Abstract
The improvement of acne vulgaris (AV) during summer months is a general opinion which is not universally accepted as some patients experience no change or even an aggravation of their AV during hot months. Therapeutic management of AV in summer is often difficult; in fact, most traditional anti-acne treatments are contraindicated or poorly tolerated during summer months. In this study we evaluated the tolerability and effectiveness of a cosmetic anti-acne treatment performed for 12 summer weeks in 347 patients (mean age, 19.4 yrs) with mild AV of the face. The study product (Exfoliac®) contained a mixture of alpha hydroxy acids and substances with moisturizing and/or lenitive effects. In the first 4 weeks, Exfoliac® 10 cream was applied twice a day (b.i.d.). The treatment in the following 8 weeks was decided on the basis of dermatologist's assessment of the clinical response and could consist in Exfoliac® 10 cream or Exfoliac® 15 cream, once daily (o.d.) or b.i.d. During the study period, patients used Exfoliac® cleansing gel. The cumulative results indicate a significant improvement of AV lesions and seborrhoea, irrespectively of sun exposure, and a good tolerability, even in sunbathed patients. Adverse reactions, mostly of mild severity, appeared to be independent of sunbathing or use of sunscreens and were observed in a small proportion of cases (6.8% in the first 4 weeks and 5.6% in the last 8 weeks).
Our results suggest that this type of treatment is an effective and safe approach to patients with mild AV who require treatment in the summertime.