Complementary and alternative medicine treatments for common skin diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments are growing in popularity as alternative treatments for common skin conditions.

OBJECTIVES

To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the tolerability and treatment response to CAM treatments in acne, atopic dermatitis (AD), and psoriasis.

METHODS

PubMed/Medline and Embase databases were searched to identify eligible studies measuring the effects of CAM in acne, AD, and psoriasis. Effect size with 95% confidence interval (CI) was estimated using the random-effect model.

RESULTS

The search yielded 417 articles; 40 studies met the inclusion criteria. The quantitative results of CAM treatment showed a standard mean difference (SMD) of 3.78 (95% CI [-0.01, 7.57]) and 0.58 (95% CI [-6.99, 8.15]) in the acne total lesion count, a SMD of -0.70 (95% CI [-1.19, -0.21]) in the eczema area and severity index score and a SMD of 0.94 (95% CI [-0.83, 2.71]) in the scoring of atopic dermatitis score for AD, and a SMD of 3.04 (95% CI [-0.35, 6.43]) and 5.16 (95% CI [-0.52, 10.85]) in the Psoriasis Area Severity Index score for psoriasis.

LIMITATIONS: Differences between the study designs, sample sizes, outcome measures, and treatment durations limit the generalizability of data.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on our quantitative findings we conclude that there is insufficient evidence to support the efficacy and the recommendation of CAM for acne, AD, and psoriasis.