TITLE:
Effective Skin Care Guidance for Patients with Acne Vulgaris after Standard Treatment
AUTHORS:
Katsuko Kikuchi, Yumi Murakami, Haruna Sato, Ryoko Yamashita, Yumiko Saya, Ichiko Morino, Rikako Uchino, Hiroshi Matsunaka
KEYWORDS:
Acne Vulgaris, Skin Care, Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation, Post-Inflammatory Erythema, Quality of Life
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Cosmetics, Dermatological Sciences and Applications,
Vol.13 No.4,
December
29,
2023
ABSTRACT: With the
introduction of new drugs, the treatment of acne vulgaris has improved
dramatically; however, there remains a considerable gap between treatment
outcomes and patients’ treatment goals. This study aimed to determine whether dermatologists’ guidance on appropriate
skincare for skin symptoms such as
post-inflammatory erythema and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), which
are not covered by acne treatment, leads to an improvement in patients’ skin condition and patient satisfaction. Japanese
women who had completed standard treatment for acne vulgaris and those with
mild symptoms not requiring treatment were included in the study. The
participants received instructions about skin care at the beginning of the
study, which they continued to apply for 6 weeks. At the start and end of the
study, participants were examined by a dermatologist; afterward, skin
measurements, including skin color, skin surface lipid content, and image
analysis by VISIA® Evolution, analysis of stratum corneum obtained from the skin surface, and
Skindex-16 questionnaire for assessing quality of life (QOL), were performed.
The following showed significant improvements: PIH score, number of
inflammatory acne lesions, and number of non-inflammatory acne lesions observed
via skin examination; skin surface lipid content and values of L* and a*
obtained via instrumental measurement; n number of pore, texture, red spot, and pigmented
spot obtained via by image analysis; and degree of multilayer exfoliation and
interleukin-1α determined by analysis
of epidermal stratum corneum. QOL measurement using Skindex-16 also improved
significantly. Appropriate skin care guidance following standard acne vulgaris
treatment is helpful in achieving patients’ treatment goals.