PGI doctors come out with home-based treatment for acne scarring

Chandigarh: Researchers at PGIMER have come up with a new home-based treatment for acne.

The study published in the journal The Dermatologist reported that home treatment with tazarotene gel was as effective as micro-needling in improving acne scar severity. The study found that median qualitative acne scar scores were the same for both treatment groups at baseline and did not change significantly following either treatment.

Dr Narang and associates conducted an observer-blinded randomized trial which included 34 patients with grade 2 to 4 facial atrophic post-acne scars and no history of procedural treatment of acne scars within the previous year (mean age, 23; 36% men). The median duration of acne was six years.

Read Also: Trials establish efficacy of tretinoin lotion in acne

The investigators randomly treated half of the face for each participant with micro needling and the other half with topical tazarotene. Microneedling was conducted with a derma roller with a needle length of 1.5 mm for four sessions over three months. Participants were instructed to apply topical tazarotene gel, 0.1%, to the other side of the face once every night during the same period.

Improvements in acne scar severity were assessed at three and six months based on Goodman and Baron quantitative and qualitative scores and a subjective independent dermatologist score. Patient satisfaction was assessed using a global assessment score at the same follow-up visits.

According to Dr. Narang, methods such as micro-needling, chemical peeling, cryorolling, and ablative lasers address post-acne atrophic scarring but, these procedures are physician-dependent. However, a home-based treatment with comparable efficacy to the procedural treatment modalities will be beneficial to patients.

The study found that significant and comparable improvements were seen for both treatments at six months. The median quantitative score for acne scar severity for tazarotene decreased from a baseline of 8.0 to 5.0, and for micro needling, from 7.0 to 4.5.

Moreover, median qualitative acne scar scores were the same for both treatment groups at baseline and did not change significantly following either treatment.

No serious complications were reported for either treatment method throughout the study period. All patients had procedural pain and erythema following micro needling. Erythema lasted for more than 24 hours in seven participants (19.4%), and two had postinflammatory hyperpigmentation on the micro needling side.

Read Also: Sarecycline is the new drug approved for Acne by FDA

Tazarotene caused dryness in 13 patients (36.1%) and scaling in eight (22.2%). No adverse effects were substantial enough to discontinue the medication.

Dr. Narang said, "The findings suggest commencing acne scar procedures during or soon after oral retinoid therapy for active acne. This is especially important since oral retinoid therapy was believed to be a contraindication to procedural therapy until recently."

"The comparable efficacy we observed with this topical home-based modality to that of office-based micro needling may reduce treatment expenses for people with atrophic post-acne scars," he concluded.

For full study log on to https://www.the-dermatologist.com/news/tazarotene-gel-option-post-acne-scarring