BACKGROUND Isotretinoin, a drug approved to treat severe recalcitrant nodular acne, has been marketed in the United States since 1982. The drug is an effective treatment for acne that is refractory to other therapies, but it is a teratogen and can cause serious side effects. OBJECTIVE Our purpose was to describe trends in the use of isotretinoin in the United States from marketing through yea...

Acne vulgaris is an extremely common disease with numerous disease associations, but it is unclear what causes the normal pilosebaceous unit to turn into an inflamed acne lesion. The bacterium Propionibacterium acnes normally lives within the pilosebaceous unit, yet many studies over the last 50 years support a role for this organism in acne pathogenesis. While the specific role of P. acnes is ...

Most of the publications on isotretinoin, pregnancy and compliance with the pregnancy prevention programme (PPP) originate from North America. Information specific for the European situation is very limited. The aim of this study was to identify publications describing the use of isotretinoin in humans and the compliance with the PPP in Europe, a systematic search in Medline and Embase was cond...

Background: Isotretinoin is a synthetic vitamin A analogue that is used to treat severe acne and other dermatologic diseases. However there are some concerns about this drug regarding the adverse effects. Aim: In this study we evaluated the adverse effects of isotretinoin on liver functions and serum lipids with focus on the gender, age and isotretinoin dosages. Material and Methods: Medical re...

BACKGROUND Acne vulgaris is a chronic skin disease with a high prevalence. Left untreated or inadequately treated, acne vulgaris can lead to psychological and physical scarring, as well as to unnecessary medical expenses. Oral isotretinoin is an effective treatment for severe resistant nodular and conglobate acne vulgaris. A regimen consisting of a fixed-dose combination of adapalene and benzoy...

OBJECTIVES The cost-effectiveness of systemic isotretinoin therapy in the treatment of moderate to severe acne was assessed in a comparative cost-minimisation analysis. Systemic isotretinoin at the recommended daily dose of 1 mg/kg (cumulative dose of 120 mg/kg) was compared with: (i) oral antibiotics taken as chronic medication; (ii) a combination of chronic oral antibiotics and anti-androgen ...

Social anxiety is common in acne patients and the effects of isotretinoin treatment on social anxiety symptoms have not yet been thoroughly investigated. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of isotretinoin treatment on the quality of life and social anxiety symptoms in a group of acne vulgaris patients. The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) and Short Form-36 (SF-36) were administ...

BACKGROUND The most common adverse effects of oral isotretinoin are cheilitis, skin dryness, dry eyes, and conjunctivitis, whereas evening primrose oil (EPO) is known to improve skin moisture and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) in healthy adults and atopic patients. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of EPO in preventing xerotic cheilitis in acne patients being treated wi...

UNLABELLED BACKGROUD/AIMS: Widely prescribed in routine practice, isotretinoin has an unknown impact on ovarian reserve. With a long history in acne treatment and numerous potential side effects, it is surprising that very few prospective studies have investigated its effect on ovarian reserve. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the impact of oral isotretinoin on ovarian reserve based on hormonal ...