Abstract
BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is an inflammatory disease affecting the pilosebaceous unit, which also has psychological effects. AIMS: Our aim in our study is to compare the recovery levels and side effect profiles of patients diagnosed with acne during pregnancy and who used topical erythromycin, clindamycin, or topical azelaic acid. METHODS: After ethical approval was obtained for the study, the files of patients who applied to the outpatient clinic with acne complaints in 2018-2022 were retrospectively examined, and the files of 75 pregnant patients who used topical erythromycin, 96 who used clindamycin, and 26 who used azelaic acid were included in the study. Pre- and post-treatment IGA values, lesion numbers, side effects during the treatment process, and patient satisfaction levels were examined. RESULTS: When the groups were compared in terms of IGA value at the end of treatment and percentage improvements in all lesion numbers, it was seen that there was more improvement in the group using azelaic acid than the others (p < 0.001 for both). When the groups were compared in terms of side effects, no difference was found (p = 0.093). When the groups were compared in terms of satisfaction levels, there were significantly more patients who were very satisfied in the azelaic acid group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: As a result of the study, we see that azelaic acid is more successful in terms of both effectiveness and patient satisfaction. Therefore, azelaic acid is a good option in the treatment of mild to moderate acne during pregnancy.