The impact of azelaic and pyruvic acid peels treatment on the quality of life of adult women with acne vulgaris

Background: Acne vulgaris is present in 10% of women in young adult women, which may affect quality of life (QOL) in psychological and social dimensions. Chemical peelings by using alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) are frequently used in topical treatment of acne. Aim: The aim of the study was to examine whether the cosmetology treatment using AHA peeling is able to improve the quality of life of adult female patients suffering from acne vulgaris. The subjective sense of QOL was compared in two groups treated with azelaic acid (AA) and pyruvic acid (PA) peelings. Materials and methods: In this prospective cohort study, we have investigated the change in QOL under the influence of azelaic acid (AA) and pyruvic acid (PA) peeling treatment. Participants in the study were 120 female adult acne patients (age ranged between 20 and 24 years old, M = , SD = ), with mild to moderate facial acne. The sample was randomly divided into two groups, one treated with AA peeling and the other treated with PA peeling for 12 weeks (in general, each patient performed six peeling sessions, every two weeks). We evaluated the patients clinically twice (before and after treatment), by using the Scale of Hellegren-Vincent Severity Symptoms (SHVSS) to assessed acne diagnosis, and by using Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Skindex-29 to rate QOL. Results: The mean SHVSS, DLQI and Skindex-29 scores were improved significantly in both AA and PA samples. Although there was not differences in objective acne symptoms, PA group assessed higher effectiveness of peeling therapy than AA sample, with reference to QOL.