Five recent developments highlight Acne Awareness Month

June is Acne Awareness Month.

Recent developments reported on Healio.com/Dermatology include research finding that Epiduo Forte Gel displayed significantly greater efficacy when compared with vehicle in treating patients with moderate-to-severe acne, and that a new regimen, called CoMMPlete, effectively reduced acne among a cohort of student athletes:

High glycemic index, load values seen in patients with acne

High glycemic index and glycemic load values and low adiponectin levels were associated with acne vulgaris, according to recent study results published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Aslı Aksu Çerman, MD, from the dermatology department at Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul, and colleagues measured the glycemic index values, glycemic load values, milk consumption, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3, fasting glucose and adiponectin of 50 patients with acne vulgaris and 36 healthy controls. Read more

Epiduo Forte Gel shows efficacy in treating moderate-to-severe acne

Epiduo Forte Gel displayed significantly greater efficacy and had a good safety profile when compared with vehicle in treating patients with moderate-to-severe acne, according to published study results.

Linda Stein Gold

“There is an important need for antibiotic-free, topical treatments in managing moderate-to-severe inflammatory acne,” researcher Linda Stein Gold, MD, of the department of dermatology, Henry Ford Medical Center, Detroit, told Healio.com/Dermatology. Read more

BioPharmX completes enrollment in study of topical minocycline gel to treat acne

BiopharmX Corp. recently announced in a press release that it has completed enrollment in a phase 2a study of BPX-01, a novel topical minocycline gel to treat acne.

“This research is important in the dermatology community, which has been searching for an effective alternative to current oral antibiotic acne treatments,” AnnMarie Daniels, executive vice president of clinical and regulatory affairs for BioPharmX, stated in the release. “Our preclinical tests show the potential of PBX-01, which we believe may be able to offer dermatologists a safe, effective treatment for one of the most common skin conditions in the world.” Read more

Cleansing regimen reduces acne in student athletes

WASHINGTON — A new regimen, called CoMMPlete, effectively reduced acne among a cohort of student athletes, according to data presented at the 2016 American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting.

“Cleansing, medicating, moisturizing, and photoprotection comprise a complete acne vulgaris (AV) management regimen,” Brian B. Adams, MD, MPH, professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “However, complete topical AV treatment regimen investigations in adolescent student athletes are scarce.” Read more

Misconceptions may lead to stigmatization of patients with acne

WASHINGTON — Images of acne were upsetting to healthy people, with more than half of study participants believing that acne was caused by poor hygiene, and half believing it was contagious, according to research presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting.

Alexa Boer Kimball

“Acne is a very visible condition, and it affects many patients during adolescence, when they’re especially vulnerable,” researcher Alexa Boer Kimball, MD, MPH, FAAD, director of the Clinical Unit for Research Trials and Outcomes in Skin and professor of dermatology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, said in a press release. “When acne persist into adulthood, so can its effects on self-esteem, which may create difficulty for patients in work and social situations.” Read more