ReviewInternational journal of women's dermatology2017
A Review of hormone-based therapies to treat adult acne vulgaris in women.
Review in International journal of women's dermatology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 50 citations in OpenAlex.
- Contribution of the combined oral contraceptive ethinylestradiol 20 µg/dienogest 2 mg, in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris and its perceived psychological effects in young university women.International journal of women's dermatology · 2025Article
- PRACT-India: Practical Recommendations on Acne Care and Medical Treatment in India-A Modified Delphi Consensus.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Hormonal Therapies for Acne: A Comprehensive Update for Dermatologists.Dermatology and therapy · 2025Review
- Efficacy and Safety of Hormonal Therapies for Acne: A Narrative Review.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2025Review
- Decoding Acne Vulgaris: Insights into Pathogenesis, Treatment Modalities, Diagnosis and Recent Advancements.Recent advances in inflammation & allergy drug discovery · 2025Review
- Experts' view on the role of oestrogens in combined oral contraceptives: emphasis on oestetrol (E4).Frontiers in global women's health · 2024Article
- A Prospective Randomized Trial Comparing Quality of Life in Adult Female Acne Treated with Azelaic Acid 15% Gel versus Oral Spironolactone.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2024Article
- Correlating the Gut Microbiota and Circulating Hormones with Acne Lesion Counts and Skin Biophysical Features.Microorganisms · 2023Article
- Dermatology: how to manage acne in skin of colour.Drugs in context · 2022Review
- Androgen Receptor Inhibitors in the Treatment of Acne Vulgaris: Efficacy and Safety Profiles of Clascoterone 1% Cream.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2022Review
- Dermatologic Conditions in Transgender Populations.Endocrinology and metabolism clinics of North America · 2019Review
- A review of diagnosis and treatment of acne in adult female patients.International journal of women's dermatology · 2018Review
- Update to acne vulgaris treatment for Canadian practice.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadienReview
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Hormone-based therapies including combined oral contraceptive medications and spironolactone are considered effective therapies to treat adult acne in women. Our objective is to provide a concise and comprehensive overview of the types of hormonal therapy that are available to treat acne and comment on their efficacy and safety profiles for clinical practice. A systematic search using the PubMed Database was conducted to yield 36 relevant studies for inclusion in the review and several conclusions were drawn from the literature. Treatment with oral contraceptive pills leads to significant reductions in lesion counts across all lesion types compared with placebo. There were no consistent differences in efficacy between the different combined oral contraceptive formulations. In terms of risk, oral contraceptive pill users had three-times increased odds of venous thromboembolism versus non-users according to a recent meta-analysis (95% confidence interval 2.46-2.59). Data on oral contraceptive pill use and breast cancer risk are conflicting but individual patient risk factors and histories should be discussed and considered when prescribing these medications. However, use of these medications does confer measurable protection from endometrial and ovarian cancer. Spironolactone was also shown to be an effective alternative treatment with good tolerability. Combined oral contraceptive medications and spironolactone as adjuvant and monotherapies are safe and effective to treat women with adult acne. However, appropriate clinical examinations, screening, and individual risk assessments particularly for venous thromboembolism risk must be conducted prior to initiating therapy.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.