Salicylic acid-containing dermocosmetic effective as adjunct to benzoyl peroxide for acne
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Key takeaways:
- After 3 months, both groups reached efficacy outcomes; however, the DC group used less BPO (P = .0001).
- 80% of the DC group achieved “good” and “excellent” ratings vs. 59% in the vehicle group (P = .02).
A dermocosmetic containing salicylic acid may be used as an adjunct therapy to benzoyl peroxide to reduce the negative effects of prolonged benzoyl peroxide use, according to a study.
“With acne being a chronic disease, maintenance care is currently recommended to avoid flare-ups of the condition,” Amir Khammari, MD, of Nantes University, University of Angers, Central Hospital University of Nantes, National Institute of Health and Medical Research and the French National Center for Scientific Research in France, and colleagues wrote.
While benzoyl peroxide (BPO) is a standard treatment for acne, long-term use may result in unwanted adverse events, such as skin irritations and allergies. Khammari and colleagues speculated that a dermocosmetic (DC) formulation containing salicylic acid may be able to reduce BPO exposure while maintaining positive results by acting as an adjunct treatment.
In this single center, randomized, double-blind study, the authors evaluated the efficacy of DC compared with a vehicle applied every day, as well as BPO every other day, for 3 months in 100 patients with mild to moderate acne. The study also evaluated DC as a maintenance therapy post BPO treatment as compared with vehicle for another 3 months.
After 3 months of treatment, both groups reached efficacy outcomes; however, the DC group used significantly less BPO (P = .0001). According to investigator ratings, 80% of the DC group achieved “good” and “excellent” ratings compared with 59% in the vehicle group (P = .02).
While the DC group continued to improve throughout the 12-week post-treatment period, patients in the vehicle group experienced relapses and other symptoms. The mean inflammatory lesion count of the DC group decreased from 5.58 ± 4.85 to 3.55 ± 5.23, whereas the inflammatory lesion count of the vehicle group increased from 5.64 ± 4.6 to 6.98 ± 5.44 (P < .0001 for both).
According to global tolerance scores, 100% of the patients in the DC groups reported tolerability vs. 96% in the vehicle group.
“The tested DC in adjunct to BPO [every other day] had the same efficacy as BPO [every day], allowing less use of BPO without any impact on acne efficacy,” the authors concluded. “Used in monotherapy as a maintenance post BPO, DC proved its superior efficacy vs. vehicle, with good tolerance.”
Collapse
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts