Acne treatment with topical erythromycin and zinc: effect of Propionibacterium acnes and free fatty acid composition.

A double-blind investigation has been conducted to examine the effect of topical 4% erythromycin/1.2% zinc acetate solution and its vehicle on quantitative bacterial counts (skin surface washings) of propionibacterium acnes and the free fatty acids of the skin surface. The logarithmic counts for P. acnes in the erythromycin/zinc group showed a significant reduction (98%) following 10 weeks of therapy. This compared with a 43% change shown for the vehicle-control group. A significant reduction (69%) in the percentage of free fatty acids in the surface lipids was seen at week 4 in the erythromycin/zinc group as compared to the control group. Triglyceride levels were significantly increased at all time points for the erythromycin/zinc group as compared to the control group. There was also a significant decrease (69%) in inflammatory lesions shown for the erythromycin/zinc treatment group at week 8 as compared to a 9% reduction in the control group.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes