WEDNESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) -- Benzoyl peroxide (BPO) with salicylic acid (SA) works better than BPO with clindamycin (CL) for the initial treatment of acne, but after 10 to 12 weeks there is little difference in results between the two treatments, according to research published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Elizabeth M. Seidler, of the Massachusetts General Hospital, and Alexa B. Kimball, M.D., of Harvard Medical School -- both in Boston -- conducted a meta-analysis of 23 studies comprising 7,309 patients to assess the efficacy of single and combination acne treatment product ingredients, including 5 percent BPO, 5 percent BPO with SA, 1 to 1.2 percent CL, and a BPO/CL combination. Efficacy of the ingredients in acne lesion reduction was the measured end point.
At two to four weeks after initiation of treatment, the researchers found that 5 percent BPO with SA had statistically greater percent lesion reductions than the other treatment groups. The BPO/CL combination was superior to CL alone, but only incrementally better than BPO alone. Acne lesion reduction at a later time point (10 to 12 weeks) showed nearly equal efficacy of the BPO plus SA treatment and the BPO/CL treatment.
"All BPO plus SA studies used the same solubilized BPO, which may suggest the formulation and vehicle as the cause for enhanced efficacy, not simply the combination of BPO plus SA. Further data using the solubilized BPO are needed to support conclusions about the efficacy of its formulation versus its use with SA," the authors write.
The study was supported by Obagi Medical Products Inc. One of the authors has been a consultant for Obagi and for Arcutis; she is currently an investigator for Stiefel and a consultant for Galderma.
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