments for acne, but CDP + BPO has a significantly earlier onset of action, is significantly more effective against inflamed and total lesions and is better tolerated, which should improve patient compliance. [source]


Topical aminolaevulinic acid-photodynamic therapy for the treatment of acne vulgaris: a study of clinical efficacy and mechanism of action

BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2004
B. Pollock
Summary Background, ,Acne affects 83,95% of 16-year-olds of both sexes, and many seek help from a clinician. Emerging problems with conventional acne treatments, specifically antibiotic resistance of Propionibacterium acnes and fears over the safety and tolerance of oral isotretinoin, create a demand for novel treatment modalities in acne. Objectives, To study the efficacy of aminolaevulinic acid-photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) in the treatment of acne and to identify the mode of action, looking specifically at the effects on surface numbers of P. acnes and on sebum excretion. Methods, ,Ten patients (nine men and one woman, age range 16,40 years) with mild to moderate acne on their backs were recruited. Each patient's back was marked with four 30-cm2 areas of equal acne severity. Each site was then randomly allocated to either ALA-PDT treatment, light alone, ALA alone or an untreated control site. At baseline, numbers of inflammatory and noninflammatory acne lesions were counted, sebum excretion measured by Sebutapes (CuDerm, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.) and surface P. acnes swabs performed. ALA cream (20% in Unguentum Merck) was applied under occlusion to the ALA-PDT and ALA alone sites for 3 h. Red light from a diode laser was then delivered to the ALA-PDT and light alone sites (635 nm, 25 mW cm,2, 15 J cm,2). Each patient was treated weekly for 3 weeks. At each visit acne lesion counts were performed and 3 weeks following the last treatment sebum excretion rates and P. acnes swabs were repeated. Results, There was a statistically significant reduction in inflammatory acne lesion counts from baseline after the second treatment at the ALA-PDT site but not at any of the other sites. No statistically significant reduction in P. acnes numbers or sebum excretion was demonstrated at any sites including the ALA-PDT site. Conclusions, ALA-PDT is capable of clinically improving acne. An alternative mode of action for ALA-PDT other than direct damage to sebaceous glands or photodynamic killing of P. acnes is suggested from the results of this study. [source]