Introduction. Acne vulgaris is one of the most common skin diseases affecting more than 85% of individuals worldwide. The study aimed to compare the therapeutic efficacy of Salicylic acid peel and Salicylic acid - mandelic acid peel for treatment of acne scars.
Material and Methods. A comparative study was conducted on 41 patients, divided into two groups based on treatment choice by the subjects. Group A (23) were treated with 30% salycilic acid peels, and group B (18) were treated with 20% salycilic acid and 10% mandelic acid peels at an interval of 2 weeks for three sessions. The physician’s global assessment scale and clinical photographs were used at the end of three sessions. All the data were analysed using SPSS considering P<0.05 as significant.
Results. Of the total 41 patients analyzed, the mean age in both the groups were comparable. (Group A: 20.4 years; Group B: 20.5 years). Duration of acne was >12 months in both the groups 13 (56.52%) & 10 (55.56%)). Thirteen patients (56.52%) in group A and 1 (5.56%) in group B had no side effects which was statistically significant (p=0.01). Using the physician’s global assessment scale 51-75% (Good) an improvement was seen in grade I 4 (17%) and 18 (78%) in grade II in group A and 2 (11%) in grade I and 12 (67%) in grade II in group B, respectively which was statistically significant (p=0.001).
Conclusion. Both agents showed almost equal efficacy in improving mild-to-moderate acne scars. Adverse effects were less with Salicylic acid peel compared with mandelic acid peel..
