Resumen

Objectives: Despite the various therapeutical modalities for acne, novel treatments with fewer adverse effects and recurrences should be examined. This study proposes plasma therapy as a beneficial treatment for acne vulgaris. Our findings suggest cold plasma is an effective adjunctive therapy for treating acne patients' inflammatory lesions. However, further investigations with a larger sample size must confirm this result. Introduction: Acne vulgaris, a prevalent dermatologic disease, imposes a considerable psychosocial effect on the population. Several treatments are available for acne, with noticeable adverse effects. Plasma, a developing therapeutic modality, is employed in different inflammatory conditions with minimal side effects. Materials / method: This case series study sought to evaluate the efficacy of plasma therapy in acne vulgaris. Patients meeting specific eligibility criteria were enrolled in this study at the Dermatology Clinic of Shohada-e-Tajrish Hospital from 2021 to 2022. Plasma was applied for patients once weekly for eight consecutive weeks. Evaluation tools included the Investigator Global Assessment of Acne (IGA), Global Acne Grading System (GAGS), and Cardiff Acne Disability Index (CADI). Results: A total of 15 eligible patients, including 12 women and three men with a mean age of 26.60 ± 6.20, were included. All patients had mild-moderated acne with notable improvement after plasma therapy. The mean GAGS and IGA scores were 14.73 ± 6.19 and 2.67 ± 0.82 at baseline and 4.80 ± 3.97 and 0.87 ± 0.83 after cold plasma therapy, respectively. The decrease in GAGS (P<0.001) and IGA (P<0.001) was significant. Also, the quality of life of acne patients assessed with the CADI improved significantly after a complete course of therapy (P<0.001). Conclusion: Our findings support the application of cold plasma as an effective adjunctive therapy for inflammatory lesions in acne patients. However, further investigations with a larger sample size must confirm this result.