A study of the efficacy of cleansers for acne vulgaris

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.

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.

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.

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