Topical 0.03% Atropine vs. 15% aluminum chloride in treating multiple eccrine hidrocystomas: a randomized single blind controlled study

Multiple eccrine hidrocystomas pose a significant treatment challenge due to their facial location and tendency to scar after traditional surgical and other destructive modalities.

To compare two frequently used non-destructive therapeutic modalities.

Thirty patients with multiple eccrine hidrocystomas were enrolled in the study. They used topical 0.03% Atropine cream and 15% AlCl(3) solution on left and right sides of their face randomly for 4 weeks. All the patients were visited before commencing the therapy as well as two and four weeks later by a dermatologist, blinded to the drugs and the number of lesions.

Twenty nine patients (25 females, four males) completed the study. The mean reduction in the number of lesions was significantly higher with Atropine cream in comparison with AlCl(3) solution, 10.2+/-7.4 vs. 6.2+/-5.3 (P < 0.05). There were no recurrences after three months follow-up in both groups.

It seems that both Atropine and AlCl(3) are useful therapies in eccrine hidrocytomas but the former might be more effective. We think that other randomized clinical trials with larger sample sizes are needed.