The relapse rate after 1 year treatment with oral isotretinoin in Korean patients with mild to moderate acne

Background: The efficacy of isotretinoin in the treatment of acne has been widely established. Recently oral isotretinoin has been used for any grades and any types of acne. There have been many articles on long-term follow up data with oral isotretinoin therapy. Objective: To assess, after 1 year post-treatment with oral isotretinoin, the relapse rate, risk factor which influence the outcome, and the total cumulative dose of oral isotretinoin in mild to moderate acne patients in Korea, prospectively. Material and methods: Patients with mild to moderate acne, visiting out-patient dermatology clinics of four university hospitals have taken oral isotretinoin 0.3-1.0 mg/kg/day over 16 weeks. The outcomes were evaluated by telephone contact, with regard to relapse, further treatment in cases of relapse; subjective assessment of seburn secretion and patient satisfaction. A total of 230 patients were evaluated at the end of the preliminary report, and 124 out of the 230 were contacted in this 1 year follow up. Result: A relapse rate of 25% was obtained on our study. The patient's sex, seborrhea, acne grade prior to treatment, previous severest acne grade did not influence the relapse rate. It appeared that young age and the total cumulative dose (TCD) influenced the percentage of relapse. About 71.3% of patients were satisfied with the result after 1 year post-treatment with oral isotretinoin. Conclusion: The dose schedule, in particular the cumulative dose, was an important factor in determining the relapse rate. It is capable of producing a low relapse rate and long-term remission in mild to moderate acne patients in Korea, if given in a dose regimen of a cumulative dose of 80 mg/kg.