Safety and Preliminary Efficacy of Combination Blue Light Phototherapy and Microcurrent Therapy for the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Terminated
- Sponsor
- Nova Southeastern University
- Enrollment
- 4
- Locations
- 4
- Primary Endpoint
- Change in Acne Severity Over the Course of 9 Weeks
Study Overview
Brief Summary
Acne vulgaris is a multifactorial, highly prevalent dermatologic condition that results in visible lesions that can be quite disfiguring. Consequently, individuals with acne often suffer from a wide range of psychological manifestations. Although there is consensus that combination therapy is most effective in treating acne, researchers are constantly striving to develop new treatment. Microcurrent therapy (MCT) is a non-invasive modality that has successfully been used to promote wound healing and has been routinely used in aesthetics. Use of MCT alone or in combination with current successful treatment such as blue light phototherapy (BLP), may hold promise for acne treatment. The investigators propose to conduct a small randomized control trial to determine the safety and preliminary efficacy of a novel combination therapy to treat acne vulgaris. The investigators will recruit up to 60 males and females and randomly assign them to one of 3 arms: 1) BLP; 2) MCT; and combination therapy (BLP and MCT). The investigators will assess physiological parameters (number of acne lesions, amount of sebum produced, degree of acne severity) and psychosocial factors (dermatologic quality of life, social anxiety, depressive symptomatology, self-esteem). Participants will complete a baseline assessment prior to initiating treatment and a follow-up assessment at 4 weeks post termination of treatment. The investigators will conduct intermediary assessments at weeks 3 and 5 and 1 week post termination of the treatment. The investigators will use measures of central tendency to describe the sample and repeated measures analysis of variance to compute the main and interaction effects.
Detailed Description
Overview: The goal of this study is to conduct a small randomized control trial (RCT) to test the safety and preliminary efficacy of a novel combination therapy to treat acne vulgaris. The investigators will also explore the effects of the treatments on psychosocial factors (Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), social anxiety, depressive symptomatology, and self-esteem). The RCT will have 3 arms: 1) FDA approved treatment: blue light phototherapy (BLP); 2) Microcurrent therapy (MCT); and 3) combination therapy (BLP + MCT). The main outcomes will be: 1) number of acne lesions; 2) amount of sebum produced, 3) degree of acne severity; and 4) improvement in dermatologic quality of life. The specific aims of the study are:
Aim 1: To explore the use of MCT to improve blood flow and lymphatic drainage and promote tissue repair in patients with acne vulgaris.
Aim 2: To examine the safety and preliminary efficacy of enhancing traditional blue light therapy treatment with microcurrent therapy (BLP + MCT) to promote faster healing in patients with acne vulgaris.
Aim 3: To determine if combination therapy is a more effective (fewer number of acne lesions, decreased amount of sebum produced, lesser degree of acne severity and greater improvement in dermatologic quality of life) for acne than either type of monotherapy.
Aim 4: To explore the effects of the three modalities on psychosocial factors (social anxiety, depressive symptomatology, and self-esteem).
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Treatment
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to 30 Years (Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •Have mild to moderate facial acne
- •Have Fitzpatrick skin type II-V
- •Be able to understand written and/or spoken English
- •Be able to provide written informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria
- •Have been treated with oral retinoids in the past 6 months
- •Have been treated with oral antibiotic within the last 30 days
- •Have received topical acne treatment (i.e. retinoids, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory agents or chemical peeling) within the last 30 days
- •Pregnant or lactating
- •Have history of photo-sensitive dermatitis
- •Have previously received light therapy
- •Taking oral contraceptive pills (OCP)
- •Have pacemaker
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Change in Acne Severity Over the Course of 9 Weeks
Time Frame: Weeks 1 and 9
The investigators will use the acne counts and the digital photographs of the affected areas to compute the acne severity level following the procedures established by Hayashi et al. (2008). The investigators will not print the digital photographs. The investigators will visually inspect the digital photographs and assign a preliminary severity score to each half of the face using the following classification guide: 0-5 papules and/pustules for mild acne; 6-20 for moderate acne, 21-50 for severe acne; and more than 50 for very severe. The investigators will examine each half of the face separately. The most severe classification obtained for either side of the face will be the assigned severity score.
Change in Dermatologic Quality of Life Over the Course of 9 Weeks
Time Frame: Weeks 1,3,5,6,9
The investigators will use the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) developed by A. Y. Finlay and G. K. Khan (1992), one of the most widely used, dermatologic specific quality of life measures in the published literature to assess quality of life. The DLQI consists of 10 Likert type items; 9 of these items have 4 response categories scored from 0 to 3 with "very much" being "3" to "not at all" being "0". Item 7 "Over the last week, has participant's skin prevented participant from working or studying" uses dichotomous responses; where "yes" is scored as a "3" and a "no" requires answering an additional sub-question, "Over the past week how much has participant's skin been a problem at work or studying". Responses for this sub-question range from "a lot" coded a "2", to "not at all" coded a "0." The DLQI is calculated by summing the response to each question; the maximum score is "30" and the minimum score is "0". The higher the score, the lower the dermatologic quality of life.
Change in Number of Acne Lesions Over the Course of 9 Weeks
Time Frame: Weeks 1,3,5,6,9
The investigators will conduct a systematic count of acne lesions (papules and pustules) present in all of the affected areas of the face.
Change in the Amount of Sebum Produced Over the Course of 9 Weeks
Time Frame: Weeks 1,3,5,6,9
The investigators will use the Sebumeter® SM 815 manufactured by CK Electronic to estimate the amount of sebum. The measurement is based on grease spot photometry. The mat tape of the Sebumeter® SM 815 is brought into contact with facial skin. It becomes transparent in relation to the sebum on the surface of the measurement area. Then the tape is inserted into the aperture of the device and the transparency is measured by a photocell. The light transmission represents the sebum content.
Secondary Outcomes
- Change in Depressive Symptomatology Score Over the Course of 9 Weeks(Weeks 1 and 9)
- Change in Social Anxiety Score Over the Course of 9 Weeks(Weeks 1 and 9)
- Change of Self-esteem Score Over the Course of 9 Weeks(Weeks 1 and 9)