Treatment of Adult Acne In Females With Spironolactone

Importance of spironolactone in the treatment of acne in adult women.

Saint-Jean M, Ballanger F, Nguyen JM, Khammari A, Dréno B.

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2011 Dec;25(12):1480-1. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2010.03926.x. Epub 2010 Nov 29.

• Acne Vulgaris is manageable with topical treatment and goes all the way to oral isotretinoin. However the later can have serious consequences on pregnancies, has side effects and requires blood monitoring.
• Methods: This study was done on 14 women having failed zinc, isotretinoin or oral antibiotics And the doses of spironolactone ranged from 75 to 150mg a day in combination with a topical treatment.
• Results show a reduction of the lesions of 50% in 6 patients. Rduction of lesions was observed 5 patients with retentional acne and 6 patients with inflammatory lesions.
• Side effects were observed in three patients: asthenia in 2 patients and epigastric pain in one patient.

• Another interesting poster presented at the regional asian congress of dermatology (RCD 2012) shows improvement of adult onset acne in females over 20 with acne confined to the cheeks and/or jawline. Lower doses are used ranging from 25 to 50mg. Side effects in this study include menstrual abnormalities and breast tenderness (not seen at the lower doses of 25mg)

• Conclusion: Even though blood monitoring is required, Spironolactone is an interesting treatment of acne especially in women.