We've all seen the late-night infomercials for Proactive and other "miracle" acne products, but there's actually very little evidence that they work, according to a new study published in The Lancet. The lack of studies that compare available acne treatments have forced agencies such as the Global Alliance to Improve Outcomes in Acne and the American Academy of Dermatology to issue guidelines based purely on expert opinions, not data, which hold the potential for conflicts of interest.
"The large number of products and product combinations, and the scarcity of comparative studies, has led to disparate guidelines with few recommendations being evidence-based," lead author Hywel Williams from the University of Nottingham said in a press release. As a result of the dearth of clinical information available for both over-the-counter and prescription acne treatments, the Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academies, has listed comparative acne therapy research as one of the top 100 targets for national research.
Furthermore, the use of antibiotics to treat acne raises concerns about the rising frequency of antibiotic resistance. Acne treatments tend to use low doses for extended periods of time—ideal conditions for the evolution of resistance among microbes. (Hat tip to Fierce Biotech.)
