The Effectiveness of a 5% Retinoic Acid Peel Combined with Microdermabrasion for Facial Photoaging: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract EN

Background.

Tretinoin has been shown to improve photoaged skin.

This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of a 5% retinoic acid peel combined with microdermabrasion for facial photoaging.

Materials and Methods.

Forty-five patients, aged 35–70, affected by moderate-to-severe photodamage were enrolled in this trial.

All patients received 3 sessions of full facial microdermabrasion and 3 sessions of either 5% retinoic acid peel or placebo after the microdermabrasion.

Efficacy was measured using the Glogau scale.

Patients were assessed at 2 weeks and 1, 2, and 6 months after treatment initiation.

Results.

The mean ± SD age of participants was 49.55±11.61 years, and the majorities (73.3%) were female.

Between 1 month and 2 months, participants reported slight but statistically significant improvements for all parameters (P<0.001).

In terms of adverse effects, there were statistically significant differences reported between the 5% retinoic acid peel groups and the control group (P<0.001).

The majority of adverse effects reported in the study were described as mild and transient.

Conclusion.

This study demonstrated that 5% retinoic acid peel cream combined with microdermabrasion was safe and effective in the treatment of photoaging in the Iranian population.

This trial is registered with IRCT2015121112782N8.