Comparison of glycolic acid and salicylic acid peels as a sole therapy in the treatment of acne

Status

Not yet recruiting

Phases

Phase 3

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12625001366448

Enrollment

Registered

2025-12-05

Start date

2025-12-30

Completion date

2026-03-30

Last updated

2026-01-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

Acne vulgaris (AV) is a highly prevalent skin disorder which can be addressed through a range of therapies. Glycolic acid (GA) and salicylic acid (SA) represent two frequently utilized chemical peeling agents in acne therapy. Limited head-to-head comparative data on the efficacy of GA and SA peels as mono therapy is available especially in local population of Pakistan. This warrants conductance of this trial

Interventions

35% glycolic acid topical solution (20ml) will be carefully applied to the right side of the face (given that it will be a split face study) by the dermatologist in clinic with a cotton swab, starting with a 3-minute application in the initial session, which will be then gradually increasing to a maximum of 5 minutes in subsequent sessions. Total six sessions, each conducted after two weeks, will be performed.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Primary purpose

Treatment

Masking

Open (masking not used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

16 Years to 40 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

- Patients clinically diagnosis of mild to moderate AV as per operational definition. - Bilateral, comparable facial involvement (which is a need for split-face randomization). - Patients willing to avoid any concurrent acne therapies throughout the trial. - No prior history of chemical peels in the past 6 months. - No use of systemic acne therapy within 3 months. - Agreed to provide written informed consent (guardian consent in case of minors).

Exclusion criteria

- Severe or nodulocystic acne, (predominantly truncal acne, or facial involvement) not suitable for split-face design. - Known allergy/intolerance to treatment ingredients (glycolic acid, salicylic acid, aspirin/salicylates, or other peel components). - Active facial dermatoses/infections (e.g., eczema, psoriasis, impetigo, fungal infection. - Pregnancy or lactation. - Active skin infections or dermatitis. - History of keloids or hypertrophic scarring. - Uncontrolled systemic disease (e.g., diabetes with poor control), use of immunosuppressive agents, or systemic retinoid use (within 6 months).

Outcome results