Efficacy of 70% Glycolic Acid Peel versus 30% Salicylic Acid Peel in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Acne Vulgaris: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Introduction: Chemical peels have become a useful modality in the management of acne in addition to topical and systemic medications. Studies done to evaluate the effectiveness of peels have compared only lower concentration of Glycolic Acid (GA) (35%) and Salicylic Acid (SA) peels. Higher concentrations of glycolic acid i.e., (70%) are reported to be safe and more effective than lower concentrations. Despite reported advantages of higher concentration of glycolic acid peel, no published data is available regarding its efficacy, safety and tolerability in comparison with other peels. Aim: To compare the effectiveness of 70% GA peel with 30% SA peel in the management of mild to moderate acne. Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional retrospective study conducted from December 2021 to April 2022 in which, 60 participants were enrolled. They were diagnosed with mild to moderate acne, based on the Indian Acne Alliance (IAA) grading system and all of them underwent chemical peel treatment. Among them 30 had received 70% GA peel (group 1) and 30 had received 30% SA peel (group 2). The number of sittings and the individual lesional count at baseline and at each sitting were recorded. Acne lesional count (sum of comedones, papules, pustules, and nodules) was recorded at baseline, 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks. Categorical variables were presented as frequency and percentages. Continuous variables were presented as Mean±Standard deviation. Results: There was a significantly greater decrease in mean acne lesional count in group 2 from the baseline of 25.73 to 13.83 at the end of 2nd weekin comparison to group 1 wherein the values reduced from 26.30 to 17.73 (p-value of 0.003). At the end of eight weeks, the mean acne lesional count of both groups (group 1- 2.17 and group 2-1.50, p-value of 0.097) were comparable. Conclusion: Higher concentration of GA (70%) has comparable effectiveness to 30% SA peel in management of mild to moderate acne. SA peel has an advantage of earlier decrease in lesional count.

The Effectiveness Of Salicylic acid Therapy In Mild and Moderate Acne Vulgaris

“…Due to its ability to exfoliate the skin and unclog pores, salicylic acid is a common constituent in numerous acne treatments. Research has shown that salicylic acid peels effectively treat mild to moderate acne vulgaris 17 .…”

Chitosan–Glycolic Acid Gel Modification of Chloride Ion Transport in Mammalian Skin: An In Vitro Study

“…The advantageous effect of glycolic acid has been confirmed in relation to various skin problems connected to keratinization disorders. Glycolic acid peeling treatments affect the lightening of melasma and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, are an element of anti-acne therapy in adolescents and adults and reduce actinic or seborrheic keratosis [ 46 , 47 , 48 ]. Glycolic acid also improves the penetration of other exfoliants.…”

A Comprehensive Bibliographic Review Concerning the Efficacy of Organic Acids for Chemical Peels Treating Acne Vulgaris

“…Both peels had comparable effectiveness. Salicylic acid peel demonstrated an advantage of achieving an earlier decrease in lesional count than the glycolic acid peel [83]. 2013) compared the efficacy and safety of 30% salicylic acid peels with Jessner's solution peels in treating mild-to-moderate facial acne.…”