Park JH, et al. - Experts herein investigated the hormonal antiandrogen acne treatment (HAAT)-prescribing habits of the dermatologists and HAAT’s effect on systemic antibiotic use in women with acne. In women with acne, HAAT was not typically used as a first-line systemic therapy. Results demonstrated the HAAT usage to be related to shorter cumulative antibiotic durations. Systemic antibiotic use in acne treatment could be decreased by early HAAT initiation.

Methods

• A retrospective study at an academic medical center of female subjects receiving HAAT (combined oral contraceptive [COC], spironolactone) for acne from January 2005 to October 2015 was performed by the researchers.
• They also collected data from a control group of female acne patients who never received HAAT.

Results

• HAAT was received by a total of 672 female patients.
• Findings suggested that out of all systemic medications for acne, antibiotics were used as first-line treatment in 39% of patients, COCs in 12%, and spironolactone in 21%.
• Significantly longer mean antibiotic durations in patients who initiated HAAT for the first time at the study site (250.4 days) were noted vs patients who received HAAT prior to presentation and continued HAAT at the study site (192.0 days) (p=0.021).
• Between HAAT use and mean antibiotic duration (p=0.016), a statistically significant inverse relationship was found.