For many years antibiotic therapy has been the backbone of therapy for inflammatory acne. However, topical retinoids also offer efficacy against inflammatory acne and the combination of a topical retinoid and an antibiotic can result in faster and more complete clearing of inflammatory lesions than either drug alone.~The reduced sensitivity of Propionibacterium acnes to antibiotics is a growing problem. Resistance is a major issue not only because it can result in treatment failure but also because of concerns that it may potentially be transferred to other bacteria that anti-acne antibiotics are used used against. One of the most important factors predisposing to the development of resistant strains of propionibacterium acnes is the prolonged use of antibiotics. Therefore, in order to help minimize the development for such resistance, it is evident that maintenance strategies for acne should aim to minimize the long-term use of antibiotics.~Topical retinoids are a rational choice for maintenance therapy due to their activity on microcomedones (the precursor for all acne lesions). Nevertheless, there is a paucity of data evaluating this use in a maintenance setting. The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with moderate to severe inflammatory acne who have achieved a good level of clearance (eg>/= 75%) can maintain the improvement in their acne using maintenance therapy. THe study compared the efficacy of three maintenance therapies (topical tazarotene, oral minocycline, and topical tazarotene plus oral minocycline) in sustaining the clinical improvement attained after initial topical tazarotene plus oral minocycline therapy.
The purpose of the study is to compare the efficacy of three maintenance regimens (topical tazarotene, oral minocycline, or both) in sustaining improvement in acne.