Material and methods
nodulocystic acne, hypertrophic scars, keloids, malignancy, infection, comedonal acne, acne, Acne, dermatitis
SYSTEMIC DISEASE, NODULOCYSTIC ACNE, HERPES INFECTION, INFECTION, ACNE, ACNE, DERMATITIS, PHOTOSENSITIVITY
This prospective randomized split-face comparative study was conducted with 30 patients with acne vulgaris. Patients were selected from the attendants of the Dermatology Outpatient Clinic of Al Zahraa University Hospital, Cairo, Egypt.The study was performed over a period from July 2021 to September 2022. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt with approval code (2021121145) and following the Helsinki Declaration. Written informed consent was obtained from all participating patients.Inclusion criteria included adult patients > 18 years old experiencing mild to severe acne according to the Global Acne Severity Scale (GEA Scale) [Exclusion criteria included age below 18, pregnancy or lactation, systemic diseases, a background of hypertrophic scars or keloids, photosensitivity, history of herpes infection, active infection, dermatitis, malignancy over the treatment area, hormone replacement therapy, patients taking contraceptive pills, topical acne therapies or systemic antibacterial agents 30 days preceding the study, or oral retinoid 6 months prior to enrollment; additionally, individuals with mild comedonal acne or nodulocystic acne were excluded from the trial.All patients provided a thorough medical history and had a comprehensive general and dermatological assessment and pretreatment photographs. Subjective clinical assessment, lesions counting [