Clay Jojoba Oil Facial Mask for Lesioned Skin and Mild Acne - Results of a Prospective, Observational Pilot Study

Background: External application of clay facial masks is a cosmetic procedure generally used to reduce skin lesions and to improve overall skin condition. Objective: Collecting pilot data about self-treatment with clay jojoba oil masks on participants with acne-prone, lesioned skin and acne. Methods: Open, prospective, observational pilot study: Participants received written information, instructions, and questionnaires without direct contact with the study physician. For 6 weeks, they applied the masks 2-3 times per week. The primary outcome is the difference of skin lesions: baseline vs. after 6 weeks. Results: 194 participants (192 female, 2 male, mean age (+/- SE) (32.3 +/- 0.7 years) returned questionnaires and diaries. 133 of these participants returned complete and precise lesion counts (per-protocol (PP) collective). A 54% mean reduction in total lesion count was observed after 6 weeks of treatment with clay facial mask. Both inflammatory and non-inflammatory skin lesions were reduced significantly after treatment compared to baseline: Median counts (MC) of pustules per affected participant were reduced from 7.0 +/- 0.9 to 3.0 +/- 0.5 (mean individual reduction (MIR) = 49.4%), the MC of the papules from 3.5 +/- 2.2 to 1.0 +/- 0.4 (MIR = 57.3%), the MC of cysts from 2.0 +/- 0.8 to 0.5 +/- 0.4 (MIR = 68.6%) and the MC of comedones from 26.5 +/- 6.3 to 16.0 +/- 4.0 (MIR = 39.1%). DLQI-average score decreased from 5.0 +/- 4.5 (mean +/- SE) before to 2.1 +/- 2.8 after treatment. Conclusions: The present study gives preliminary evidence that healing clay jojoba oil facial masks can be effective treatment for lesioned skin and mild acne vulgaris.