Cross-Sectional Study of Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Safety of Combination Creams (Tretinoin 0.05%, Clindamycin 3%, and Dexamethasone 0.05%) Anti-Acne – An Online Study

Authors

  • Sukmawati Tansil Tan Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, Indonesia
  • Yohanes Firmansyah General Practitioner, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, Indonesia
  • Hendsun Hendsun General Practitioner, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, Indonesia
  • Alicia Sarijuwita General Practitioner, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, Indonesia
  • William Gilbert Satyanegara General Practitioner, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, Indonesia
  • Joshua Kurniawan General Practitioner, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, Indonesia
  • Dean Ascha Wijaya General Practitioner, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37275/bsm.v8i4.956

Keywords:

Acne vulgaris, Clindamycin, Dexamethasone, Medication, Tretinoin

Abstract

Background: Acne vulgaris is a common skin condition that causes blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples. It is caused by a number of things, like too much oil, clogged pores, and inflammation. Topical combination creams are an alternative treatment for acne.  They can help reduce inflammation, kill bacteria that cause acne, and stop the skin from making too much oil. Topical combination creams like retinoids, antibiotics, and steroids are all mixed together in a single cream or gel. This study talks about the effectiveness and side effects of using combination creams (tretinoin 0.05%, clindamycin 3%, and dexamethasone 0.05%) to treat acne in the short and long term (local and systemic).

Methods: This study is a survey that was done at the Sukma clinic with data from 2022 patients who were diagnosed with acne vulgaris. The survey was done on Google Forms, which is a website. In this study, different factors were looked at, such as demographics, efficacy (like reducing acne severity, making the skin brighter, getting rid of blackheads on the face, getting rid of acne scars, improving skin texture, hiding scars, minimizing facial pores, getting rid of wrinkles and dark spots), local adverse events (like burning, itching, stinging, eruptive papules, hypopigmentation, hyperpigmentation, erythema, scaling, and other), and systemic adverse events.

Results: The results of this study show that a combination of tretinoin 0.05%, clindamycin 3%, and dexamethasone 0.05% is very effective and has minimal side effects. Local symptoms only show up during the first week of taking the drug (the "sensitization phase"), and then they tend to get less common over time. The only exceptions are hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation, which show up later because they are caused by healing acne lesions.

Conclusion: There was no direct link between the use of anti-acne combination cream drugs and the number of systemic side effects. This is because the patient had often had this happen before (constipation, GERD, and others).

Authors

  • Sukmawati Tansil Tan1*
  • Yohanes Firmansyah2
  • Hendsun Hendsun2
  • Alicia Sarijuwita2
  • William Gilbert Satyanegara2
  • Joshua Kurniawan2
  • Dean Ascha Wijaya2
  1. 1Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, Indonesia
  2. 2General Practitioner, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Tarumanagara, Jakarta, Indonesia

Corresponding author Sukmawati Tansil Tan — sukmawati@fk.untar.ac.id

Article history

  1. Submitted
  2. Accepted
  3. Published

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Published

2024-01-24

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How to Cite

1.
Tan ST, Yohanes Firmansyah, Hendsun Hendsun, Alicia Sarijuwita, William Gilbert Satyanegara, Joshua Kurniawan, et al. Cross-Sectional Study of Efficacy, Effectiveness, and Safety of Combination Creams (Tretinoin 0.05%, Clindamycin 3%, and Dexamethasone 0.05%) Anti-Acne – An Online Study. Bioscmed [Internet]. 2024 Jan. 24 [cited 2026 Aug. 12];8(4):4192-200. Available from: https://bioscmed.com/index.php/bsm/article/view/956

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