A single-blinded, randomized pilot study to evaluate the effect of exercise-induced sweat on truncal acne.

To assess the effect of exercise-induced sweat on truncal acne, a prospective, single-blinded, randomized, controlled, institution review board-approved clinical trial was conducted on physically active males. Subjects were instructed to exercise long enough to break a sweat 5 days a week for 2 weeks. Group 1 did not exercise (n = 7), group 2 showered within 1 hour of exercise (n = 8), and group 3 waited at least 4 hours to shower after exercising (n = 8). No statistically significant differences in truncal acne were noted between (p = 0.84) nor within (p = 0.74 for group 1, 0.07 for group 2, and 0.09 for group 3) study groups at the end of the study period.

Reporting of ethical review of clinical research submitted to the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

BACKGROUND: In recent years there has been an increasing focus on human subject protection and on documentation of ethical review in published clinical research. The JAAD clearly states in its instructions to authors, which adhere to the guidelines set forth by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, "studies involving live human subjects must have been approved by the author's Institutional Review Board or its equivalent." OBJECTIVE: To determine what proportion of prospective studies on human subjects submitted to the clinical trials and therapeutics section lacked mention of review by an ethics board and to determine the outcome of these manuscripts. METHODS: We reviewed 150 prospective studies submitted from July 1, 2004 to January 16, 2006 to a single associate editor, who receives the majority of reports requiring ethics board review. RESULTS: Of 150 prospective studies, 36% (n = 54) had no mention of ethics review or consent, whereas 15% (n = 22) mentioned consent but not ethics review. Forty-two papers were returned asking for ethics information, and of these, 48% were resubmitted with confirmation of ethics review, 22% were withdrawn, 12% were never resubmitted, 12% responded that ethical review was not obtained, and 7% were clarified as exempt from review. Of the 150 papers, 45% were from US authors and 55% were from international authors. Sixty-seven percent of US papers and 35% of international papers included ethics board information (P

A single-blinded, randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluating the effect of face washing on acne vulgaris.

Despite the common recommendation to wash the face twice daily with a mild cleanser, there is little published evidence to support the practice. Indeed, while the general public believes that cleaner skin will result in fewer blemishes, dermatologists often warn that overwashing and scrubbing can exacerbate the condition. To clarify the effect of frequency of face washing on acne vulgaris, we designed a single-blinded, randomized, controlled clinical trial to be conducted on males with mild to moderate acne vulgaris. Subjects washed their faces twice daily for 2 weeks with a standard mild cleanser before being randomized to one of three study arms, in which face washing was to be done once, twice, or four times a day for 6 weeks. At the end of the study no statistically significant differences were noted between groups. However, significant improvements in both open comedones and total noninflammatory lesions were observed in the group washing twice a day. Worsening of acne condition was observed in the study group washing once a day, with significant increases in erythema, papules, and total inflammatory lesions. We concluded that slight support exists, both in terms of efficacy and convenience, for the recommendation to wash the face twice daily with a mild cleanser. However, excessive face washing may not be as culpable as previously thought.