%0 Comparative Study
%T Photodynamic therapy for severe facial acne vulgaris with 5% 5-aminolevulinic acid vs 10% 5-aminolevulinic acid: A split-face randomized controlled study.
%A Zhang J
%A Zhang X
%A He Y
%A Wu X
%A Huang J
%A Huang H
%A Lu C
%J J Cosmet Dermatol
%V 19
%N 2
%D Feb 2020
%M 31187937
%F 2.189
%R 10.1111/jocd.13038
%X <B>BACKGROUND: </B>Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) has been described as an effective treatment for severe acne. However, very little evidence exists on the optimal concentration of ALA used in PDT for severe acne.<BR><B>OBJECTIVE: </B>To compare the efficacy and safety of PDT with 5% ALA vs 10% ALA in severe acne.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>Twenty-three patients with severe facial acne were randomly assigned to receive PDT with 5% ALA or 10% ALA on the left or right side of the face. Four PDT sessions were conducted with a light dose of 96 J/cm2 . The reduction rates of lesion counts between the two groups were compared at the week-4 and week-12 follow-up visits. Effective rate at the week-12 visit was the primary clinical outcome. Pain and other side effects were evaluated at each visit.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>The decrease in inflammatory lesions in the 10% ALA group was greater than that in the 5% ALA group at both week-4 (79.2% vs 62.5%, P = 0.009) and week-12 follow-up visits (88.5% vs 78.3%, P = 0.018), while the decrease in noninflammatory lesion counts between the two groups was not statistically significant at each follow-up visit. The effective rate in the 10% ALA group was significantly higher than that in the 5% ALA group (95.7% vs 69.6%, P = 0.02). No significant difference was observed in pain scores between the two groups except in the first treatment session.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Photodynamic therapy using 10% ALA was more effective for severe acne than PDT using 5% ALA.