A study of the efficacy of cleansers for acne vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Acne treatments are sometimes expensive, and mild acne patients need some simpler form of treatment and, thus, the need for easier and cheaper ways of managing acne is increasing.

METHODS: An 8-week, double-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted to determine whether cleansers are effective at producing clinical improvements in patients with acne vulgaris. A total of 13 acne patients applied cleanser A to one half of the face and cleanser B (cleanser A plus triclosan, salicylic acid, and azelaic acid) to the other half, twice daily.

RESULTS: The numbers of inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions decreased on both sides. A rebound tendency was noted for cleanser A with respect to inflammatory lesions at 4 weeks post-discontinuation, whereas inflammatory lesions continued to decrease on sides treated with cleanser B during this period. However, non-inflammatory lesion counts were not significantly different in the two groups. Though patients were generally satisfied with both treatments, they were more satisfied with cleanser B. Moreover, histopathologic examinations showed a profound decrease in inflammatory reactions in the cleanser B group.

CONCLUSION: These results show that acne cleansers reduced both inflammatory and non-inflammatory acne lesion counts, and might be helpful for acne treatment.