title: The effect of vehicle formulation on acne medication tolerability.
abstract: Combination acne medications provide enhanced treatment opportunities. A commonly used acne therapy may combine a topical antibiotic with benzoyl peroxide (BPO) to prevent antibiotic resistance while optimizing control of microcomedone formation with a retinoid. Unfortunately, this combination of highly efficacious medications may cause irritation because of the inherent skin irritancy of BPO and retinoids. The present study was undertaken to determine if vehicle optimization of a clindamycin-BPO formulation could increase the tolerability of an added retinoid. Forty-six women with mild to moderate facial acne were enrolled in a 3-center, institutional review board-approved, 2-week, split-face study to compare an optimized vehicle (glycerin and dimethicone) clindamycin-BPO formulation with a traditional clindamycin-BPO formulation, with tretinoin cream 0.025% applied to the entire face. The use of the optimized vehicle clindamycin-BPO formulation in combination with tretinoin cream 0.025% resulted in significantly less erythema and dryness on evaluation days 4, 7, and 14 (P < .05), as assessed by the blinded dermatologist investigators. The incorporation of new vehicles into topical dermatologic medications allows medication combinations with enhanced tolerability.
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. zdraelos@northstate.net
authors.forename: Zoe Diana
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Draelos
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Callender
authors.forename: Cherie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: Sunil Sharan
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Dhawan
mesh_terms: D000152:Acne Vulgaris / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001585:Benzoyl Peroxide / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002981:Clindamycin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005990:Glycerol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D014677:Pharmaceutical Vehicles; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D003879:Dermatologic Agents; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; D014677:Pharmaceutical Vehicles; D002981:Clindamycin; D014212:Tretinoin; C501844:dimethicone; D005990:Glycerol; D001585:Benzoyl Peroxide