NOTE, original article title: The efficacy and safety of pimecrolimus 1% cream vs sertaconazole 2% cream in the treatment of patients with facial seborrheic dermatitis: A randomized blinded trial

Treatment of facial seborrhoeic dermatitis (FSD) with pimecrolimus resulted in faster response and fewer adverse effects compared with treatment with sertaconazole.

• This double-blind, active-controlled, randomized trial included 60 patients with FSD who were instructed to topically apply either pimecrolimus 1% cream (30 patients) or sertaconazole 2% cream (30 patients) twice daily for 4 weeks.

• Both groups showed reduction in disease severity post-treatment, but a significantly better improvement was conferred by pimecrolimus vs sertaconazole on Days 14 and 28.

• Pimecrolimus was associated with a significantly lower rate of relapse than sertaconazole, at 4 weeks after treatment cessation.

• In the pimecrolimus group, the highest level of satisfaction (46.7%) was noted on Day 28.

• Acceptable safety profiles were shown by both topical treatments; however, pimecrolimus 1% cream was significantly less irritating compared with sertaconazole 2% cream.