SynthesisJournal of cosmetic dermatology2025
Efficacy and Safety of Oral Spironolactone for Women With Acne Vulgaris: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials With Trial Sequential Analysis.
Synthesis in Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Efficacy and Safety of Oral Spironolactone for Women With Acne Vulgaris: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials With Trial Sequential Analysis.Journal of cosmetic dermatology · 2025Pooled it
- Oral and Topical Spironolactone in Adult Female Acne: A Narrative Review Comparing Systemic and Local Approaches.Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAdult acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that primarily affects females. Initial management includes topical and oral medications, but important limitations include ineffectiveness, nonadherence, and adverse effects. Spironolactone has shown good results in off-label acne management.
aimsWe aim to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis exploring the safety and efficacy of oral spironolactone for females with acne.
methodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing oral spironolactone in women with acne to placebo. The primary endpoint was the objective assessment of acne improvement. Secondary endpoints included subjective assessment and adverse events. Statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4. Heterogeneity was assessed with I
resultsWe included 563 patients from 5 RCTs, of which 251 (42.9%) received spironolactone. Objective assessment of acne improvement (OR 6.59; 95% 3.50-12.43; p < 0.00001; I
conclusionOur study suggests that oral spironolactone improves acne in female patients compared to placebo without increasing risks; thus, it should be elevated from "off-label" use to an officially recommended standard of care. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42024626984.
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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.