Introduction
Acne is a common adolescent problem causing considerable emotional distress .Mild degree acne on a scientific clarification may be severe acne for the affected person and individual may be psychologically affected more than expected. This is important in planning the management. Salicylic acid is monohydroxybenzoic acid which has been using as a chemical peeling since recent past and it has been used for acne with great success. There is scarcity of studies done on effect of chemical peeling for acne in the Asian region.
Objective
To assess the efficacy and occurrence of pigmentation as a side effect of 30% Salicylic acid peels as opposed to treatment with topical Retinoid.
Methodology
A randomized controlled double blind study was conducted among patients with active acne aged 18-30 years at the Dermatology clinic in National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) over a period of 6 months.
Patients with acne vulgaris mild to moderate severity with 25 comedones or more than 5 inflammatory lesions including 2 or more anatomical regions of the face, after 2 weeks of treatment with topical Retinoids were included .Informed written consent was obtained from all..
For the study group (n=15) with 30% Salicylic acid in absolute alcohol was applied for a period of 3-4 minutes every 2 weekly in three cycles, with Retinoid acid given for the patients to apply for the study group(n=15). For the control group (n=15) only the Retinoid acid local application was given.
Results
Majority of the patients were females (n=21, 69.93%) and 12(57.14%) of them were in treatment group. There was a statistically significant association between treatment type and outcome. Association between sex and outcome was found to be statistically not significant. and also there was no significant association between treatment type pigmentation as a side effect.
Conclusion
Chemical peeling with 30% Salicylic acid is effective in treatment of active acne. Salicylic acid has anti inflammatory comedolytic and kerotolytic properties.