Efficacy and safety of topical spironolactone 5% gel versus placebo in the treatment of acne vulgaris

Background Acne is an inflammatory disorder of the pilosebaceous unit that imposes negative effects on the psychological state of patients. Indeed, even mild acne can adversely affect the patients' quality of life. Therefore, successful management is needed. Spironolactone is one of the effective systemic treatments for acne, but its adverse effects limit its use. Objectives To assess the effectiveness and safety of 5% spironolactone gel in the treatment of acne. Patients and methods This study was a split-face study in which 22 adult patients with mild and moderate acne vulgaris were instructed to apply topical 5% spironolactone gel to their right hemifaces and topical placebo gel to their left hemifaces twice daily for 8 weeks. Results This study reported a statistically significant reduction in the total lesion count and acne severity index from the baseline. The improvement was significantly higher in the spironolactone side than the placebo side. Spironolactone mainly improves comedones and inflammatory papules. Minimal tolerable adverse effects were recorded in the form of stinging and mild erythema. Conclusion The data provided by this study support the use of topical spironolactone in the treatment of mild to moderate acne vulgaris.