RESUMO
Objective: This 12-week, multicenter, open-label study investigated the efficacy and tolerability of the HydraFacial Clarifying Treatment for improving skin appearance in patients who present with acne vulgaris. Methods: Twenty eligible adult patients with mild-to-moderate acne were enrolled at one of two treatment sites in the United States and were to undergo six HydraFacial Clarifying Treatments, one every two weeks for 12 weeks. Treatment occurs in three steps: cleansing and peeling; suction to extract dead skin cells, sebum, and debris; and application of blue LED light. Acne severity was graded by investigators and by patients using the Global Acne Severity Score (GASS). Results: The proportion of patients with no acne or almost clear skin (GASS ≤1) at baseline versus final treatment increased from 20 to 65 percent per investigator assessment (p=0.0027), and from 5 to 55 percent per patient self-report (p=0.0016). At final treatment, more than 80 to 100 percent of both investigators and patients agreed or strongly agreed there was an improvement in skin appearance across multiple assessment parameters. Treatments were generally well tolerated. Limitations: Due to the nature of the treatment, blinding of neither investigators nor patients was feasible. Conclusion: The results presented here suggest that a series of six HydraFacial Clarifying Treatments improves overall skin appearance in patients with active acne.