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Multicenter Study
. 2025 Feb 15;317(1):424.
doi: 10.1007/s00403-025-03900-0.

Prescribing patterns for treatment of acne vulgaris: A retrospective chart review at an urban public and private hospital

Nicole C Syder #  1 , Arielle Carolina Mora Hurtado #  2 , Autumn Saizan  3 , Melissa Gonzalez  4 , Jack Rodman  5 , Nada Elbuluk  6
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Prescribing patterns for treatment of acne vulgaris: A retrospective chart review at an urban public and private hospital

Nicole C Syder et al. Arch Dermatol Res. .

Abstract

Background: Studies have found demographic differences in prescribing patterns for certain inflammatory conditions, including acne.

Objective: To investigate acne prescription patterns among patients seen in the private system (PS) and safety-net health care system (SNS) of the University of Southern California (USC).

Methods: This was a multisite, retrospective study of patients obtaining acne care at PS and SNS outpatient dermatology facilities in Los Angeles over a one-year period.

Results: Despite similar acne severity, SNS patients were less often prescribed azelaic acid, benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin, benzoyl peroxide/adapalene, sulfacetamide, topical dapsone, and salicylic acid than PS patients (p < 0.001). SNS patients received fewer prescriptions for oral medications including spironolactone, antibiotics, and isotretinoin (p < 0.001). Despite similar acne severity, non-White patients were less frequently prescribed topical retinoids (p = 0.003), benzoyl peroxide/clindamycin (p = 0.003), isotretinoin (p < 0.001) and spironolactone (p < 0.001) than White patients. Despite higher acne severity among Hispanics/Latinos, they were less often prescribed spironolactone and oral antibiotics than their non-Hispanic/Latino counterparts (p = 0.023).

Conclusions: Findings from this study highlight differences in acne prescribing patterns by race/ethnicity and hospital system, which can impact the ability of patients to have successful treatment of their acne and its sequelae.

Keywords: Acne; Acne prescriptions; Acne treatments; Health equity; Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation; Skin of color.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Patient consent: Not applicable. IRB approval status: This study was approved by the USC Institutional Review Board. #UP-20-01465. Competing interests: Dr. Elbuluk has served as a consultant, advisory board member, and/or speaker for Avita, Incyte, VisualDx, La Roche Posay, Beiersdorf, Eli Lilly, Galderma, Pfizer, L’Oreal, McGraw Hill, Dior, Medscape, Abbvie, Takeda, Sanofi. She has received royalties from McGraw-Hill. She has stock options in VisualDx. The remaining authors have no disclosures to report.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Topical therapies prescribed for white vs. non-white patients
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Systemic therapies prescribed for white vs. non-white patients
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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