Efficacy of Acupuncture in Improving Symptoms and Quality of Life of Patients With Acne Vulgaris: a Randomized Sham Acupuncture-controlled Trial

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating the symptoms and QoL of patients with moderate or severe AV. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive 12 treatment sessions of acupuncture or sham acupuncture over 4 weeks with 24 weeks of follow-up. The primary outcome was the change from baseline in the Skindex-16 scale total score at treatment completion. Secondary outcomes included Skindex-16 subscale score, Dermatology Life Quality Index scale total score, total lesion count and inflammatory lesion count, and visual analogue scale scores for itch and pain evaluation. Results: There is no statistically significant between-group difference for the primary outcome and any secondary outcomes after 4 weeks of treatment and at 16 weeks and 28 weeks of follow-up, except for the Skindex-16 subscale (the emotions of participants with AV) at week 4 (P = 0.026). No serious adverse events occurred in two group. Conclusion: Acupuncture and sham acupuncture might both relieve the symptoms of patients with moderate or severe AV, reduce the number and degree of inflammatory lesion counts, and improve QoL. Trial registration number: ChiCTR-1900023649 Chinese Clinical Trial Registry