Comparative Study of Benzoylperoxide and Adapalene for the Treatment of Mild Acne Vulgaris

Abstract

Background: Acne vulgaris is a common skin inflammatory disease commonly found among adolescents and young adults. Benzoyl peroxide (BPO) and adapalene are most commonly used topical agents for treating mild cases of acne vulgaris, but their effectiveness and tolerability may be different from one another.

Materials and Methods: An observational comparative study in a hospital was carried out for six months at Dr. Pinnamaneni Siddhartha Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Foundation, Andhra Pradesh. Sixty-four patients aged between 13-30 years suffering from mild acne vulgaris participated in the study. The patients were divided into two equal groups for treatment with BPO 2.5% and adapalene 0.1%, and after eight weeks of being treated, all the patients were assessed using the Global Acne Grading System to monitor effectiveness while monitoring adverse effects of the drug and outcome of therapy. The data was analysed using Chi-square test and the t-test.

Results: Majority of participants (43.75%) were in the age range of 16-20 years with a human sex composition of 71.88% female. The overall acne score changed from 15.09±3.40 to 4.06±1.32 in the case of BPO and from 15.27±2.36 to 4.31±1.85 in the case of adapalene with the reductions of 72.83% and 72.05%, respectively. There was no statistically meaningful difference in terms of efficacy of the drugs. BPO was shown to cause more significant reductions in papules (p=0.035). Adapalene was responsible for more cases of dryness.

Conclusion: Both BPO 2.5% and adapalene 0.1% were effective for the treatment of mild acne vulgaris suggesting similar overall efficacy. Treatment choice may depend on the patients’ tolerance and lesion classification.