Acne vulgaris. Oral therapy with tetracycline and topical therapy with vitamin A

Topical Vitamin A Acid (Airol®) and Systemic Oxytetracycline in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris

“…Mills et al [8] found that an 8-week treatment with demethylchlortetracycline orally and 0.05% vitamin A acid locally gave better results in acne vulgaris than either drug alone. We could to a certain extent confirm these findings.…”

New insights into the management of acne: An update from the Global Alliance to Improve Outcomes in Acne Group

“…[96][97][98][99] Several early small studies showed that the combination of a retinoid plus an antimicrobialeBPO, topical antibiotics, and oral antibioticsewas more effective than monotherapy with the antimicrobial. 96,99,100 For example, Mills et al 96 reported that the combination of tretinoin plus oral tetracycline resulted in a good to excellent response in 67% of patients vs 48% of those treated with tretinoin alone and 41% of those treated with tetracycline alone. Although these early studies are cited as supportive data, this review focuses on the results of newer studies because of the change in standards for clinical trial design in dermatology during the past few decades.…”

“…As early as 1972, it was shown that topical tretinoin plus oral tetracycline increased efficacy and provided a faster therapeutic response compared with either agent as monotherapy. 96,101 Topical retinoids plus oral antibiotics are a suitable therapeutic choice for moderate to severe or persistent acne. It is our opinion that oral and topical antibiotics should not be used together because of an increased risk for antibiotic resistance and low likelihood of additional efficacy.…”

“…Controlled clinical studies have evaluated the combination of topical retinoids with the oral antibiotics tetracycline, doxycycline, and lymecycline. 96,101,110,111 Adapalene plus oral antibiotics (level I evidence). Two well-controlled studies evaluated the combination of adapalene plus an oral tetracycline (lymecycline and doxycycline).…”

Current Options for the Topical Treatment of Acne Vulgaris

“…Other advantages of topical agents include the ability to deliver higher concentrations of antimicrobials directly to the site of infection (31), as well as anti-inftammatory effects (32). Because antibiotics do nol have comedoiytic activity and are only moderately effective in reducing the number of newly formed papules and pustules, they are often used in combination with topical retinoids (33).…”