Results of a UK study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET highlight how over the counter benzoyl peroxide (BEN-zoe-ill per-OX-ide) lotion is as good as prescription antibiotics for the treatment of mild to moderate facial acne.
Benzoyl peroxide is primarily used in the treatment of acne vulgaris due to the antibacterial activity that these types of peroxides display. The drug is marketed under a variety of trade names in over 200 formulations. In treating patients with acne, the disappearance of acne coincides with the reduction of both the levels of P. acnes bacteria and free fatty acids. Benzoyl peroxide is absorbed in the skin where it is metabolized to benzoic acid and then excreted as benzoate in the urine. Side effects consist mainly of skin irritation including burning, blistering, crusting, itching, severe redness, and skin rash.
Facial acne is common among adolescents; antibiotic tablet treatment has been used extensively over the past 40 years. Concerns exist about increasing antibiotic resistance, and few studies have compared the efficacy and costeffectiveness of different treatment options for acne—including the comparison of tablet antibiotics and antibiotic lotions with the antimicrobial treatment benzoyl peroxide.