Severe Nodulocystic Acne not Responding to Isotretinoin Therapy Successfully Treated with Oral Dapsone

Nodulocystic acne is a severe form of acne which can result in significant damage to the skin with great impact on quality of life. Oral isotretinoin considered to be the best treatment for such cases. Although it has a high rate of success and its efficacy is well established in the treatment of nodulocystic acne, it may occasionally fail to control the disease. We report a case of a patient who presented to our skin clinic with severe facial nodulocystic acne in which treatment with isotretinoin failed to achieve disease control and caused worsening of his baseline condition. Therefore, oral dapsone was administered as an alternative treatment, and we reached a complete remission of acne lesions within six months. Oral dapsone could be an adequate and safe drug in severe acne, and it might also be a promising and hopeful alternative treatment for nodulocystic acne when isotretinoin fails.