For patients with acne vulgaris, concomitant treatment using intense pulsed light (IPL) and minocycline demonstrates better clinical efficacy than minocycline alone, according to a study published online May 5 in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology .

Huanhuan Qu, from The Fourth Military Medical University in Xi'an, China, and colleagues examined the safety and efficiency of IPL combined with minocycline for the treatment of acne vulgaris. Forty patients were randomly assigned to receive minocycline for eight weeks with IPL treatments three times (at weeks 0, 4, and 8) or minocycline only at the same dose. Before treatment and at weeks 4, 8, and 16, evaluations for inflammatory lesion count, Investigator Global Assessment of Acne (IGA), erythema, and purpura indexes were conducted.

The researchers found that compared with baseline, at week 16, there were significant improvements in inflammatory lesion count, IGA scores, and purpura index in both groups. Significant improvement was seen in the erythema index at the 16th week compared with baseline for concomitant therapy, but not minocycline only. Compared with the group given minocycline only, the group receiving combination treatment had significant improvements in inflammatory lesion counts and IGA scores at weeks 4, 8, and 16. During the trial, there were no severe adverse effects reported.

"Our data demonstrate that minocycline IPL treatment for patients with moderate-to-severe facial acne vulgaris is effective and safe," the authors write.

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