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Oral contraceptives rival antibiotic treatment of acne lesions at 6 months

In a publication review of 32 randomized trials, researchers found that although antibiotics may have a therapeutic advantage over oral contraceptives at 3 months, by 6 months, oral contraceptives offered reductions in overall acne lesions similar to antibiotics.

When researchers quantified all lesion data, at 3 months, both antibiotics and oral contraceptives (OCPs) caused a greater percentage reduction in inflammatory, noninflammatory and total lesions than placebo. However, 3 months of antibiotic treatment was statistically superior to 3 months of treatment with OCPs for percent reduction of total lesions (53.2% vs. 35.6%), according to the researchers.

Although 6 months of antibiotics did not offer a greater percent reduction compared with 3 months of antibiotics, 6 months of treatment with OCPs was found to be superior to 3 months of OCPs in reducing total lesions, at 55% vs. 37.3%, respectively.

Both antibiotics and OCPs used as monotherapy are effective against acne vulgaris. However, because OCPs were equivalent to antibiotics in reducing acne lesions at 6 months, OCPs may be a better first-line treatment alternative for longer-term management, according to the researchers.