This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Trichloroacetic acid, salicylic acid effectively treated acne in darker skin

Chemical peels using 25% trichloroacetic acid and 30% salicylic acid were both effective in treating acne in adults with darker skin types, according to study results.

Researchers studied 20 adults (17 women) with mild-to-moderate facial acne vulgaris and Fitzpatrick skin types 3 to 5 who underwent chemical peeling with trichloroacetic acid 25% (TCA) on the right side of their face and 30% salicylic acid on the left half of the face at 2-week intervals for 2 months.

Nineteen patients (95%) experienced improvement of total lesions of acne vulgaris with salicylic acid peeling compared with 17 patients (85%) with the TCA treatment. TCA peeling resulted in more frequent total comedones improvement (80%) compared with salicylic acid (70%). However, salicylic acid treatment resulted in more frequent improvement in inflammatory lesions (85%) compared with TCA peeling (80%). While the treatments led to statistically significant improvements in comedones, inflammatory lesions and the total number of lesions before and after treatment, there was no statistically significant difference between the two treatments.

“This study … demonstrates that both peels are successful for the treatment of moderate and mild acne in [Fitzpatrick skin types 3 to 5] without complication,” the researchers concluded. “The 25% TCA peel is superior in treating comedonal lesions, while the 30% salicylic acid peel is superior in treating inflammatory lesions.” – by Bruce Thiel

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.