Comparative efficacy of filtered blue light [emitted from sunlight] and topical erythromycin solution in acne treatment: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Acne vulgaris is one of the commonest skin conditions .The visible light has attracted attention as a new and safe therapeutic option, as some studies show more than 80% response to 420 nm phototherapy with a significant reduction in inflammatory acne lesions after only eight treatments. We evaluated the use of blue light and topical erythromycin in 32 acne patients. The right-sided lesions were treated with erythromycin solution twice daily and the left ones were treated with irradiation of sunlight by a filter for 15 minutes once daily for 8 weeks and in another treatment group, the lesions in sides of the face were treated on reverse manner. The difference between the treatment and control sides was not significant at week 4, and 8 [p>.05]. After 12 weeks of starting the program, a mean improvement of 20% in lesion counts was achieved by the blue light phototherapy. In our study, a mean improvement of 46% in acne score was achieved with the blue light compared to 58% with topical erythromycin [p>0.05]. We found that visible light phototherapy improved partially acne lesions and may be an appealing noninvasive alternative for the treatment of acne

efficacy of topical solution of 0.3% ciprofloxacin in treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris

Acne vulgaris is a very common disorder affecting virtually every adolescent at some point in time. Topical treatment of acne involves the use of retinoids and antimicrobials. Antimicrobials reduce P. acne population and are effective for treatment of inflammatory lesions. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of topical ciprofloxacin solution and compared it with topical erythromycin solution. The study was a prospective single-blind clinical trial. One hundred patients with mild to moderate acne were enrolled. The patients were randomly treated with topical application of 0.3% ciprofloxacin or 4% erythromycin solutions. For a six week period, they were visited every two weeks. Acne severity index [ASI] was calculated in each visit and recorded. Ninety-three patients completed the study, 50 patients in the ciprofloxacin and 43 in the erythromycin groups. Irritation was generally mild for both treatments and no discontinuation was reported because of adverse effects. There was no statistically significant difference between the two treatment groups in reduction of comedons or papules but reduction of pustules was greater in ciprofloxacin treatment group after 4 weeks. ASI was reduced in the two groups but in ciprofloxacin treated patients, this reduction was more significant at all follow up visits. The results of this study indicate that topical solutions of erythromycin and ciprofloxacin were effective in treating mild to moderate acne vulgaris and both were well-tolerated by the patients. Ciprofloxacin solution produced greater reduction in pustule counts and ASI, during the six week period of twice-daily application. This novel modality may have an important potential role in rotational topical therapy of inflammatory acne lesions