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. 2014 Aug 22:3:177.
doi: 10.4103/2277-9175.139413. eCollection 2014.

The efficacy of 5% dapsone gel plus oral isotretinoin versus oral isotretinoin alone in acne vulgaris: A randomized double-blind study

Gita Faghihi  1 , Mehrdad Rakhshanpour  1 , Bahareh Abtahi-Naeini  1 , Mohammad Ali Nilforoushzadeh  2
Affiliations

The efficacy of 5% dapsone gel plus oral isotretinoin versus oral isotretinoin alone in acne vulgaris: A randomized double-blind study

Gita Faghihi et al. Adv Biomed Res. .

Abstract

Background: Acne vulgaris, a common human skin condition, is an inflammatory disease characterized by comedones, papules, nodules and possibly scarring. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a combination of 5% dapsone gel plus oral isotretinoin in the treatment of acne vulgaris.

Materials and methods: A randomized, placebo-controlled, study was carried out on patients with moderate to severe acne. The patients were randomly divided in two groups: (dapsone gel and vehicle gel). All Patients were administered oral isotretinoin 20 mg daily and topical gel twice a day for 8 weeks. The Global Acne Assessment Score (GAAS), the number lesions and side-effects were documented at base line and weeks 4, 8 and 12.

Results: A total of 58 patients (age range: 18-25 years) were included in our study. The number of lesions was significantly lower in the dapsone-treated group at all follow-up visits (P < 0.001). The mean GAAS score in the dapsone-treated group and in the Placebo-treated group decreased, but there was no statistical difference in two groups (P < 0.001). The side-effects on the dapsone-treated group were a mild burning sensation in 7 patients (24.13%), mild erythema of the skin and mild dryness in 4 (13.79%) and 3 (10.34%) cases respectively (P < 0.001). In our study, adverse effects were common but they were minor and tolerable. No clinically significant changes in laboratory parameters were observed (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Dapsone gel was an effective medication for patients who received isotretinoin for acne vulgaris treatment resulting in a significant reduction of the number of lesions.

Keywords: 5% dapsone gel; Acne vulgaris; isotretinoin.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CONSORT flow chart of the study
Figure 2
Figure 2
The number of inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions reduced significantly after 8 weeks of treatment with topical dapson gel plus isotretinoin as shown in these pictures
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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