Fighting Acne for the Fighting Forces
Acne vulgaris is one of the most common dermatologic diseases, ranging from comedonal or inflammatory papules to large, painful, disfiguring cysts. Numerous treatment approaches are available, each with their own risks and benefits that must be weighed when selecting the best option for an individual patient. Active-duty military servicemembers face additional levels of complexity when pursuing acne therapy. Untreated acne may interfere with their assigned duties, while various therapies also may limit their medical readiness and fitness for duty. We present a review of various acne treatment modalities with a focus on the military population. Additionally, we present a case in which the pulsed dye laser (PDL) was successfully used to treat inflammatory acne in an active-duty servicemember to highlight the use of PDL as an available and effective treatment option for acne in this population.
Practice Points
- Acne is a common disease that may cause considerable physical and psychological morbidity. Numerous therapies are available, each with their respective risks and benefits.
- Military servicemembers face unique challenges in the management of acne due to operational and medical readiness considerations.
- Less conventional treatments such as photodynamic therapy and pulsed dye laser may be available to military servicemembers.
- Pulsed dye laser is an effective alternative treatment of acne, especially in an age of growing antibiotic resistance.
Case Report
A 24-year-old active-duty male servicemember was referred to the dermatology department for evaluation of treatment-resistant nodulocystic scarring acne. Prior to his arrival to dermatology, he had completed 2 weeks of isotretinoin before discontinuation due to notable mood alteration. Following the isotretinoin, he was then switched to doxycycline 100 mg twice daily, which he trialed for 3 months. Even on the antibiotic, the patient continued to develop new pustules and cysts, prompting referral to dermatology for additional treatment options (Figure, A). All of the previous topical and oral medications had been discontinued at the current presentation.
The patient received 3 treatments with the 595-nm PDL (spot size, 10 mm; fluence, 7 J/cm2; pulse width, 6 milliseconds) spaced 4 weeks apart. At each treatment, fewer than 10 total inflammatory lesions were treated, including inflammatory papules, pustules, and nodules. Nodular lesions were treated with 2 pulses. After each treatment, the patient reported that all treated lesions resolved within 2 days (Figure, B). Subsequent treated lesions all occurred at previously uninvolved sites.
Final Thoughts
Antibiotic resistance is a known and growing problem throughout the medical community. In 2013, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that dermatologists prescribe more antibiotics than any other specialty.17 Aside from antibiotic stewardship, systemic antibiotics come with various considerations when selecting ideal acne treatment regimens in military populations, as they are either medically disqualifying or lead to temporary grounding status. Numerous guidelines on acne have recommended limiting the use of antibiotics, instead pursuing alternative therapies such as spironolactone, oral contraceptives, or isotretinoin.9,18 Both spironolactone and oral contraceptives work well via antiandrogenic and antisebogenic properties; however, these therapies are limited to female patients only, who make up a minority of patients in the active-duty military setting. Isotretinoin is highly effective in the treatment of acne, but it requires grounding for the entirety of treatment and for months afterward, which comes at great personal and financial costs to servicemembers and their commanders due to limited-duty status and inability to deploy.
,Given the operational constraints with isotretinoin and the continual rise of antibiotic resistance, PDL appears to be a safe and effective alternative therapy for acne. In our case, the patient had complete resolution of active inflammatory lesions after each of his treatments. He had no adverse effects and tolerated the treatments well. We report this case here to highlight the use of PDL as an effective therapy for spot treatment in patients limited by personal or operational constraints and as a means to reduce antibiotic use in the face of a growing tide of antibiotic resistance.
