Fish Oil With Low-Dose Isotretinoin Shows Noninferior Acne Control
Key Takeaways
- In an 80-participant randomized, double-masked trial, adding 1 g of fish oil daily to 10 mg of isotretinoin was noninferior to isotretinoin plus placebo for reducing acne counts over 3 months.
- The fish oil group had smaller reductions in corneometer measurements, indicating better preservation of skin hydration, and smaller increases in serum triglyceride levels.
- Short treatment duration and use of Investigator’s Global Assessment criteria for enrollment limited interpretation of longer-term efficacy and safety.
Fish oil supplementation added to low-dose isotretinoin was noninferior to isotretinoin alone for reducing acne lesions and may help preserve skin hydration and limit increases in triglyceride levels, according to findings published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Randomized Trial Evaluates Fish Oil With Low-Dose Isotretinoin
The randomized, double-masked, controlled noninferiority trial included 80 participants aged 18 to 25 years with moderate-to-severe acne vulgaris, defined by an Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) score of 3 or greater. Participants received isotretinoin 10 mg once daily plus either 1 g of fish oil (n = 40) or placebo (n = 40) for 3 months.
Investigators evaluated acne counts, IGA scores, skin biophysical measurements, mucocutaneous adverse effects, serum triglyceride levels, and liver transaminases.
The fish oil group was noninferior to the placebo group for reduction in total acne counts from baseline, with a between-group mean difference of −6.0 (95% CI, −16.5 to 4.5). Participants receiving fish oil also had smaller reductions in corneometer values.The investigators noted that using IGA-based inclusion criteria may have affected the noninferiority analysis. The 3-month study duration also limited conclusions regarding longer-term outcomes.
“Fish oil combined with low-dose isotretinoin is noninferior and may preserve skin hydration and TG control,” the authors wrote.