Topical, Light-Based, and Complementary Interventions for Acne: An Overview of Systematic Reviews

October 2024 in “ Cochrane library ”

Yi Yuan, Yiying Wang, Jun Xia, Бо Лю, Jianping Liu, Duoduo Li, Ruiting Wang, Hong Sang, Huijuan Cao

benzoyl peroxide topical retinoids topical antibiotics acne vulgaris acne scars acne

TLDR No high-certainty evidence supports any specific acne treatment.

This overview of systematic reviews assessed the efficacy and safety of non-systemic pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for acne vulgaris and related skin complications. It included six reviews with low risk of bias, involving 40,910 people with acne and 1,316 with acne scars. The evidence for the effectiveness of benzoyl peroxide, topical antibiotics, and topical retinoids was found to be of very low certainty, with no high-certainty evidence for any therapy. Benzoyl peroxide showed uncertain effects on lesion counts and acne severity compared to placebo, adapalene, and clindamycin. The study highlights the need for more high-quality research, particularly on new drugs and acne complications. The evidence is current as of December 2021.

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