A comparative study of the effectiveness of tea tree oil and benzoyl peroxide in the treatment of acne vulgaris among Filipino teenagers and adults in Metro Manila / The Health Sciences Journal

ABSTRACT

Introduction@#The researchers aimed to determine the efficacy of tea tree oil in comparison to benzoyl peroxide in treating mild acne. This study also aimed to identify the side effects of both treatment modalities.@*Methods@#Using a randomized single blinded controlled clinical trial, teenagers and young adults with mild acne vulgaris were allocated to receive tea tree oil gel or benzoyl peroxide for four weeks. The effectiveness of the agents was measured using the Investigator's Global Assessment Scale. Posttreatment scores were compared with the baseline within groups. The difference was compared between the two study arms. Adverse reactions to the two agents were also noted.@*Results @#Both tea tree oil and benzoyl peroxide groups showed a significant decrease in the posttreatment lesion counts compared to the baseline, however when the mean differences were compared between groups, the difference was not significant.@*Conclusion@#Tea tree oil is comparable to benzoyl peroxide in treating mild acne vulgaris among teenagers and young adults.